I am a girl of constant sorrow
I've seen trouble all my days
I bid farewell to old Kentucky
The state where I was born and raised
My mother, how I hated to leave her
Mother dear who now is dead
But I had to go and leave her
So my children could have bread
Perhaps, dear friends, you are wonderin'
What the miners eat and wear
This question I will try to answer
For I'm sure that it is fair
For breakfast we had bulldog gravy
For supper we had beans and bread
The miners don't have any dinner
And a tick of straw they call a bed
Well, we call this hell on earth, friends
I must tell you all goodbye
Oh, I know you all are hungry
Oh, my darlin' friends, don't cry