On October Twenty-Third Nineteen Seventy-Eight I lost a loved one and I confess I cried In the joyous cele-bration of the lady and her music There were tears in the Holston River When Maybelle Carter died  Then walking down that river road I saw crystal tear-shaped droplets Silver beads of love sparklin' on the river side And I'll just bet they turn to diamonds For the love that was behind 'em There were tears in the Holston River When Mother Maybelle died Then on Janu-ary  Eighth Nineteen-Seventy-Nine We lost Sara Carter And the pain was multi-plied Down be-low that old Clinch Mountain We laid her at Mount Vernon There were tears in the Holston River When Sara Carter died  Then walking down that river road I saw crystal tear-shaped droplets Silver beads of love sparklin' on the river-side And I'll just bet they turn to diamonds For the love that was behind 'em There were tears in the  Holston River When Maybelle & Sara died There were tears in the Holston River When Mother Maybelle and Sara Carter died