Key: G
Introduction: G C G C D G
G C G C G
On October Twenty-Third, Nineteen Seventy-Eight
C G D
I lost a loved one and I confess I cried
G C G C
In the joyous cele-bration of the lady and her music
G C G
There were tears in the Holston River
D G G7
When Maybelle Carter died
C
Then walking down that river road
G
I saw crystal tear-shaped droplets
D
Silver beads of love sparklin' on the river side
G
And I'll just bet they turn to diamonds
C
For the love that was behind 'em
G C G
There were tears in the Holston River
D G
When Mother Maybelle died
G C G C
Then on Janu-ary Eighth, Nineteen-Seventy-Nine
C G
We lost Sara Carter
D
And the pain was multi-plied
G C G
Down be-low that old Clinch Mountain
C
We laid her at Mount Vernon
G C G
There were tears in the Holston River
D G G7
When Sara Carter died
C
Then walking down that river road
G
I saw crystal tear-shaped droplets
D
Silver beads of love sparklin' on the river-side
G
And I'll just bet they turn to diamonds
C
For the love that was behind 'em
G C G
There were tears in the Holston River
D G
When Maybelle & Sara died
G C G
There were tears in the Holston River
C G D G
When Mother Maybelle and Sara Carter died