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