Little scholars, hills, and hollers
Ordinary days
Up and down the hills we ran
And in the creeks we played

Waited at the end of the lane
To take the school bus into town
Over bumps and curvy roads
Up the hills, and down

We drove to town to hit the books
But our learning wasn’t just at school
There was learning in the living
Gave us even greater tools

Spreading bare toes in summer grass
Sledding in winter snow
Working hard on the farm
And on Sundays, to church we’d go

We learned a lot about beauty
And a lot about hope and faith
Learned that if you put forth good effort
A lot of difference it will make

Learned to love our neighbors
Even if they lived a few miles down the road
Learned to depend on God
And how to shoulder heavy loads

In addition to the hard
We also knew how to have fun
Like indulging in an impromptu mudsling
At the setting of the sun

We burned the trash and drove the tractors
Spent hours in the woods
Rural childhood, wild, and wonderful
I’d go back, if I could