my mother came to hazard when i was just seven
even then the folks in town said with prejudiced eyes
that boy's not right
three years ago when i came to know mary
first time that someone looked beyond the rumors and the lies
and saw the man inside

we used to walk down by the river
she loved to watch the sun go down
we used to walk along the river
and dream our way out of this town

no one understood what i felt for mary
no one cared until the night she went out walking alone
and never came home
man with a badge came knocking next morning
here was i surrounded by a thousand fingers suddenly
pointed right at me

i swear i left her by the river
i swear i left her safe and sound
i need to make it to the river
and leave this old nebraska town

i think about my life gone by
how it's done me wrong
there's no escape for me this time
all of my rescues are gone, long gone

i swear i left her by the river
i swear i left her safe and sound