The River
I come from down in the valley
Where mister, when you're young
They bring you up to do, like your daddy done
Me and Mary we met in high school
When she was just seventeen
We'd drive out of this valley
Down to where the fields were green
We'd go down to the river
And into the river we'd dive
Oh down to the river we'd ride
Then I got Mary pregnant
And man that was all she wrote
And for my nineteenth birthday
I got a union card and a weddin' coat
We went down to the courthouse
And the judge put it all to rest
No wedding day smiles, No walk down the aisle
No flowers, No wedding dress
That night we went down to the river
And into the river we'd dive
Oh down to the river we did ride
I got a job workin' construction
For the Johnstown company
But lately there ain't been much work
On accounta the economy
Well all them things that seemed so important
Well, mister they vanished right into the air
Now I just act like I don't remember
Mary acts like she don't care
But I remember us ridin' in my brother's car
Her body tan and wet down at the reservoir
At night on those banks I'd lie awake
And pull her close just to feel each breath she takes
Now those memories come back to haunt me
They haunt me like a curse
Is a dream a lie, if it don't come true
Or is it something worse?
That sends me down to the river
Though I know the river is dry
That sends me down to the river tonight
Down to the river
My baby and I
Oh down to the river we ride