The Precious Jewel
by Roy Acuff
"The best I can
remember a long, long time ago, I was playing in
Virginia, and Wilma Lee Cooper—I think she was still
Wilma Lee Leary at the time—did a number called 'Hills
Of Roane County,' and I liked it. I loved the tune she
was singing and it stuck in my memory. A good while
later I came up with this thought that the earth has all
the precious jewels such as diamonds and rubies, and
when the body is placed into the grave, the soul is not
placed into the grave. It must go on to a resting place.
I wrote the last verse, and came up with the tune on it,
and was doing it before I really realized it was the
tune to 'Hills Of Roane County.' It was a number in the
public domain and didn't affect anything, but that's a
good thought for songwriters: they shouldn't listen to
songs at all while they're writing, because they'll get
off on somebody else's tune if they're not awful
careful." —Roy Acuff
The Precious Jewel
Way back in the hills, when a boy once wandered
Buried deep in her grave lied the girl that I love
She was called from this earth, a jewel for heaven
More precious than diamonds, more precious than gold.
A jew'l here on earth, and a jewel in heaven
She will brighten the kingdom around God's, great throne
May the angels have peace, God bless her in heaven
They've broken my heart and they left me to roam.
When she was sixteen, while we courted each other
Then she promised some day to become my sweet wife
So I bought her the ring to wear on her finger
The angels, they called her to heaven one night.
This world has its wealth, And its trials and troubles
Mother earth holds her treasures of diamonds and gold
But it can't hold the soul of one precious jewel
She's resting in peace with the heavenly fold.
