The original group consisted of Alvin Pleasant Delaney Carter (A.P.; 1891-1960), his wife, Sara Dougherty Carter (autoharp and guitar; 1898-1979), and Maybelle Addington Carter (guitar; 1909-1978). Maybelle Carter (later popularly known as Mother Maybelle Carter) was married to A.P.'s brother Ezra (Eck) Carter. All three were born and raised in southwestern Virginia where they were immersed in the tight harmonies of mountain gospel music and shape note singing. Maybelle Carter's distinctive and innovative guitar playing style quickly became a hallmark of the group.
The Carters got their start on July 31, 1927 when A.P. convinced Sara and Maybelle (pregnant at the time) to make the journey from Maces Springs, Virginia to Bristol, Tennessee to audition for record producer Ralph Peer who was seeking new talent for the relatively embryonic recording industry. They received $50 for each song they recorded.
In the Fall of 1927 the Victor recording company released a double-sided 78 rpm record of the group performing "Wandering Boy" and "Poor Orphan Child". In 1928 another record was released with "The Storms Are on the Ocean" and "Single Girl, Married Girl". This one proved very popular.
They stopped touring and recording in 1943.
In 1987, the three daughters of Maybelle Carter - June Carter (also known as June Carter Cash, following marriage to Johnny Cash), Helen Carter and Anita Carter, along with June Carter's daughter Carlene Carter, appeared as the Carter Family and were featured on a 1987 television episode of Austin City Limits along with Johnny Cash.
The Carters were elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1970 and were given the nickname "The First Family of Country Music". In 1988, the Carter Family was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame and received its Award for the song "Will the Circle Be Unbroken". In 1993, the U.S. Postal Service issued a commemorative postage stamp honoring A.P., Sara, and Maybelle. In 2001, the group was inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Honor. In 2005, the group received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
The Carter Family III carries on the tradition. The group consists of A.P. Carter and Sarah Carter’s grandson Dale Jett, Maybelle Carter’s grandson John Carter Cash and his wife Laura Cash.
For more details, see the Carter Family biography at http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/carterfamily/peopleevents/p_carters.html
Clinch Mountain Home
The Carter Family Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
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 Carter Family's song "Clinch Mountain Home" is a heartfelt tale of longing and nostalgia for a past way of life. The lyrics describe a couple who have had to part ways, with the singer promising to return to his lover at their old home on Clinch Mountain. The song is filled with poignant images and emotions as the singer remembers his old home and the love he left behind.
The opening lines of the song describe a beautiful, sunny mountain side where the couple once lived, but were forced to separate due to circumstances beyond their control. The singer remembers the heartbreaking moment when he had to tell his lover that they had to part, and the pain that he felt in doing so. The lines "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'" are especially poignant, as they evoke the raw emotions that both parties must have felt in that moment.
The chorus of the song, with its repetition of the line "Carry me back to old Virginia/ Back to my clinch mountain home", highlights the theme of longing and nostalgia that runs throughout the song. The singer is desperate to return to their old way of life, and to be reunited with their lover and family. The final verse, which describes the singer's parents growing old and feeble, drives home the urgency of the situation and the need for the singer to return home before it's too late.
Overall, "Clinch Mountain Home" is a beautiful example of a traditional American folk song that taps into universal emotions of love, loss, and nostalgia. It's a reminder that no matter how far we may wander, there's always a part of us that longs to return to our roots and our old way of life.
Line by Line Meaning
Far away on a hill to sunny mountain side
We were separated a long time ago on a sunny mountain side.
Many years ago we parted, my little Ruth and I
Little Ruth and I parted ways many long years ago.
From the sunny mountain side
We departed from a mountain side filled with sunlight.
She clung to me and trembled when I told her we must part
When I told her we should part ways, she held onto me and shook with fear.
She said, "Don't go my darling, it almost breaks my heart
To think of you, so far apart"
She begged me not to leave, stating that the thought of being so far apart was unbearable to her.
Carry me back to old Virginia
Back to my clinch mountain home
Carry me back to old Virginia
Back to my old mountain home
All I want is to be taken back to my old home in Virginia, my Clinch 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
I held her close and promised to marry her when I returned from the west, back at our 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
I hold a picture of our old home and in my other hand I hold the thought of my sweetheart while remembering the sunny mountain side where we were last together.
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
My parents are growing old and I plan to return to Virginia for good and stay at my old Clinch Mountain home.
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: A.P. CARTER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
High Road
Far away on the hills
To a sunny mountainside
Many years ago we parted
My little Ruth and I
From this sunny mountainside
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"
Carry me back to old Virginny
Back to my Clinch Mountain home
Carry me back to old Virginny
Back to my old Mountain home
Well, a-le-ho, le-ho-lay-ee
Well, a-le-ho, le-ho-lee
Yeah, lee-oh-lay-ee-hee
Oh, my mountain home
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 mountainside
Carry me back to old Virginny
Back to my Clinch Mountain home
Carry me back to old Virginny
Back to my old Mountain home
Well, a-le-ho, le-ho-lay-ee
Well, a-le-ho, le-ho-lee
Yeah, lee-oh-lay-ee-hee
Oh, my mountain home
My mother's old and feeble
My father's getting gray
I'm going back to Virginny
And I expect to stay
At my old Clinch Mountain home
Carry me back to old Virginny
Back to my Clinch Mountain home
Carry me back to old Virginny
Back to my old Mountain home
Well, a-le-ho, le-ho-lay-ee
Well, a-le-ho, le-ho-lee
Yeah, lee-oh-lay-ee-hee
Oh, my mountain home
phrakanong
Wow! That one gives me goosebumps. I haven't heard it in years. This is some real down- to-earth country music. Thank you bigjaw1.
Mark O'Donohoe
I think Maybelle contribution to modern guitar and bluegrass technique is highly underrated - Maybelle rocks!
High Road
Far away on the hills
To a sunny mountainside
Many years ago we parted
My little Ruth and I
From this sunny mountainside
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"
Carry me back to old Virginny
Back to my Clinch Mountain home
Carry me back to old Virginny
Back to my old Mountain home
Well, a-le-ho, le-ho-lay-ee
Well, a-le-ho, le-ho-lee
Yeah, lee-oh-lay-ee-hee
Oh, my mountain home
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 mountainside
Carry me back to old Virginny
Back to my Clinch Mountain home
Carry me back to old Virginny
Back to my old Mountain home
Well, a-le-ho, le-ho-lay-ee
Well, a-le-ho, le-ho-lee
Yeah, lee-oh-lay-ee-hee
Oh, my mountain home
My mother's old and feeble
My father's getting gray
I'm going back to Virginny
And I expect to stay
At my old Clinch Mountain home
Carry me back to old Virginny
Back to my Clinch Mountain home
Carry me back to old Virginny
Back to my old Mountain home
Well, a-le-ho, le-ho-lay-ee
Well, a-le-ho, le-ho-lee
Yeah, lee-oh-lay-ee-hee
Oh, my mountain home
Dannys998877
I think that A.P.'s performance skills are underrated. I always like the cuts where he takes the lead. I suppose that the influence of Jimmie Rodgers made it mandatory that country performers needed to yodel. And Sara trys it here, even though she's not very good at it.
Randal mc'murphy
cant get enough of this music
Corey Wyrick
Fantastic song I enjoyed listening!
CowboyOld Jones
It doesn't get any better than this! Thanks for the post.
Rusty Walker
Thanks for posting this rare AP Carter singing lead.
Sara hated yodeling, but it was expected, especially given the Jimmie Rodgers astounding success of it.
Helene Papageorge
I agree with you.Watch the Carter Family Documentary.When you learn their history as a family & as a group you will understand why they never made the list. They are credited as the reason why this Country still has this tradition or that it even had one.The Smithsonian was THE MOST interested in them & considered them an extraordinary valuable resource and the vanguards of an Angelo-American tradition,many songs are arrested/modified Scoth/Irish/English ballads of the colonial period.
Rachel McClamma
Wonderful, Magnificent!