I come from down in the valley
Where, mister, when you're young
They bring you up to do
What your daddy done
Me and Mary we met in high school
When she was just seventeen
We'd ride out of this valley
Down to where the fields were green
We went down to the river
And into the river we'd dive
Oh, down to the river tonight
Then I got Mary pregnant
And, man, that was all she wrote
And for my nineteenth 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 tonight
Oh, down to the river
My baby and I
Oh, down to the river tonight
Well I got a job working construction
For the Johnstown Company
But lately there ain't been much work
On account of the economy
Now all those things that seemed so important
Well, mister, they vanished right into the air
And I act like I don't remember
And Mary acts like she don't care
But I remember us riding in my brother's car
Her body tan and wet down at the reservoir
At night, on the banks, I'd lie awake
And hold her close just to feel each breath she'd take
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
Sends me down to the river tonight
Down to the river
My baby and I
Oh, down to the river tonight