[Verse 1] Deep in the valley where the black roots grow, Where the bones of the past lay under the snow. A preacher went missin’, they never found his head, But the wind in the pines still howls what he said. [Pre-Chorus] There’s a hand in the river, a face in the trees, A shadow that moves where there ain't no breeze. You can pray to your maker, you can carve your own cross— But the hills don’t forgive, and the damned don’t get lost. [Chorus] Holler of the Hollow, the curse don’t break! Ain’t no road that’ll take you away! The deeper you dig, the less you’ll find, Your blood runs cold when the mountains decide! [Verse 2] The fiddler played on ‘til his fingers bled raw, The notes turned to screams when he broke the law. He stole from the widow, he spit in the well, And the dogs wouldn’t howl when he fell into hell. [Pre-Chorus] There’s a boot in the dust, but no trail behind, The lantern still burns, but no man alive. The ridge keeps its secrets, the night holds its debt, A whisper so close that it ain't left your breath. [Chorus] Holler of the Hollow, the curse don’t break! Ain’t no road that’ll take you away! The deeper you dig, the less you’ll find, Your blood runs cold when the mountains decide! [Bridge] [Soft banjo picking] [Distant whispers] "Down by the sycamore, don’t look back… The dirt remembers, the holler calls back..." [Heavy breakdown] [Chugging guitars] [Slow double kick] "You ain't leavin’ these hills, boy." [Outro] The valley don't need you, but it knows your name... Footsteps in silence, but they never came… A church bell rings, but there ain't no town— Just a hole in the ground where the preacher was found.
