Intro: G  F  C  G 

verse 1 
                         C                       G 
On the banks of the river where the willows hang down 
                       Em     C                   G 
And the wild birds all warble with a low mourning sound 
            Em    C                     G 
Down in the hollow where the water runs cold 
                     C                             G 
It was there I first listened to the lies that you told 


verse 2 
                   C                     G 
Now I lie on my bed and I see your sweet face 
           Em       C            G 
The past I remember time cannot erase 
             Em      C                  G 
A letter you wrote me it was written in shame 
                     C                          G     F  C  G 
And I know that your conscience still echoes my name 


verse 3 
                           C                 G 
Now the nights are so long, lord sorrow runs deep 
               Em           C             G 
And nothing is worse than a night without sleep 
           Em   C                G 
I walk out alone and look at the sky  
             C                    G    F  C  G 
Too empty to say, too lonesome to cry 


verse 4 
                             C                    G 
If the ladies were blackbirds and the ladies were thrushes 
                  Em   C                   G 
I'd lie there for hours in the chilly cold marshes 
                   Em       C                  G 
If the ladies were squirrels with a high bushy tail 
               C                            G      C  G 
I'd fill up my shotgun with a rock salt and nails