Country singer’s song about storm-ravaged NC goes viral: ‘We didn’t know violence ’til we met Helene’

A country music singer named Wesko captured the “pain and devastation” of Hurricane Helene in a song that’s taking off online.

With the working title “Original Prayer for Western NC,” the song is a tribute to the Appalachian spirit amid so much suffering from a singer who grew up in North Carolina.

Here’s a sampling of the lyrics:

“There’s violence down on Market Street, but we didn’t know violence ’til we met Helene ~ And the good folks are drowning in their mountain homes ~ You’ll have to take a vacation just to bury our bones

“It’s sunshine and roses on that TV screen ~ Those talking heads they ain’t seen what I seen ~ I’ve seen a mother standing on the top of her house, baby in her arms as she floated on down.”

 

The song is being shared far and wide on X, Instagram and TikTok:

Here’s a clip of the song along with video footage of the devastation seen on the storm-raged mountains of North Carolina.

Wesko encourages listeners to contribute to the relief effort in the region and “keep all of those Western Carolinians in your thoughts and prayers.”

“I hate seeing such destruction, death, and suffering anywhere, especially in my home state. Do what you can to help. If you can send supplies, send supplies. If you can pray, pray. We’ve gotta do something,” he wrote on TikTok.

“Y’all do me a favor and pray for all my North Carolinian brothers and sisters fighting for their lives up in Western NC,” he added in a separate post. “Trust me, you aren’t seeing the true depth of Helene’s devastation on those little mountain communities. Whole towns are just gone, along with the people that lived in them. My heart is broken for those people. If you can help, help. If you can pray, pray. We’ve got to do everything we can.”

And to be sure that no one mistakes his motivations, Wesko explained why he cut the song.

“I didn’t write this song for hype or clout. My buddy and I wrote this song because we had to watch while our statesmen had to pick up the pieces of their lives after Helene destroyed everything they had,” he said. “But Helene didn’t destroy the Appalachian spirit. Western NC, we haven’t forgotten you.”

Tom Tillison

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