By the banks of the river
Where the willows hang down
And the wild birds all warble___
With their high, lonesome sound
Down in some hollow___
Where the waters run cold
It was there I first listened
To the lies that you told
If the young men were blackbirds
The young men were thrushes
I would lay by the hours___
In the cold rainy marshes
If the young men were squirrels
With high bushy tails
I'd fill up my shotgun
With rock salt and nails
And I see your sweet face
The past I remember___
Time cannot erase
The letters you wrote me__
Were written in shame
And I know that your conscience
Echoes my name
Lord, I lie here each night
All alone and I weep
Nothing ain't worse
Than a night without sleep
I walk out alone___
Under the sky
Too empty to sing
Too lonesome to cry
And the young men were thrushes
I'd lie there for hours___
In the cold rainy marshes
If the ladies were squirrels
With high bushy tails
I'd fill up my shotgun___
With rock salt and nails
I'd fill up my shotgun___
With rock salt and nails