Big River
The Highwaymen (Waylon Jennings Willie Nelson Johnny Cash Kris Kristoffe Lyrics
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I taught the weepin' willow how to cry, cry, cry
And I showed the clouds how to cover up a clear blue sky
And the tears I cried for that woman, are gonna flood you, big river
And I'm gonna sit right here until I die
(Willie Nelson)
I met her accidentally in St. Paul Minnesota,
Then I heard my dream went back downstream cavortin' in Davenport,
And I followed you, big river, when she called.
(Kris Kristofferson)
Oh she took me to St. Louis later on, down the river
A freighter said, "She's been here, but she's gone, boy, she's gone"
And I found her trail in Memphis, but she just walked up the block.
Raised a few eyebrows and went on down alone.
(Waylon Jennings)
Well, I pulled into Natchez, next day down the river
But there wasn't much there to make the rounders stay very long.
When I left it was rainin' so nobody saw me cry.
Big river, why she doin' me this way?
(Johnny Cash, lead and all the others, harmony)
Now won't you batter down by Baton Rouge, River Queen, roll it on
Take that woman on down to New Orleans, New Orleans
Go on, I've had enough; dump my blues down in the gulf
She loves you, big river, more than me
(Nelson, 1st line; Kristofferson, 2nd line; Jennings, 3rd line; Cash 4th line)
I taught the weepin' willow how to cry, cry, cry
And I showed the clouds how to cover up a clear blue sky
And the tears I cried for that woman, are gonna flood you, big river
And I'm gonna sit right here until I die
The Highwaymen's "Big River" tells the story of unrequited love and heartbreak. The singer in the song has been dumped by a woman who he had invested a lot of love and time into. In the first verse, he talks about how he had taught the willow how to cry and how he showed the clouds how to cover up the sky, metaphorically conveying the pain and grief of a broken heart. He then vowed to cry until his tears flood the river while sitting at the bank waiting for his death. The second and third verses continue in the same vein, with the singer tracking his lost love through various locations along the river, St. Paul, Memphis, and Natchez. Despite his search, the woman continued to elude him.
The final verse sees all four members of The Highwaymen come together to provide a resolution. Cash argues that the woman loved the river more than his speaker, and he encourages the River Queen to take her to New Orleans. The song ends with all four members singing about the willow, clouds, and tears again.
Line by Line Meaning
I taught the weepin' willow how to cry, cry, cry
I was so heartbroken that I showed the weeping willow tree how to cry like I did
And I showed the clouds how to cover up a clear blue sky
My sadness was so heavy that it made the clouds cover up the blue sky with darkness
And the tears I cried for that woman, are gonna flood you, big river
All the tears I shed over this woman will come back to flood the river
And I'm gonna sit right here until I die
I'm so devastated that I'm just going to sit here and wait for death to come
Contributed by Oliver E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@AINGELPROJECT667
This one is for Orio Palmer, Batallion 7 Chief of FDNY.
I was a fire chief.
Into the Towers I did go.
And my fear I did not show,
We looked for survivors among the smoke and all the flames,
We refused to leave if someone still remained.
And there we stayed until the Towers fell to the ground.
But I am still around.
Rest in peace, Chief Palmer. You are remembered.
@WhatIsTheDill
I played this song for a few friends. None of them liked it. Clearly, I need new friends.
@bigjohonyas
Clearly
@Prod.Uisce1
Your friends should get cultured
@sangsanga9093
No just still stick with the same ones
@frederikgram8970
YES
@yoshihd2214
They re dumb...sry bro
@darrensmith8730
This song isn't long enough. A definite masterpiece.
@barbaraaly6186
It's beautiful
@bugcooper7441
simple and haunting
@thetom1487
Yes