C5               G5
Coon dog howls, baby cries 
F5
Nightlight shinin' was a fireflie 
   C5                   G5
My very first kiss, my mother's last wish 
   F5
Sittin' here thinkin' 'bout days gone by 
C5                     G5
Somewhere west of the Carolina line 
  F5
I lost my way, nearly lost my mind 
C5                           G5
Drinkin' from a fountain of tears I cried 
          F5
Cause, my well's full of dust, and my soul's bone dry 
          C5                            G5
I'm goin' back to the river, where the water runs deep 
F5
Fall on my knees and take a big drink 
C5                     G5
Wash this body, where I was baptised 
    F5
And quinch my thirst, where the moon still shines 
D5          C5
Back to the river 
        C5                             G5
Well, I hit the ground runnin' when I hit hard times 
F5
Runnin' away - chasin' highway signs 
C5                               G5
Tried to change a heart made of naughty pine 
         F5
But, you can't draw whiskey from a Honeysuckle vine 
          C5                            G5
I'm goin' back to the river, where the water runs deep 
F5
Fall on my knees and take a big drink 
C5                     G5
Wash this body, where I was baptised 
    F5
And quinch my thirst, where the moon still shines 
D5          C5
Back to the river 
 
Solo 
          C5                            G5
I'm goin' back to the river, where the water runs deep 
F5
Fall on my knees and take a big drink 
C5                     G5
Wash this body, where I was baptised 
    F5
And quinch my thirst, where the moon still shines 
D5          C5
Back to the river