[Verse 1]
On the banks of the river
Where the willows hang down
And the wild birds all warble
With a low moaning sound

Way down in the hollow
Where the waters run cold
It's where I first listened
To the lies that you told

[Verse 2]
And now I lie on my bed
And I see your sweet face
And the past I remember
Time cannot erase

And the letters you wrote me
Were 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 you ladies were blackbirds
If you ladies were thrushes
I'd lie there for hours
In the cold, chilly marshes

If you ladies were squirrels
With high, bushy tails
I'd fill up my shotgun
With rock, salt, and nails