Half Mile Down

They come down from Washington City

To our Blue Ridge Mountain home

And across that crooked river

To the valley down below

I was swimmin' in that water

When they came up to the shore

Sayin', sorry son, this won't be

Dry land here anymore

Yes, and my hometown is a half mile down

It's a half mile o' water all around, all around

My hometown is a half mile down

First they started their surveyin'

And makin' up their plans

To flood that peaceful valley

Just to build Watauga Dam

Oh, they brought in their bulldozers

And pushed our homes away

And they handed me a shovel

And 60 cents a day

Singin' my hometown is a half mile down

It's a half mile o' water all around, all around

My hometown is a half mile down

So they stripped out all the timber

And they leveled all the land

And they drilled and dynamited

'Til they blew the mountains in

I tore down my old home-place

And I dug up daddy's grave

And I relocated momma

To 14 miles away

Now I look down on the water

That rose up on that day

By the banks of the old Watauga

Where I once used to play

Yes, I look out on that water

Where they made their big mistake

And covered up our hometown

'Neath the godforsaken lake

Singin' my hometown is a half mile down

It's a half mile of water all around, all around

My hometown is a half mile down

It's a half mile of water all around, all around

My hometown is a half mile down