She would sit alone by the bank   Always coming home so late   She?d take off all her clothes and jump in   I?d be giving up, man, if she?d be giving in      Baby, let me dry your hair   I got some clothes that you can wear   Over there on the bed      And I?d always forgive her   But the Mississippi river never did      She?d sit out on the dock and put her feet in   She was skipping rocks   And she was skipping school again      She stole my only cigarettes   She smoked the whole pack one by one   Light 'em up and put 'em to her lips      And I?d always forgive her   But the Mississippi river never did      She was always running away   No matter how hard I tried, she would never stay   And I wish that she would run to me   Like the Mississippi river is running towards the sea      And now my poor heart is on the mend   And I?ll always be with her   Because the Mississippi river never ends      I?ll always be with her   Because the Mississippi river never ends