Jeni Hankins & Billy Kemp: Listen & Lyrics

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The road that takes you from up on Jewell Ridge down to Jewell Valley is called Chicken Ridge. Billy and I have done a lot of exploring in the abandoned coal camp houses down in Jewell Valley, so we've been up and down Chicken Ridge many times. One time Billy had a notion to write a song about the somewhat harrowing experience of driving that narrow crooked road. We had also been listening to John Cohen's ballad and banjo collection "High Atmosphere." So we wrote some ideas down in our little book and after our 2007 Fiddlers Convention Tour we looked them over again and Billy found a nice tune in my Mike Ramsey banjo.

Goin’ up Chicken Ridge
Don’t you wanna go?
If you’ve a notion
we could do-si-do.
Curves on Chicken Ridge,
kissin’ back to back,
make a crooked road
and there ain’t no turnin’ back.

Goin’ up Chicken Ridge
Goin’ up Chicken Ridge
Goin’ up Chicken Ridge
Don’t you wanna go?

There ain’t no shoulders,
ain’t no lines,
just a little mule road
cut between the mines.
Houses up on Chicken Ridge,
lonesome and squat,
left by the miners
the company forgot.

Goin’ up Chicken Ridge
Goin’ up Chicken Ridge
Goin’ up Chicken Ridge
Don’t you wanna go?

The top of the world
is closer than you know.
Take my hand, we’ll
catch a cloud and go.
Up that windy road
we’ll spin from ear to ear
and find ourselves
in that high atmosphere.

Goin’ up Chicken Ridge
Goin’ up Chicken Ridge
Goin’ up Chicken Ridge
Don’t you wanna go?