Growin' up in Fayetteville sure ain't no place for a 

child

The men work at the coalmine and the women never smile

Well ain't nobody rich here they're just barely 

scrapin' by

Few folks ever leave this place and most don't even try

Daddy was a miner, he worked 60 hours a week

Took him 30 years of bustin' rock to finally make ends 

meet

But he died last December with two lungs full of coal

Left behind a lovin' wife and bills that he still owed.



(Chorus)

They say that Fayetteville coalmine will only bring you 

pain

Make a woman cry all night and a man do crazy things

I've lived ?round here long enough and now it's plain 

to see

That Fayetteville coalmine is gonna' be the death of 

me.



I played high school football; I thought it was my way 


out

Two months straight my senior year, I was all they 

talked about

?Til the playoff game, on the 12th yard line, Wildcats 

were down by three

That number 10 just slipped right in and tore out my 

left knee.



Bought a house just down the road in a decent 

neighborhood

Got hired on at the coalmine, like I swore I never 

would

I married me a local gal and we get along alright

But there's still one thing that keeps me up, most 

every night.



(Repeat Chorus)



That old mine is like a thorn there in my side

I can't leave it, though I sure have tried

It's a cold, dark and empty hell

Some say it's a part of me, but I can't really tell.



(Repeat Chorus)