E
I taught the weepin' willow how to cry
Cry, cry

And I showed the clouds how to cover up
  F#         B7
A clear blue sky
       E                           
And the tears that I cried for that
               A
Woman are gonna flood you, big
River
   E                   B7           
And I'm gonna sit right here until I
E
Die

E
I met her accidentally in St. Paul
Minnesota

And it tore me up every time I heard
    F#              B7
Her drawl, southern drawl
     E                         
And I heard my dream, Went back
           A
Downstream, cavortin' in
Davenport
     E                 B7             
And I followed you, big river, when she
E
Called

( E  A  E  B7  E )

   E
Oh, she took me to St. Louie later on

Down the river

Freighter said, "She's been here, but
      F#              B7
She's gone, boy, she's gone."
     E                               
And I found her trail in Memphis, but
   A
She just walked up the club
            E            B7           
Raised a few eyebrows and went on down
E
Alone

E
Well, I pulled into Natches next day
Down river

But there wasn't much there to make the
          F#        B7
Rounders stay very long
      E                      A
When I left it was rainin' so nobody
Saw me cry
    E              B7            E
Big river, why she doin' me this way?

( E  A  E  B7  E )

E
Now, won't you batter down by Baton
Rouge, River Queen, roll it on
                                 F#   
Take that woman on down to New Orleans
       B7
New Orleans
      E                        A
Go on, I've had enough, dump my blues
Down in the gulf
    E              B7               E
She loves you, big river, more than me

 E
I taught the weepin' willow how to cry
Cry, cry

And I showed the clouds how to cover up
    F#        B7
A clear blue sky
       E                           
And the tears that I cried for that
               A
Woman are gonna flood you, big
River
   E                   B7           
And I'm gonna sit right here until I
E
Die