G 
Not so long ago just outside Paris Arkansas
a young lady had a mountain to climb

G 
Gonna climb up this mountain cause there’s one thing I know
                                              D 
My daddy is in his mountain diggin' Arkansas coal
      G
Yes I hear my mama calling, I let her wait ten minutes more she’ll be so
Cause I like to lay on the ground and listen to the sound of my daddy
                 D 
Digging Arkansas coal

G          C7               G                         D
I was born in this mountain went down here since I was nine years old
      G                              C7       G        D
And I know some day I’ll die in this mountain diggin', diggin' 
G         Bb       G
Arkansas, Arkansas coal, Arkansas coal

C7  F7  C7  F7

C7           F7       C7        F7
Married me a good man back in ’59, 
C7             F7                 C7                 F7
Knew he was an Arkansas coalminer and that suited me fine 
C7              F7        C7                     F7
Got us a little daughter, she's only eight years old
C7                F7                 C7       F7      C7
Wishing she was a man like her daddy diggin' Arkansas coal

Billie get off that mountain, Billie you got to go to school
Billie your mama and daddy ain’t gonna raise you no natural fool
Ain’t gonna raise you no natural fool

Am                    Em       Am                       Em  
Mama why is the earth shaking? Mama is the world coming to an end?
Am               Em      Dm                 Am
Mama why are you crying? Is it another cave in?

A                    E        A                       E
My God the rocks are fallin', ten thousand tons on my head
A                         E         A                          E
I knew someday this would happen so this is how it feels to be dead
   A                          E         
So this is how it feels to be dead