I was eighteen My brother was twentyone One Saturday evening When all the work was done We went down to the river Had some trot lines to run My brother Walter Had a fight the week before Knocked a boy named Wilson Through the pool hall door They said you dont mess with Wilson Unless you want a war I put the boat in the water And I made the engine run I loaded the lantern Against a sinking sun And my brother Walter Was loading his gun And we went down the river Down past the coal docks We were runnin our lines Heard some drunken boaters Racing up behind It was Wilson and his cousin Had trouble on their minds You might also likeThey passed on by us Probably going to tend their pot We headed up the river With the fish wed caught But before we made the landing I thought i heard a shot Back down the river My brother Walter fell over the side I couldnt find him no matter how i tried And I looked along the bank But i couldnt find where theyd hide They drug the river They searched it up and down Couldnt find his body So they decided that hed drowned But I knew better And Wilson bragged around town So one night I floated down Right above Wilsons shack I hid in the woods Til I saw him walk out back I put a bullet in his head Dropped him in his tracks And we went down the river Down below the trestle Where the water runs slow I chained him to an anvil Then I let him go And five years later I aint told a soul And I aint done much fishing I hardly wet a line The death of my brother Is still heavy on my mind Ive been thinking Wilsons cousin Better find a place to hide Cause Im going down the river Yeah, Im going down the river
wilson, river, walter, brother, cousin