Hensley Settlement

Sherman Hensley moved his family in 1904
To have a peaceful place to live and raise a lot of corn
He said town made him fidget like a little boy in church
He’d find freedom on Brush Mountain before the crowds and dust got worse

No road, no houses or other folks to see
They had what they could carry on a trail between the trees

Up on Hensley Settlement
They tried to be content
But it’s hard to make it living all alone

Raising crops and children were their primary jobs
They rowed the babies in their beds like kernels on a cob
But as the youngins grew up, they had questions about the world
Down in town there were movie shows, dance halls and fancy girls

Kids sat on the cliffs and watched the bright lights beam
They’d go to bed and sleep all night with the future in their dreams

Up on Hensley Settlement
They tried to be content
But it’s hard to make it living all alone

They followed their wives, and they followed the mines
They all climbed down or they died
‘Til Sherman was by himself in ‘51
He’d just sit and watch the setting sun

Up on Hensley Settlement
They tried to be content
But it’s hard to make it living all alone

Words and music by Jason Davis and James Hamilton
© Between the Trees Music (ASCAP)

Michael Litton — Lead Vocal, Guitars
Bryan Turner — Harmony Vocals, Bass
Mitchell Cosby — Mandolin
Rachell Schott — Fiddle
Jason Davis — Egg Shaker