Appalachian Artist: Lucille Boggs

Part of the Appalshop Front Porch Project.

My name is Lucille Boggs, and I was born and raised on King's Creek in Letcher County, Kentucky. And I went to a one-room school, and we were just mountain people—hard-working people. We worked our cornfields, and had to can what we had, to eat. Everybody tells about the same story because everybody lived just alike, which was hard work. And we were happy people. Mountain people sing all the time—mountain people do. Whether or not we hear it—they do. And we had a horse and a mule and cows—just lived on a farm. Called it a farm—not much of a farm, but we called it a farm. And we always had plenty. I don't remember a lack of anything.


My dad worked in the coal mines. He had to board away from us, and he'd come home every weekend. But he was like old Santa Claus, he just brought in a bunch of good stuff that we didn't have. 'Cause he worked in the Lynch mines, they had a big store—electricity and all that we didn't have. So whatever he brought, it was new. And little things that people sneer at nowadays, was a treat for us. Like out-of-season foods and things that we don't pay any attention to today. But then, it was a treat. Our mother made most of our clothing, and like I said, my dad worked in the mines—I don't know how many years, but he retired in the mines. I asked him when he was real sick in the hospital, and I said, "It looks like we've settled for too little," and he said, "What do you mean?" I said, "Well, you're very sick"—he had black lung, and then he got pneumonia. And he said, "Honey, don't ever worry about me." He said, "If I had another life to live, I'd wanna cut coal." He never hurt a man, never caused anybody ever to get killed. He'd been in some dangerous work. Sometimes the coal was so low he'd have to carry his lunch kit between his teeth till he got up to the coal front, to cut the coal—if you were on a coal-cutting machine. And so, he said, "I've been happy. If I had another life to live, I'd wanna cut coal." So, to me, cutting coal and coal mining in the right way is a clean, respectable job. And they always give gloves for the man that cut the most coal, and my dad never bought a pair of gloves—always got the gloves.


My mother worked at home, and she raised seven children, and she kept us in line, too. Had four boys and three girls—seven of us. She kept us under control. Four of them was boys, and my mother handled them alright. And like I said, we had livestock, our own chickens, our own eggs, own milk—had to milk two cows. We just lived, and we were happy. We had plenty to do, the children were never idle—we didn't know about idleness, we didn't know about all these plastic toys they have nowadays because they were not around. So we just made our own games and our own rules, and you went with the rules. You played hard, and like we played—I took no mercy on my little baby brother. He had to play or quit whining. So we played ball and we played hopscotch, and jumped the rope and played marbles. And we played in the creek—we called it bug and minnows. We'd put our hands up there and catch little minnows that run under a rock, and get it in our hands, put it in a bucket. And sometimes we'd do what we called sledging fish—we'd take just a small hammer and get in the creek, and we'd see them go under the rocks, so we'd hit the top of the rock, and that kind of addled the little fish, and he'd turn his belly up so we'd pick him up. But you didn't kill it, we'd keep it till we got our bucket full, and then we'd turn them all back loose. We had a good life.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• appalshop
• appalachia
• lotts
• creek
• knott
• county
• music
• traditional
• mountain
• coal

[mjboggs]

Really enjoyed, glad that culture is still alive.

[Elkins2424]

I live in pike county...but have lived in floyd county..and knott county...and I love living in these mountains..I used to see people sing like this every tuesday at the hindman senior citizens center..I love this..city folks are missing so much.

[peatstraw1]

you remind me of my departed loveing mother. keep on singing, your great.........

[msannabellelee]

<3!

[MelBesher]

Reminds me of my Grandma Besher, Effie was her name. Before she got old and went blind, she played her little Regal guitar, french harp, and organ, and never hurt a soul. <3

[planezane]

Thanks for sharing...hard to find music that sounds this good anymore! Thank you.

[butrface]

very good, very good!

[charliepc56]

She has a beautiful voice and plays a beautiful guitar. Love the way she plays that Gibson. I love hearing the old mountain music and songs. Thanks so much for this..

[caitlindayrox09]

Rest in peace Lucille <3

[montezumasrevenge]

Fuck you youtube. I'm giong to smash your face in the next time you play a video that stops due to streaming problems after 13 seconds. You cunt youtube!

[barnettrs]

One of my favorite songs....she has a beautiful voice, a voice that speaks of home to me. Sorry to hear of her passing...Heaven has gained another beautiful soul. Thanks for sharing this.