I come from down in the valley
Where, mister, when you're young
They bring you up to do like your daddy done
Well, Mary, we met in high school
She was just seventeen
We'd drive outta this valley
Down to where the fields were green

We'd go down to the river
And into the river we'd dive
Oh, down to the river we'd ride

Well, I got Mary pregnant
And, man, that was all she wrote
Before my nineteenth birthday
I got a union card and a wedding coat
We went down to the courthouse
And the judge brought it all to rest
No wedding day smiles
No walk down the aisles
No flowers, no wedding dress

We'd go down to the river
And into the river we'd dive
Oh, down to the river we'd ride
I got a job working construction
For the Johnstown company
Lately, there ain't been much work
On account of the economy
All those things that seemed so important
Well, they just vanish in the air
And I act like I don't remember
Mary acts like she don't care
And I remember us riding in my brother's car
About ten and went around the reservoir
At night on the banks, I'd lie awake
And pull her close to feel each breath she'd take
Those memories come back to haunt me
Well, they haunt me like a curse
Is a dream a lie that don't come true
Or is it something worse?

And we'd go down to the river
And into the river we'd dive
Oh, down to the river we'd ride
Down to the river, my baby and I
Oh, down to the river, we'd ride