Big River
Jennings Nelson Cash & Kristofferson Lyrics

Now I taught the weeping willow how to cry,
I was so heartbroken that even nature itself wept with me.

And I showed the clouds how to cover up a clear blue sky.
My sorrow was so heavy and dark that even the bright blue sky couldn't escape it.

And the tears that I cried for that woman are gonna flood you Big River.
My pain is so great that it will rage like a flood down this river.

Then I'm gonna sit right here until I die.
I am so consumed by my hurt and loss that I can't bring myself to leave this spot until the end of my days.

I met her accidentally in St. Paul (Minnesota).
I stumbled upon this woman by chance in a city far from my own.

And it tore me up every time I heard her drawl, Southern drawl.
Her way of speaking, with all its reminders of where she came from and what we once had, was like a knife in my heart.

Then I heard my dream was back Downstream cavortin' in Davenport,
When I heard that she had returned to an earlier stop along the river, I felt like my hopes were rekindled.

And I followed you, Big River, when you called.
I let the river guide me to her, hoping against hope that we could somehow find our way back to each other.

Then you took me to St. Louis later on (down the river).
As we journeyed farther downstream, we passed through new cities and new scenes.

A freighter said she's been here but she's gone, boy, she's gone.
I couldn't believe my ears when someone told me that she had already moved on from St. Louis.

I found her trail in Memphis, but she just walked up the block.
Even though I got close to her once again, she still slipped away from me in the end.

She raised a few eyebrows and then she went on down alone.
Her actions left people wondering and speculating, but she ultimately chose to move on without me.

Now, won't you batter down by Baton Rouge, River Queen, roll it on.
I appeal to the river itself to take her away from me and roll onward to the next city.

Take that woman on down to New Orleans, New Orleans.
I implore the river to carry her off to a new place, far away from me.

Go on, I've had enough, dump my blues down in the gulf.
I'm done with feeling this kind of pain and loss - I want to throw it all into the deep, dark gulf.

She loves you, Big River, more than me.
In the end, I realize that she has a stronger connection to this river and all it represents than she ever had with me.

Now I taught the weeping willow how to cry, cry, cry
My sorrow was so great that even the trees themselves wept along with me.

And I showed the clouds how to cover up a clear blue sky.
My heartache was so immense that it seemed to reach all the way up to the sky itself.

And the tears that I cried for that woman are gonna flood you Big River.
My pain and grief will pour out like a torrent and flow down this river.

Then I'm gonna sit right here until I die.
I cannot and will not move from this spot until my own end comes.