From the recordings Rivers, Trails and Towns of Stokes County and SAMPLE - Educational Music Modules for Seminars
A heartfelt tribute to Walnut Cove and its surrounding countryside, this song celebrates the beauty of Belews Creek, Pine Hall clay, and the charm of small-town life. With vivid imagery of wildlife, historic landmarks, and peaceful landscapes, it’s a musical stroll through roots, history, and home.
Lyrics
Down to Walnut Cove I go
Where the trains once rolled and the dogwoods grow
Fishing near old Belews Creek’s bend
Where the cove and country never end
With clay from Pine Hall bricks laid true
And the oaks still whisper what the past once knew
Come take a walk where the sweet breeze blows
Down to Walnut Cove
There’s a station by the tracks and a mill that’s still
With porch-front shops and windowsills
The railroad came and the town was born
Where the sun hits low on a dewy morn
Cardinals flash in the maple trees
And box turtles roam near the honeybees
Cast a line where the bass swim slow
In Belews Creek where the cattails grow
Bluegill dart by the willows wide
And crappie hide where the shadows slide
You’ll hear the frogs when the dusk sets in
And the whip-poor-will’s soft violin
Down to Walnut Cove I go
Where the trains once rolled and the dogwoods grow
Fishing near old Belews Creek’s bend
Where the cove and country never end
With clay from Pine Hall bricks laid true
And the oaks still whisper what the past once knew
Come take a walk where the sweet breeze blows
Down to Walnut Cove
Now Pine Hall clay runs deep and red
Baked into brick where the footsteps tread
They built the schools and churches strong
With mortar dreams that still belong
And kids run free past picket gates
Down trails of history and open fates
Some say it’s sleepy some say it’s small
But there’s more heart here than in cities tall
From deer in the meadows to the sycamore shade
It’s peace and pride in a country braid
Down to Walnut Cove I go
Where the past and present gently flow
With Pine Hall’s clay and Belews Creek’s light
It’s home by day and dream by night
The songbirds sing what the old folks know
Down in Walnut Cove