[Verse 1]
On the banks of the river, where the willows hang down
And the wild birds all warble with a low moaning sound
Down in the hollow, where the waters run 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
The 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 sing, 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 rock salt and nails