C F The River ran through Howard County, it was the life blood of the land C G It made fields of green tobacco, aching backs and callused hands C F Mama talked of a coming battle that the womenfolk had to fight G F G C 'Cause the good Lord owned the daytime, but the Devil seemed to own the night C F Well it came up out of nowhere, from a dark and bitter seed C G It was the roughest kind of roadhouse and a most unwanted weed C F It drew the menfolk like a magnet, the women knew what they had to do G F G C So they put it in the hands of Jesus, 'cause they knew that he'd come through C And the rains came and the river swelled G C And the more they prayed the more it fell C G When the levies broke everybody saw the awesome power of God C G C Then the clouds rolled back and the rainbow came to bring a brighter day C G C 'Cause when the flood hit Howard County, all the sins were washed away C F Now the mothers tell the story, of the week that the river raged C G It's a passing of the wisdom to the ears of a tender age C F Better walk the straight and narrow, better keep a watchful eye G F G C 'Cause there's a symbol of the wrath of heaven in every dark cloud in the sky C 'Cause the rains came and the river swelled G C And the more they prayed the more it fell C G When the levies broke everybody saw the awesome power of God C G C Then the clouds rolled back and the rainbow came to bring a brighter day C G C 'Cause when the flood hit Howard County, all the sins were washed away C G C Then the clouds rolled back and the rainbow came to bring a brighter day C G C 'Cause when the flood hit Howard County, all the sins were washed away C G C Yes, when the flood hit Howard County, all the sins were washed away