A painted lady sings a lullaby   A raindrop falls from an empty sky   A steamboat's lying on a river bed   The captain smiles and his eyes are red      Mississippi water washing over me   Mississippi water washing over me      A lady's riding bareback on a horse   I know that Babylon must be her course   An old man's laughing at the dead of night   But I don't care if he is black or white      Mississippi water washing over me   Mississippi water washing over me      The summer heat burns the skin on my face   And the trees shimmer so in this quiet place   A bird up high sings a song that I know   And those sweet melodies fall down like snow      A crowd of people watch an empty stage   There's no performers but still they stay   Moonlight dances on a slide trombone   The captain whistles as he wanders home      Mississippi water washing over me   Mississippi water washing over me   Mississippi water washing over me   Mississippi water washing over me      Mississippi water   Mississippi water      Mississippi water washing over me   Mississippi water washing over me   Mississippi water washing over me   ...