Now I taught the weeping willow
how to cry, cry, cry
And I showed the clouds
out the cover of a clear blue sky
And the tears I cried for that woman
are gonna flood your big river
And I'm gonna sit right here until I die
I met her accidentally in St. Paul,
Minnesota
And it tore me up every time
I heard her drawl, southern drawl
Then I hurt my dream,
went back downstream,
cavortin' in Davenport
And I followed you big
river when you called
Then you took me to St. Louis,
and laid her on down the river
Afraid, I said she'd been here,
but she's gone, gone, gone
I found her trail in Memphis,
but she'd just walked up the bluff
She raised a few eyebrows,
and then she went on down alone
Now won't you bat it on
down by Baton Rouge,
river queen rollin' on
Take that woman on down to New Orleans,
New Orleans
Go on, I've had enough,
dump my blues down in the Gulf
She loves you big, the river,
more than me
Now I taught the weepin' willow
how to cry, cry, cry
And I showed the clouds
out the cover of a clear blue sky
And the tears I cried for that woman
are gonna flood you big river