Poverty drove the Dickens to move to the Baltimore, Maryland area when Dickins was nineteen. There she met Mike Seeger, younger brother of Pete Seeger and founding member of the New Lost City Ramblers and became active in the Baltimore-Washington area bluegrass and folk music scene during the 1960s. During this time she also established a collaborative relationship with Mike Seeger's wife, Alice Gerrard, and as "Hazel & Alice" recorded two albums for the Folkways label: "Who's That Knocking (And Other Bluegrass Country Music) (1965)" and "Won't You Come & Sing for Me (1973)". In this regard, Dickens and Gerrard were bluegrass bandleaders at a time when the vast majority of bluegrass bands were led by men.
Dickens appeared in the documentary Harlan County, USA and also contributed four songs to the soundtrack of the same film. She has also appeared in the film Matewan.
Dickins continues to record and perform all of her life. Her voice is among the most powerful and moving of all bluegrass singers, male or female.
Hazel Dickens died April 22, 2011 at the Washington Home hospice in the District. She was 75 and had complications from pneumonia. Bless you old girl.
Hills of Home
Hazel Dickens Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Gone all the echoes of old familiar sound.
Families are scattered, parted, and gone.
Left a lot of good things to wither away back home.
(Chorus:) Can't you feel those hills around you?
Can't you feel that touch of home?
And don't you wish you'd never gone?
Hills of home, hills of home,
Families scattered off and gone.
These old hills that have been passed by,
Well, they've seen their share of leavin' in their time.
Old familiar dirt roads wind through the piney glade,
Where all the longing of childhood dreams were made,
Where we passed the mossy mounds where I could run and play,
Never a care to cross my mind all the livelong day. (Chorus)
Yes, they've seen their share of leavin' in their time.
In Hazel Dickens's song "Hills of Home," the lyrics paint a vivid picture of the loss and longing one feels when they return to a place they once called home. The opening lines of the song, "There ain't much that's left here that ain't all run down/Gone all the echoes of old familiar sound," set the tone for the rest of the piece. Dickens describes a place that has lost its charm and energy, with families having moved away and good things withering away. She then asks the listener if they can feel the hills around them and the touch of home before reflecting on the fact that some things can never be brought home through memories alone.
The chorus of the song is particularly powerful as it captures the sense of yearning that many feel when they return to a place they once knew so well. The repetition of "Hills of home, hills of home" emphasizes the nostalgia and longing that the singer is feeling. The reference to the old familiar dirt roads and the childhood dreams made in the piney glades paints a vivid picture of a simpler time when the cares of the world weren't a concern. The final line, "Yes, they've seen their share of leavin' in their time," is a poignant reminder that everything changes, including the places we once called home.
Line by Line Meaning
There ain't much that's left here that ain't all run down.
There is hardly anything left that is not completely worn out.
Gone all the echoes of old familiar sound.
All the sounds that used to be common are gone and no longer heard.
Families are scattered, parted, and gone.
Families have separated and moved away from each other.
Left a lot of good things to wither away back home.
Many valuable things have been left behind and are deteriorating at home.
Can't you feel those hills around you?
Do you not feel the presence of those hills surrounding you?
Can't you feel that touch of home?
Do you not feel the sense of being back at home?
And don't you wish you'd never gone?
Do you not regret leaving and wish you had stayed?
There are some things memories can't bring home.
Some things cannot be brought back or recreated even with memories.
Hills of home, hills of home,
Referring to the hills as a symbol of home and nostalgia.
Families scattered off and gone.
Families have separated and gone their separate ways.
These old hills that have been passed by,
The hills that have been traveled through and left behind.
Well, they've seen their share of leavin' in their time.
The hills have witnessed many people leaving throughout their existence.
Old familiar dirt roads wind through the piney glade,
Nostalgic memories of dirt roads winding through the pine trees.
Where all the longing of childhood dreams were made,
Where all the hopes and dreams of childhood were formed.
Where we passed the mossy mounds where I could run and play,
A place where the singer was free to run and play on mossy hills.
Never a care to cross my mind all the livelong day.
The singer was carefree and did not worry about anything during all the hours of the day.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: RALPH STANLEY, WINDY SMITH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind