There’s a holler past Man where the willows bend low
Where the creek runs slow through the valley below
Old Miss Annie lives up by the bend in the road
In a house time forgot where the cold winds blow
She keeps a lamp burnin’ in the front room at night
For the two she lost when the morning turned white
Back in ’72 when the dam gave way
And the water come down like Judgment Day
Oh Buffalo Creek, Lord we remember you
That cold February morning back in ’72
When the dam broke loose and the mountain cried
And the coal black water took folks in the tide
Now we look after Annie like her own would do
That’s the way in the hills we see it through
Yeah the Lord may take, but the mountains give
So we help her along long as we live
Boys from the mine stop by after shift
With a sack of taters or a jar of the gift
Fix her porch when the winter boards split
Patch the roof where the hard rains hit
Come Sunday she rides in the back of Joe’s Ford
Down to church where we thank the Lord
Then supper at Mary’s with the kids runnin’ wild
And for a little while she just smiles
Oh Buffalo Creek, Lord we remember you
That cold February morning back in ’72
When the dam broke loose and the mountain cried
And the coal black water took folks in the tide
Now we look after Annie like her own would do
That’s the way in the hills we see it through
Yeah the Lord may take, but the mountains give
So we help her along long as we live
Some nights the rain hits the holler just right
And the creek starts talkin’ in the dead of night
She’ll sit real still with a faraway stare
Like she’s hearin’ voices that ain’t there
But we ain’t forgot and we never will
Every miner down past the hill
Knows a promise don’t fade with the years rollin’ by
You take care of your own ’til the day you die
Oh Buffalo Creek, Lord we remember you
That cold February morning back in ’72
When the dam broke loose and the mountain cried
And the coal black water took folks in the tide
Now we look after Annie like her own would do
That’s the way in the hills we see it through
Yeah the Lord may take, but the mountains give
So we help her along long as we live
So if you pass that holler where the old road bends
You’ll see miners’ trucks and a yard full of friends
‘Cause up in these hills when sorrow comes through
We stand together, like we did in ’72
“Buffalo Creek ’72” is track number 4 on the Thumper Barrel album, No. 3 Mine.
Track: Buffalo Creek ’72
Album: No. 3 Mine
ISRC: QZRP52615057
ASCAP: 935192033