KIM SCHOFFSTALL: Listen

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"I wrote this song as tribute to my father and his life. He grew up in West Virginia where his family worked in the coal mines and lived in the coal camps. He was the first of 7 boys to leave the state and in hopes of finding a better life. I am grateful that he did. I think I have had better opportunites growing up because of the choices he made. I wanted to let him know I was proud of him.

I wrote the song in a style from the Romantic Era where each section of music changes completely keeping the music unpredicatable in some cases. The music serves as part of the story telling. This technique is called 'through composed'." - K.S.

He named me after a town in West Virginia
One of the many towns where he lived
With the coal dust so thick you could cut it with a knife
But never quite sweep it away.

Three jobs in this one horse town
And he had them all
With the pool hall, gas station and the barbeque;
He bought his new clothes in the fall.

And he said "I gotta get away from here, I gotta get away".

He moved around to every God forsaken West Virginia town
Each was the same, new address and a new name.

Dog tags, head lamp, damp cold... think twice.
Pick ax, tunnel, black lung... short life.

Far, far away, far from Kimberly the place that bears my name.
Far, far away to Virginia home.
To Virginia home... to Virginia.