Up a crooked holler past the old dirt road
Where the white oak shadows creep
There’s a copper still by the laurel brush
That my granddaddy used to keep
His daddy ran it long before
Back when coal was king down here
Said Boy this shine’s our family name
And we guard it year to year
It’s our family recipe
Burnin’ clear and strong and sweet
From the mountain spring and the corn we grind
Down where the ridges meet
Ain’t a soul alive gonna steal that page
Or learn what we believe
You can drink our shine and shake our hands
But not our family recipe
Every month the sheriff rolls on by
Like he’s just passin’ through
We load his truck with a mason jar
And maybe a few more too
He tips his hat and drives on off
Says Boys I ain’t seen a thing
‘Cause good ol’ shine and quiet roads
Can make a blind man sing
It’s our family recipe
Burnin’ clear and strong and sweet
From the mountain spring and the corn we grind
Down where the ridges meet
Ain’t a soul alive gonna steal that page
Or learn what we believe
You can drink our shine and shake our hands
But not our family recipe
Neighbors watch the ridge lines close
If the law comes creepin’ near
Someone whistles through the pines
And the word runs far and clear
Folks in town all know real well
Who’s got the finest brew
They’ll guard that still like mountain kin
‘Cause they like a jar or two
Granddad said Some things stay hid
Like the roots of an old oak tree
Let the world drink deep from what we pour
But never know the key
It’s our family recipe
Strong as these hills we keep
Passed down slow through blood and bone
Like a mountain vow we keep
Let the world come knockin’ at our door
Beggin’ for the secret we keep
They’ll taste the shine till the day they die
But not our family recipe.
“Our Family Recipe” is track number 8 on the Thumper Barrel album, Stump Water.
Track: Our Family Recipe
Album: Stump Water
ISRC: QZTAW2631107
ASCAP: 935304298