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