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
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 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