Lyrics:
My mother came to Hazard when I was just sevenEven then the folks in town said with prejudiced eyes'That boy's not right'Three years ago when I came to know MaryFirst time that someone looked beyond the rumors and liesAnd saw the man insideWe used to walk down by the riverShe loved to watch the sun go downWe used to walk along the riverAnd dream our way out of this townNo one understood what I felt for MaryNo one cared until the night she went a-walking aloneAnd never came homeMan with a badge came knocking next morningHere was I surrounded by a thousand fingers suddenlyPointed right at meI swear I left her by the riverI swear I left her safe and soundI need to make it to the riverAnd leave this old Nebraska townI think about my life gone byHow it's done me wrongThere's no escape for me this timeAll of my rescues are gone, long goneI swear I left her by the riverI swear I left her safe and soundI need to make it to the riverAnd leave this old Nebraska town