I went up to the mountain And I came back a wise woman Went to the river Came back wiser still Only to see You're as dear to me as the air I breathe Won't you meet me at that mansion on the hill Stuffed your mattress and wove your sheets Patched your blanket piece by piece If the Lord had granted me a choice I'd a held up my hand We ground the corn, molded lard and lye Had ten children and watched four die I'll stand beside you when you meet the promised land Because I went up to the mountain And I came back a wise woman Went to the river Came back wiser still Only to see You're as dear to me as the air I breathe Won't you meet me at that mansion on the hill Danced to the fiddle on a Saturday night And chopped the cotton before daylight The sun don't go down on a poor man's woes But my love, if you don't meet the dawn I promise you, I'll carry on Singing Precious Memories as I plant along the rows I went up to the mountain And I came back a wise woman Went to the river Came back wiser still Only to see You're as dear to me as the air I breathe Won't you meet me at that mansion on the hill Won't you meet me at that mansion on the hill Won't you meet me at that mansion on the hill