[Chorus]
Thought I'd sing to the river
Just cheer her on her way
She's a blue old girl
That no one cares to travel on these days

[Verse 1]
I know some say she's lazy
She was fast enough before
Half of every cotton crop
Came floating past my door

[Verse 2]
And there used to be a dance hall
When the gambling boat still ran
The air was full of lamplight
And the sound of Dixieland

[Verse 3]
But the river men are gone now
She's a melancholy girl
She never sees the Delta Queen
Or the Alabama Pearl

[Verse 4]
And she looks like she's lonely
As she tumbles to the sea
She's headed down to Mexico
To find some company
[Verse 5]
Well, the only time I cursed her
Was the spring of '65
She rolled across the bean fields
Looking more than ten miles wide

[Verse 6]
Well, I shoulda seen it comin'
As it does from time to time
Women's gonna make a fuss
When no one pays her any mind

[Chorus]
So thought I'd sing to the river
Just cheer her on her way
She's a blue old girl
That no one cares to travel on these days

[Outro]
She's a blue old girl
That no one cares to travel on these days