EVERGREEN (Robert J. Purvis)
When I was still a young man
My old father said to me
Don't turn into a lumberjack
Don't waste your life like me
Sail the ocean, write a book, or learn to fly
Make your mark in life
The time is right, before you're old and die
Well, I wanted so to please him
But I couldn't make him see
That I loved the life I'm living
Yes, I have to fell that tree
It's born in me and I never wanna go
Leave my forest home, my old wood shack
The river banks I know
Evergreen is the valley, ever golden is the sun
And it wakes me in the morning when a new day has begun
So I swear I'll never wander and I swear I'll never go
I'll stay here, where the air is fresh, the grass is green,
The trees are tall, and the river runs all day
Well, now, some folks say I'm crazy
But I tell them I don't care
There'll never be a better sight in this world anywhere
Than to stand up on a mountain really high
Take a look around, and fill your lungs
And shout up to the sky
Evergreen is the valley, ever golden is the sun
And it wakes me in the morning when a new day has begun
So I swear I'll never wander and I swear I'll never go
I'll stay here, where the air is fresh, the grass is green,
The trees are tall, and the river runs all day
[banjo solo]
Well, the years are catching up on me
And pretty soon I'll die
But if heaven's half as nice as this
I'll sure give it a try
But 'til then I'll sit here rocking my old chair
Looking out across the evergreens, the mountain tops,
The big white clouds that last forever there
Evergreen is the valley, ever golden is the sun
And it wakes me in the morning when a new day has begun
So I swear I'll never wander and I swear I'll never go
I'll stay here, where the air is fresh, the grass is green,
The trees are tall, and the river runs all day
Evergreen is the valley, ever golden is the sun
And it wakes me in the morning when a new day has begun
So I swear I'll never wander and I swear I'll never go
I'll stay here, looking out across the evergreens,
The old homestead, the mountain tops, the winding trail,
The bright blue sky, the place I love,
I'll drink to that, and the clouds just roll away
©1979
lyrics transcribed by Tom Brennan, corrections thanks to Bob Purvis