The River - Live at Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY - September 1979

I come from down in the valley, where mister, when you're young
They bring you up to do like your daddy done
Me and Mary, we met in high school, when she was just 17
We drive out of this valley, down to where the fields were green

We'd go down to the river, and into the river we'd dive
Oh, down to the river we'd ride

But I got Mary pregnant, and man, that was all she wrote
And for my 19th 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

We went down to the river and into the river we'd dive
Oh, down to the river we'd ride
I got a job working construction for the Johnstown Company
But lately, there ain't been no work on account of the economy
And all that things that seemed so important
Well, mister, they vanished right into the air
I just act like I don't remember, 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 them banks I'd lie awake
And pull her close just to feel each breath she'd take
Now the 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
Oh, down to the river, we did ride
Down to the river, my baby and I
Oh, down to the river we ride

Oh-oh-ooh, ooh-ooh-oh
Ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh, ooh
Oh-oh-ooh, ooh-ooh-oh
Ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh, ooh