Jones, George - Open Pit Mine Lyrics

great song

Awwww this song.. :(

Oh he hit the nail on the head with that one. Shift change! 😂😂

Good god, I've cried myself to sleep with this several times. It just doesn't get more acute than this. We all die alone.

This song describes Morenci to the fullest. You will go on your shift and the mess around will walk in after his shift is over while you are at work

Johnny it's wonderful how George makes it sound the most magical place on earth lol

Classic. From the Beaumont Boy

my husband worked in the coal mines,so many lost doing their job,thank you god for tim retiring,wifey

♫ From Morenci, Arizona where the copper mines glow
I could see Clifton in the canyon below
In Clifton lived Rosey, we danced and we dined
On the money I made in the open pit mine ♫ Reminds me of my dear Grand Mother Evelyn Skookum - Feb 7, 2015 <3

And now I work in that open pit mine, 5th generation

Nathaniel... any sign of Rosie ;0 ?

damn, damn, damn that is deep and perfect

Born in Morenci in1949

Born in Morenci, AZ...my dad ran the railroad inside the mine during WWII. Great part of American life now all but gone.

I grew up in that open pit mine in Morenci.....

I work in the Morenci Mine. The rule is "you don't lose your girlfriend, you lose your turn." This song fits that narrative well...

my name is Uriah Pasley born and raised in safford my papa worked in tbe mine and his daddy before him and so did i to provide for my family. what i should have done was bury my wife in that open pit mine. 😂

a very good song

this song is so true as men we sacrifice a toil for women who could care less. ive seen so many men get screwed over by women men who worked 12 or more hours a day only to get bitched at by a woman who did next to nothing cheat on him take the kids and rob him blind till the day he dies

just played this for a couple truck driver who were fascinated by the history of Morenci. I told them about George Jones singing a song about Morenci & Clifton. They got all excited about it saying they listen to George all the time but didn't remember ever hearing this song. So naturally I played it for them. Now they want to find the album lol.

Tiffany Dunagan

My father actually wrote the lyrics to this song. He said he heard George's voice in his head while composing it, and was lucky enough to have him record it. Thanks for liking it enough to upload it.

There's a Davis Special Rd, that's in about the right area as I remember... had to google map search that, as I haven't been down there since I was a kid in the '70's. About halfway between Shirley & Edgemont in the Fairfield Bay region. I can tell you his old homestead sure wasn't in a town. You are right on about him leaving looking for work and going out west. Before I was born. Dad and his brother Elbert ended up in Illinois, dad got on with GM and came to Indiana when they opened up a new plant in Marion.

He just said he felt like the lyrics wrote themselves, and that he imagined George's voice singing it. Can't really add to that, as I wasn't born til '67. Just remember him telling me he felt more like a conduit than an author.

Davis Special was an area and you're right no stores and not even a church. I was born in the same area. My family had some Sunday dinners with the Gentry's and my older brother still remembers your grandfather's fondness for corn on the cob. Pretty country but it's hard to make a living there. Your father wrote a great song and I agree it was perfect for George. I have a box set that states Jones kept the song in his live act for many years.

ONE OF HIS BEST SONGS, IN MY OPIION

d0gu67 Did Smiley Bates record it first?

I love the mellow pickin

I surely remember this one ,back in the 50s ,George ..

My grampa worked at this mine in Morenci Arizona in the 50's to the late 6o's

I love this song

One of the best from a country great.

Where from Safford Arizona and this is one heck of a song open pit mine we're about 40 minutes away from wrenc Arizona and Clifton Arizona its one hell of a song rest in peace to the legend god bless his family

Lots of good memories to his songs.

Lots of good memories to his songs.

A great country classig that it is hardly listen nowadays. Awesome!

Great story song jones did outstanding job on it.

Love ya George!!! you are irreplaceable.

Smiley Bates does a good version of this it's also on youtube if any one wants a listen :) 

one of my favorites from George Jones

I was born and raised in Morenci. Go Wildcats!!!

Not forgotten - just not regularly played in my home. I believe this recording does the very best job of displaying the power of George's phrasing and vocal ability. I heard this song first when I was in Vietnam and it just grabbed and shook me. I love it just as much today.

I haven't forgotten this album. I have an original copy that belonged to my mother.

I graduated in 2009. My mom is Perri Walden class of 78 my auntie debbie was class of 72 and uncle jeff was class of 75 and my grandma was 51. Im a Walden and Melton.

I lived in Morenci, AZ from age born to 21.

hahahaha i went to high school in Morenci, Az love this song

GOOD STF

I heard this song when I was a teenager my sister would play it over and over til I met my husband who was a miner @ Morenci mine and I worked their all trade

I heared this song first when I was 13 years old and never for got it.

@greywolf45 my mom is a Walden. Jeff Debbie and Perri my mom is Perri she dated Burty Williams back in high school.

great song I really it its a drinking song

The one the only George, No one could do it better.

Mr Gentry was from Davis Special (near Shirley) Arkansas which was my birthplace. Mr Gentry's family & my family knew each other well. He wrote other songs but none had the same impact. I believe he left Arkansas for Arizona to find work and I guess the work was in an open pit mine.

i love this song when im feeling high

i love george jones older songs heck i love all of his songs! the KING OF MUSIC ALL MUSIC I LOVE HIS VOICE THERE IS NOBODY TO COMPARE TOO NUF SAID . GEORGE IS THE KING . THEN,NOW, AND FOREVER

Thanks for uploading this one. Haven't heard it in years. One of my all time favs. :)

my friend Jack Mitchell was playing this in 62' when it was a new song--He's from Morenci and worked the mines-He was a Corpsman

Cant find this anywhere - one of my all time favorites!

i use to work at that mine

@eddie317318 Ur not missing much

Fuck yeah!! I grew up and still live in Morenci, AZ. I was born in Clifton in what is today Balderamma's Beuty Shop right next to corralito's pizza, formerly Cole's Pizza (BEST PIZZA ON EARTH) And I also work in that same Open Pit Mine.

been a long time since i heard this

Im from Morenci, a guy I work with in a different copper mine named George Jones sings this song better! No bull!

its so crazy hearing a song about the town you live in, especially from a legend like george jones! great song

Scary Part is I was born in old Morenci lived in Clifton graduated from Morenci HS 1981. The content of the song happened all the time.
Shooting in Bars, Xenophobia, drinking, drinking,drinking with cannibas on the side. These towns should be the litmus test for our gun laws.

When I was there it was Clifton vs Morenci. But seriously they are all the same people, lovable yet wacked out.

Xenophobia lmao, gtfo

Scary Part is I was born in old Morenci lived in Clifton graduated from Morenci HS. That stuff kind of happened all the time.
Shooting in Bars, Xenophobia, drinking, drinking,drinking with cannibas on the side. These towns should be the litmus test for our gun laws.

@fatjud this version is from 1962 on the United Artists label, I have the Original vinyl.

God,how I love George Jones! This song is one,that once you hear it you can never forget it! Thank you soo much!!

@wilburscott thanks for posting this great song my dad loves this one very much he sings it all the time

I used to live there and graduated from the school there. Its neat to here a song about the city.

If this one doesn't touch your your heart, then your listening to the wrong music!!!

It must have been re-released 10 years later, because I heard it a number of times on KVET (Austin, TX) in 1972,

GREAT SONG --- I love George Jones -- He has such a great talent --- this song makes you feel like you are there working in the mine to please ol Rosey hahaha

what can I say?.............I have always loved this song.george says it so well. I can't imagine a better sone for my mine man.

recuerdo los dos años que estuve trabajando in the morenci concentrator, y viviendo en morenci, tengo recuerdos de muchos amigos que ahi quedaron, espero algun dia volver a verlos y visitar nuevamente ese lugar. saludos desde Chile.

this song is awesome my grandpa ,who play this song over and over ,we from a small island in the caribbean ,my dad spend all his young boys day migrating the state ,and brought back home some george lp,and we would never get tired of listening to this song

this song is awesome. i grew up in york valley, twenty minutes from morenci. my grandad, dad, aunts, uncles, all of them worked for the phelps dodge corporation, now known as FMI. i also here that there was alot of action at the Apache Grove even the great Hank Williams Sr. sang there. Awesome song awesome people.

I agree, it`s good but he has a much better version.

that's my grandpa =]

george sang at renfro a few days ago.

I know your family grew up right across the way on AC Hill, New Bosco and Jimmy real well, lived right above the water co building

aww i grew up in Morenci...sad to see about all the lay offs...my dad just retired from there :)

Very cool song I too grew up in Morenci back in the day it was a great place to grow up now not so much. I lived in old Morenci on AC hill does anybody remember back then?

Just discovered this song a couple of months ago. Was born there & my dad,brother,daughter all worked in that mine. Grew up in Duncan, about 30 miles south. Love this song,makes me homesick

Glad you love it! I have some more obscure stuff of his as well to add soon.