title : "The Mountains Still Know Your Name" [Cold Open - lone acoustic, close vocal] This morning felt quieter than Tennessee Like even the hills had heard the news [Verse 1 - fingerpicked acoustic, fiddle enters] Before the lights and the rhinestone glow There was a girl where the wild hills roll Hand-me-down hope and a house full of dreams Learning how far one small voice could reach She carried those mountains into every room Turned hard little mornings into something that bloomed And somewhere between the porch and the stage The whole world learned how to say her name [Chorus - warm lift, restrained drums] Dolly, the mountains still know your name The valleys remember, the old roads remain You gave us a song when the words would not come A little more courage when we needed some The spotlight is dark, but the sky is not the same Dolly, the mountains still know your name [Verse 2 - fuller acoustic band, mandolin and steel] You wrote your own way when they told you to bend Kept hold of your songs and still made room for friends From Jolene calling through a radio night To nine-to-five mornings under fluorescent light You made heartbreak sing and working folks grin Put a coat full of colors on pride from within You could laugh at the glitter and still make it true There was always more woman than sparkle in you [Chorus - wider harmonies] Dolly, the mountains still know your name The valleys remember, the old roads remain You gave us a song when the words would not come A little more courage when we needed some The spotlight is dark, but the sky is not the same Dolly, the mountains still know your name [Verse 3 - strings begin to rise] Then you turned around with your arms opened wide Put books into hands on the far mountainside Helped towns stand back up when the hard water came Made giving look simple and kindness look brave Kids learned new worlds turning page after page While you kept making room on a world-famous stage You never forgot what the hungry heart knows How much one open door can change where a life goes [Bridge - drums fall back, cello and organ] Maybe that little girl never really left She just grew strong enough to give away what she got She climbed out of want without closing the gate And left it wide open for somebody late That may be the biggest thing fame ever proved You can rise to the top and still pull someone through [Final Chorus - full band, strings, organ, communal harmonies] Dolly, the mountains still know your name And millions of voices are carrying the same You gave us a song when the words would not come A little more courage when we needed some You left your light on, and it still shows the way Through every small town and every child turning a page The spotlight is dark, but love outlives the flame Dolly, the mountains still know your name [Outro - instruments fall away to acoustic and fiddle] So rest where the ridgelines hold back the rain You left your light on And the mountains still know your name
