Standard (EADGBE)

Not so long ago just outside Paris Arkansas

a young lady had a mountain to climb

Gonna climb up this mountain cause there’s one thing I know

 My daddy is in his mountain diggin' Arkansas coal

 Yes I hear my mama calling, I let her wait ten minutes more she’ll be so

Cause I like to lay on the ground and listen to the sound of my daddy

 Digging Arkansas coal

I was born in this mountain went down here since I was nine years old

 And I know some day I’ll die in this mountain diggin', diggin'

Arkansas, Arkansas coal, Arkansas coal

Married me a good man back in ’59,

Knew he was an Arkansas coalminer and that suited me fine

Got us a little daughter, she's only eight years old

Wishing she was a man like her daddy diggin' Arkansas coal

Billie get off that mountain, Billie you got to go to school

Billie your mama and daddy ain’t gonna raise you no natural fool

Ain’t gonna raise you no natural fool

Mama why is the earth shaking? Mama is the world coming to an end?

Mama why are you crying? Is it another cave in?

My God the rocks are fallin', ten thousand tons on my head

I knew someday this would happen so this is how it feels to be dead

 So this is how it feels to be dead

Gonna climb up that mountain cause there is one thing I know

My daddy is in that mountain diggin' Arkansas coal