Down by the river
The old men go drinking
Growing taller and younger
They do all their thinking
They throw down the numbers
And their tools of the trade
They drown their sorrows without sinking
They gather ‘round the campfire
The smoke keeps on drifting
Eyes full of laughter
And a lifetime of lifting
Nothing is sacred and no one's to blame
They drown their sorrows without sinking
Down by the river
They lie without blinking
Talk up their women
Nudging and winking
They make their excuses
And go home to their wives
They drown their sorrows without sinkin'
She said “Put up or shut up
Is this some kind of set up?
Baby don't you lie when you come home to me?”
She took no excuses
Just small time abuses
That I paid out so a blind man could see
Down by the river the ghosts keep forgiving
The crimes and misdemeanours
The price of hard living
Pa** me the bottle and I'll drink to the stars
I'll drown my sorrows without sinking