1
Even the old folks never knew
Why they call it like they do
I was wondering since the age of two
Down on Copperline
Copper head, copper beech
Copper kettles sitting side by each
Copper coil, cup o'Georgia peach
Down on Copperline
Half a mile down to Morgan Creek
Leaning heavy on the end of the week
Hercules and a hog-nosed snake
Down on Copperline
We were down on Copperline
One Summer night on the Copperline
Slip away past supper time
Wood smoke and moonshine
Down on Copperline
One time I saw my daddy dance
Watched him moving like a man in a trance
He brought it back from the war in France
Down onto Copperline
Branch water and tomato wine
Creosote and turpentine
Sour mash and new moonshine
Down on Copperline
Down on Copperline
First kiss ever I took
Like a page from a romance book
The sky opened and the earth shook
Down on Copperline
Down on Copperline
Took a fall from a windy height
I only knew how to hold on tight
And pray for love enough to last all night
Down on Copperline
Day breaks and the boy wakes up
And the dog barks and the bird sings
And the sap rises and the angels sigh, yeah
I tried to go back, as if I could
All spec house and plywood
Tore up and tore up good
Down on Copperline
It doesn't come as a surprise to me
It doesn't touch my memory
Man I'm lifting up and rising free
Down on over Copperline
Half a mile down to Morgan Creek
I'm only living for the end of the week
Hercules and a hog-nosed snake
Down on Copperline, yeah
Take me down on Copperline
Oh, down on Copperline
Take me down on Copperline
Why they call it like they do
I was wondering since the age of two
Down on Copperline
Copper head, copper beech
Copper kettles sitting side by each
Copper coil, cup o'Georgia peach
Down on Copperline
Half a mile down to Morgan Creek
Leaning heavy on the end of the week
Hercules and a hog-nosed snake
Down on Copperline
We were down on Copperline
One Summer night on the Copperline
Slip away past supper time
Wood smoke and moonshine
Down on Copperline
One time I saw my daddy dance
Watched him moving like a man in a trance
He brought it back from the war in France
Down onto Copperline
Branch water and tomato wine
Creosote and turpentine
Sour mash and new moonshine
Down on Copperline
Down on Copperline
First kiss ever I took
Like a page from a romance book
The sky opened and the earth shook
Down on Copperline
Down on Copperline
Took a fall from a windy height
I only knew how to hold on tight
And pray for love enough to last all night
Down on Copperline
Day breaks and the boy wakes up
And the dog barks and the bird sings
And the sap rises and the angels sigh, yeah
I tried to go back, as if I could
All spec house and plywood
Tore up and tore up good
Down on Copperline
It doesn't come as a surprise to me
It doesn't touch my memory
Man I'm lifting up and rising free
Down on over Copperline
Half a mile down to Morgan Creek
I'm only living for the end of the week
Hercules and a hog-nosed snake
Down on Copperline, yeah
Take me down on Copperline
Oh, down on Copperline
Take me down on Copperline
Lyrics submitted by oofus, edited by friendless
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There is a twist in this song. We are prepared to think that the songwriter in the last stanza is visiting his run down home town. An insightful earlier entry on this thread (scooby3339) even assumes that the visit metaphor closes the song. But there is another set of lines after that. These actual closing lines show the songwriter has never left, he is still living in Morgan Creek, he never moved away.
The reason he never moved away relates to the central theme. The title, copperline refers to the copper still, which is how you make moonshine. The centrality of moonshine in the song narrative is noted in an earlier post (see zaphod69 for a great description).
There are more memories in this song that solely the alcohol. (See scooby3339 for a good case regarding the many charming memories). And those delightful parts carry the song and make it a fave.