One of the memories that stays on my mind   About an old southern lady that I left behind   Is a ramshackle bridge where the deep river winds   And an old two-lane blacktop through the tall long-leaf pines      Carolina, Carolina   You're hard, but you're hard to forget      I still remember the magnolia nights   And goose feather snow in the gray morning light   Sand spurs and puppies and red autumn leaves   And warm lights in the clear night on a cold Christmas Eve      Carolina, Carolina   You're hard, but you're hard to forget      Carolina, I knew you before the highways got to you   And I loved you as one of your own   And I still do      Carolina, Carolina   You're hard, but you're hard to forget   You're hard to forget