ECHO MOUNTAIN

Written by Mack Elliiot & Billy Smith


Up on Echo Mountain in the spring of '32
Jim & Becky Johnson, with a Bible and a mule
Set out to raise a family
but the babies didn't come
So when they found that old stray hound dog
they loved him like a son

Soon their prayers were answered
he had his mamas' eyes
And how that old dog loved him
and would never leave his side
They could always trust that faithful hound
with the baby they all loved
Til the day the child went missing
and the dog was drenched in blood

CHORUS:
Now the cries on Echo Mountain
are a painful thing to hear
And the neighbors know the reason
for the Johnsons' bitter tears
When a man don't use good judgement
its the innocent who pay
Now the cries on Echo Mountain
they haunt me to this day


Jim picked up his rifle
shot and killed the hound
But there inside the cabin
was the baby safe and sound
When they found the back door open
there were two wolves lying still
They knew they'd made a grave mistake
with the righteous blood they spilled



Now up on Echo Mountain
you'll find a lonesome grave
Marked with a handmade marble stone
that reads God Bless The Brave
When daddy tells the story
of the dog that saved my life
He always ask forgiveness
and the tears still fill his eyes 


(CHORUS)