My Clinch Mountain Home
A. P. Carter Lyrics
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Many years ago we parted, my little Ruth and I
From the sunny mountain side
She clung to me and trembled when I told her we must part
She said, "Don't go my darling, it almost breaks my heart
To think of you, so far apart"
Back to my clinch mountain home
Carry me back to old Virginia
Back to my old mountain home
I fold my arms around her, leaned her head upon my breast
I told her I would wed her when I came back from the west
At my old clinch mountain home
In my hand I hold a picture of the old home far away
In the other one my sweetheart I'm thinking of today
On the sunny mountain side
Carry me back to old Virginia
Back to my clinch mountain home
Carry me back to old Virginia
Back to my old mountain home
My mother's old and feeble, my father's getting gray
I'm going back to Virginia and I expect to stay
At my old, clinch mountain home
Carry me back to old Virginia
Back to my clinch mountain home
Carry me back to old Virginia
Back to my old mountain home
The song "My Clinch Mountain Home" by A. P. Carter is a poignant representation of the longing for home and loved ones that one experiences when they are far away. The song is set on a sunny mountain side, where the singer has parted with his "little Ruth" many years ago. Ruth is reluctant to part ways with her lover and pleads with him not to leave her alone. The singer carries a picture of his old home and the memory of Ruth with him as he travels. He promises Ruth that he will return to marry her once he has made his fortune in the West. The song ends with the singer expressing his intention to return to his old home in the Clinch Mountains of Virginia, where he hopes to reunite with his lover and spend the rest of his days.
Line by Line Meaning
Far away on a hill to sunny mountain side
Describing the setting of the story as a mountain side, faraway and sunny
Many years ago we parted, my little Ruth and I
The singer and his lover separated a few years ago
From the sunny mountain side
Further emphasizing the setting of the story
She clung to me and trembled when I told her we must part
Ruth was unwilling to let go and was distraught when told about the separation
She said, "Don't go my darling, it almost breaks my heart
To think of you, so far apart"
Ruth expressed her sadness at the thought of being separated from her lover
Carry me back to old Virginia
Back to my clinch mountain home
Carry me back to old Virginia
Back to my old mountain home
The chorus contains the singer's pleas to be taken back to his home in Virginia, specifically Clinch Mountain
I fold my arms around her, leaned her head upon my breast
I told her I would wed her when I came back from the west
At my old clinch mountain home
The singer vowed to marry Ruth upon his return from the West, at his home on Clinch Mountain
In my hand I hold a picture of the old home far away
In the other one my sweetheart I'm thinking of today
On the sunny mountain side
The artist reminisces about the old home while thinking of his lover on the mountain side
My mother's old and feeble, my father's getting gray
I'm going back to Virginia and I expect to stay
At my old, clinch mountain home
The artist's parents are ageing, and he intends to return to Virginia and stay at his home on Clinch Mountain
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: A.P. CARTER
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