Oh the green rolling hills of West Virginia
Are the nearest thing to heaven that I know
Tho' the times are sad and dreary
I cannot linger here
They'll keep me and never let me go

My dad said, " Don't ever be a miner
For a mine's grave is all you'll ever owe"
There's hard times everywhere
I can find a dime to spare
These are the worst times I've ever known

So I'll move away into some crowded city
In some northern factory town, you'll find me there
Tho' I'll leave the past behind
I'll never change my mind
These troubled times are more than I can bear

Someday I'll go back to West Virginia
To those green rolling hills, I love so well
Oh some day I'll go home
When I know I'll right the wrong
These hard times will follow me no more
I cannot linger here
They'll keep me and never let me go