On the banks of the river where the willows hang down
And the wild birds all warble with a low mourning sound
Down in the hollow where the water runs cold
It was there I first listened to the lies that you told
verse 2
Now I lie on my bed and I see your sweet face
The past I remember time cannot erase
A letter you wrote me it was written in shame
And I know that your conscience still echoes my name
verse 3
Now the nights are so long, lord sorrow runs deep
And nothing is worse than a night without sleep
I walk out alone and look at the sky
Too empty to say, too lonesome to cry
verse 4
If the ladies were blackbirds and the ladies were thrushes
I'd lie there for hours in the chilly cold marshes
If the ladies were squirrels with a high bushy tail
I'd fill up my shotgun with a rock salt and nails