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'd 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-oh, down to the river we'd ride

Then 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

That night we went down to the river
And into the river we'd dive
Oh-oh, down to the river we did ride, ay-ay-ay

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 them things that seemed so important
Well, mister, they vanished right into the air
Now 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 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'd know the river is dry
That sends me down to the river tonight, ay-ay-ay

Down to the river
My baby and I
Oh-oh, down to the river we ride, ay-ay-ay