INTRO Bm D Bm D
[Bm]Well, I was eighteen, my br[D]other was twenty-one.
[Bm]One Saturday evenin' when a[D]ll the work was done,
We w[A]ent down to the river. Had some t[G]rot lines we'd run.
[Bm]My brother Walter had a f[D]ight the week before.
[Bm]Knocked a boy name Wilson th[D]rough the pool hall doors.
They s[A]aid you don't mess with Wilson un[G]less you want a war.
[Bm]I put the boat in the water and I m[D]ade the engine run.
[Bm]I loaded the lantern ag[D]ainst the sinkin' sun.
And [A]my brother Walter was l[G]oadin' his gun...
And [D]we w[A]ent down the r[Bm]iver.[D]..[Bm][D]
[Bm]Down past the coal docks [D]we were runnin' our line.
[Bm]Heard some drunken boaters ra[D]cin' up behind.
It was Wi[A]lson and his cousin, had tr[G]ouble on their mind.
[Bm]They passed on by us, pr[D]obably goin' to tend their pot.
[Bm]We headed up the river w[D]ith the fish that we'd caught but,
Be[A]fore we made the landing, I th[G]ought I heard a shot...
[D]Back d[A]own the r[Bm]iver[D]...[Bm][D][A][G]
[Bm]Well my brother Walter fell o[D]ver the side.
[Bm]I couldn't find him no m[D]atter how I tried
And I l[A]ooked along the bank but co[G]uldn't find where they hide.
[Bm]Well the drugged the river, they se[D]arched it up and down.
[Bm]Couldn't find his body so they de[D]cided that he'd drowned,
[A]But I knew better and Wilson br[G]agged around town.
[Bm]So one night I floated down right a[D]bove Wilson's shack.
[Bm]I hid in the woods til I s[D]aw him walk out back.
I put a bu[A]llet in his head, dro[G]pped him in his tracks...
And [D]we w[A]ent down the r[Bm]iver[D]...[Bm][D][A][G]
[Bm]Down below the tressel, where the w[D]ater runs slow,
[Bm]I chained him to an anvil t[D]hen I let him go.
And f[A]ive years later, [G]I ain't told a soul.
[Bm]I ain't done much fishin', h[D]ardly wet a line.
[Bm]The death of my brother is still he[D]avy on my mind.
I've been th[A]inkin' Wilson's cousin better f[G]ind a place to hide...
Cause I[D]'m goin' d[A]own the r[Bm]iver...y[D]eah, I'm g[A]oin' down the r[Bm]iver.
D Bm (until end of song)
[Bm]Well, I was eighteen, my br[D]other was twenty-one.
[Bm]One Saturday evenin' when a[D]ll the work was done,
We w[A]ent down to the river. Had some t[G]rot lines we'd run.
[Bm]My brother Walter had a f[D]ight the week before.
[Bm]Knocked a boy name Wilson th[D]rough the pool hall doors.
They s[A]aid you don't mess with Wilson un[G]less you want a war.
[Bm]I put the boat in the water and I m[D]ade the engine run.
[Bm]I loaded the lantern ag[D]ainst the sinkin' sun.
And [A]my brother Walter was l[G]oadin' his gun...
And [D]we w[A]ent down the r[Bm]iver.[D]..[Bm][D]
[Bm]Down past the coal docks [D]we were runnin' our line.
[Bm]Heard some drunken boaters ra[D]cin' up behind.
It was Wi[A]lson and his cousin, had tr[G]ouble on their mind.
[Bm]They passed on by us, pr[D]obably goin' to tend their pot.
[Bm]We headed up the river w[D]ith the fish that we'd caught but,
Be[A]fore we made the landing, I th[G]ought I heard a shot...
[D]Back d[A]own the r[Bm]iver[D]...[Bm][D][A][G]
[Bm]Well my brother Walter fell o[D]ver the side.
[Bm]I couldn't find him no m[D]atter how I tried
And I l[A]ooked along the bank but co[G]uldn't find where they hide.
[Bm]Well the drugged the river, they se[D]arched it up and down.
[Bm]Couldn't find his body so they de[D]cided that he'd drowned,
[A]But I knew better and Wilson br[G]agged around town.
[Bm]So one night I floated down right a[D]bove Wilson's shack.
[Bm]I hid in the woods til I s[D]aw him walk out back.
I put a bu[A]llet in his head, dro[G]pped him in his tracks...
And [D]we w[A]ent down the r[Bm]iver[D]...[Bm][D][A][G]
[Bm]Down below the tressel, where the w[D]ater runs slow,
[Bm]I chained him to an anvil t[D]hen I let him go.
And f[A]ive years later, [G]I ain't told a soul.
[Bm]I ain't done much fishin', h[D]ardly wet a line.
[Bm]The death of my brother is still he[D]avy on my mind.
I've been th[A]inkin' Wilson's cousin better f[G]ind a place to hide...
Cause I[D]'m goin' d[A]own the r[Bm]iver...y[D]eah, I'm g[A]oin' down the r[Bm]iver.
D Bm (until end of song)
