Lyrics:

I'll never swim Kern River again.It was there that I met her.It was there that I lost my best friend.And now I live in the mountains.I drifted up here with the wind.And I may drown in still water,But I'll never swim Kern River again.I grew up in an oil town,But my gusher never came in.And the river was a boundary,Where my darlin' and I used to swim.One night in the moonlight,The swiftness swept her life away.And now I live on Lake Shasta,And Lake Shasta is where I will stay.There's the South San Joaquin,Where the seeds of the dust bowl are found.And there's a place called Mount Whitney,From where the mighty Kern River comes down.Now, it's not deep nor wide,But it's a mean piece of water, my friend.And I may cross on the highway,But I'll never swim Kern River again.I'll never swim Kern River again.It was there that I met her.It was there that I lost my best friend.And now I live in the mountains.I drifted up here with the wind.And I may drown in still water,But I'll never swim Kern River again.Instrumental break.I'll never swim Kern River again.An' it was there that I met her.It was there that I lost my best friend.Now I live in the mountains.I drifted up here with the wind.And I may drown in still water,But I'll never swim Kern River again.