Way back in the mountain and beyond bread creek
Where muscadines hang from the hardwood trees
The coyotes howl all through the night
And backbones tingle when the catamount cries.
Where the mountain’s hard and mighty unforgivin’
And, where the faint of heart got no bus’ness bein’.
Old “Mose” the hermit lived by hisself
In a ratty old shack on the mountain’s shelf.
He didn’t like people and he didn’t like towns.
He didn’t like it when folks from the valley came ‘round.
But, once in awhile down the mountain he’d go
To get salt and meal at the gen’ral store.

‘Twas on one of these trips his life made a change
When he was headin home through a drivin rain.
A little walker pup, soaked plum to the bone
Had been dropped and abandoned on that lonely old road.
With the goods on his back and his head bowed down,
He paid little notice to the rain soaked hound.
When he finally got home he was soppin wet,
So he pulled a blanket up around his head,
And stood by the fire to try and get warm,
Then he saw somp’n movin outside in the yard.
That little wet pup was standin out in the rain
Starin at Mose through the wind’r pane.

Now, it weren’t like Mose to care much ‘bout nuthin,
But, fer some odd reason he swung the door open
And that little hound pup, not one bit shy,
Come saunterin in and laid down by the fire.