Intro: F    Bb  F  F7 

Verse 

Bb                 C             F 
Frankie braids the purse-string, Cleon sets the tow 
        Bb                            C 
Frankie goes to pick them over in the well 
     Bb                          F 
He's never got a hat on, and the snow is all about him 
       Bb                                 F 
And it packs around his head like his own skin 

Verse 

                           Bb               F 
"Don't I hate this foolish river!", Frankie cries 
        Bb                         C 
"Up and down her like a yo-yo on a string 
   F                      Bb   C 
Go out in the morning and tear up 
Bb                 F 
Mend all your afternoon 
    Bb                           F     F7 
And all this dirty river staving by" 

Verse 

                                   Bb 
Ah, but boys, you should have seen him 
                                        F 
Wearing the snow as you would wear your hair 
                 Bb                         F 
Singing, "It's a hard life for a boy on the gut" 
             Bb                                  C 
He's got the words wrong, but he doesn't seem to care 
        Bb               C          F 
And the seagulls working easy out behind him 

Verse 

      Bb 
Cleon slides the hatch back, and he shouts down 
             F 
"Boys, we're anchored" 
        Bb                                 C 
And you set your coffee down and you go on deck 
        Bb                                               F 
But the river's humping by so fast, the snow's so flying thick 
                        Bb              F 
You can't tell if she's moving or lying still 

Verse 

                           Bb               F 
"Don't I hate this foolish river!", Frankie cries 
        Bb                         C 
"Up and down her like a yo-yo on a string 
   F                      Bb   C 
Go out in the morning and tear up 
Bb                 F 
Mend all your afternoon 
    Bb                            F     F7 
And all this poor old river going by" 

Verse 

Bb                           C                F 
Cleon winds the wheel and he cracks the power to her 
        Bb                             C 
And she pokes her head around, but she doesn't turn 
       Bb 
And he takes her out of gear 
                             F 
While Frankie goes to try to haul back 
                                   Bb                F 
He says, "I guess we've hooked the dear old State of Maine" 

Verse
 
                              Bb 
Ah, but boys, you should have seen him 
                                   F      C 
Hour after hour, Cleon on that old wheel 
        F                     Bb   C 
There's nothing out there but hard times 
Bb                  F 
Time and the flying snow 
    Bb                            F 
And all that pretty river rolling by 

Verse 

                         Bb 
Oh, but boys it makes me wonder 
                                   F      C 
Hour after hour, Cleon on that old wheel 
        F                  Bb   C 
There's nothing to see but hard times 
Bb                  F 
Time and the flying snow 
    Bb                              F    Bb   F   Bb   F 
But Cleon watches day and night and day