The River
Crooked Fingers Lyrics

I come from down in the valley
I grew up in an area of low land

Where mister when you're young
Where, sir, when you are a child

They bring you up to do like your daddy done
They raise you to imitate your father's actions

Me and Mary we met in high school
Mary and I met in secondary education

When she was just seventeen
When she was only seventeen years old

We'd drive out of this valley down to where the fields were green
We would travel out of this area of low land, to where the grass was green

We'd go down to the river
We would visit a body of water called the river

And into the river we'd dive
We would jump into the water

Oh down to the river we'd ride
We would travel to the river

Then I got Mary pregnant
Then Mary became pregnant with my child

And man that was all she wrote
And that was the end of our carefree days

And for my nineteenth birthday
And on my nineteenth birthday

I got a union card and a wedding coat
I received a certificate of membership in a labor union and a formal jacket for a wedding

We went down to the courthouse
We traveled to the building where legal proceedings are held

And the judge put it all to rest
And the judge finalized the legal matters

No wedding day smiles, no walk down the aisle
No happy expressions on the day of our marriage, no procession to the altar

No flowers no, wedding dress
No floral arrangements, no traditional white wedding gown

That night we went down to the river
That night we walked to the river

And into the river we'd dive
We would enter the water by diving

I got a job working construction for the Johnstown Company
I obtained employment with the Johnstown Company as a construction worker

But lately there ain't been much work on account of the economy
Recently there has not been an abundance of work due to the state of the economy

Now all them things that seemed so important
Now all of the things that appeared crucial

Well mister they vanished right into the air
Have disappeared without a trace

Now I just act like I don't remember
Now I pretend that I don't recollect

Mary acts like she don't care
Mary behaves as though she is unconcerned

But I remember us riding in my brother's car
However, I remember the two of us travelling in my sibling's vehicle

Her body tanned and wet down at the reservoir
Her tanned body wet from being in the reservoir

At night on them banks I'd lie awake
During the night, I would be awake on those banks

And pull her close just to feel each breath she'd take
And pull her close to feel her breathing

Now those memories come back to haunt me
Now those memories return to me in a painful or disturbing manner

They haunt me like a curse
They torment me as if I am under a curse

Is a dream a lie if it don't come true
Is an aspiration untruthful if it never materializes

Or is it something worse
Or is it something even worse

That sends me down to the river
That compels me to go back to the river

Though I know the river is dry
Although I am aware that the river is without water

That sends me down to the river tonight
That causes me to journey to the river, tonight

Down to the river
To the river

My baby and I
My child and I

Oh down to the river we ride
We head down to the river