The River ran through Howard County, it was the life blood of the land
It made fields of green tobacco, aching backs and callused hands
Mama talked of a coming battle that the womenfolk had to fight
'Cause the good Lord owned the daytime, but the Devil seemed to own the
night
Well it came up out of nowhere, from a dark and bitter seed
It was the roughest kind of roadhouse and a most unwanted weed
It drew the menfolk like a magnet, the women knew what they had to do
So they put it in the hands of Jesus, 'cause they knew that he'd come
through
And the rains came and the river swelled
And the more they prayed the more it fell
When the levies broke everybody saw the awesome power of God
Then the clouds rolled back and the rainbow came to bring a brighter day
'Cause when the flood hit Howard County, all the sins were washed away
Now the mothers tell the story, of the week that the river raged
It's a passing of the wisdom to the ears of a tender age
Better walk the straight and narrow, better keep a watchful eye
'Cause there's a symbol of the wrath of heaven in every dark cloud in
the sky
'Cause the rains came and the river swelled
And the more they prayed the more it fell
When the levies broke everybody saw the awesome power of God
Then the clouds rolled back and the rainbow came to bring a brighter day
'Cause when the flood hit Howard County, all the sins were washed away
Then the clouds rolled back and the rainbow came to bring a brighter day
'Cause when the flood hit Howard County, all the sins were washed away
Yes, when the flood hit Howard County, all the sins were washed away