I come from down in the valley
Where, Mister, when you're young
They bring you up to do
Just like your daddy'd done.
Me and Mary we met in highscool
When she was just seventeen
We'd ride out of this valley
Down to where the fields were green

We'd go down down to the river
And into the river we'd dive
Down to the river we'd ride

Then I got Mary pregnant
And man, that was all she wrote
And for my nighteenth birthday
I got a union card and a wedding 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 dived
oh, down to the river we'd ride

I got a job working in construction
For the jonhston company
But lately there ain't been much work
On account of the economy
Now all them things that seemed so important
Well, Mister, they just vanished right into the heat
Now, I just act like I don't remember
Mary acts like she don't care
But I remember us riding in my brother's car
Her body tanned 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'd take
Now those memories come back to haunt me
They haunt me like a curse
Is a dream a lie if he don't come true
Or it is something worst
That sends me down to the river
Though I know the river is dry
Sends me down to the river tonight
Down to the river my baby and I
Oh down to the river we'd ride

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