Stop all this talk, turn off the telephone   Open up another bottle, send those people home   Let it get real quiet, turn that lamp way down low   I'm gonna float down this river of tears      I remember how we spoke on the days he was dry   Even now that he's gone he can make a woman cry   But he saw through me deaf dumb and blind   He knew his way down this river of tears      "Dashed hopes and best intentions" people say   He could sit and drink the way a monk could pray   So grab that silver flask, pour yourself another glass and   Watch me rage down this river of tears      Turn out the stars now, darken every one   Watch the clouds cover that big yellow moon   Close the blinds, mute the sun   There's nowhere left to run      Picked up that old decanter that he used to drink from   Turned on his stereo just to hear it hum   Daddy I'm gonna wrap myself in blankets and listen to you sing   And I'm gonna float down this river of tears