Story Behind The Song
A man leaves his home in Kentucky to follow a girl to Chicago only to find a longing to return to his home by the Ohio River.
Song Description
Winner of the 2012 John Lennon Song of the Year Award
| Song Length |
3:01 |
Genre |
Folk - Americana, Country - Bluegrass |
| Tempo |
Medium (111 - 130) |
Lead Vocal |
Male Vocal |
| Mood |
Distressed, Moving |
Subject |
Heartbreak, Regret |
| Similar Artists |
Mumford & Sons, The Lumineers |
Language |
English |
| Era |
2000 and later |
| |
Lyrics
I search the river from atop the hill
looking for the Belle de Louisville
there on the river I love so well
rolls the Belle of Louisville
all my rivers they run back south
baby in the cradle and hush your mouth
The wind and rain in Chicago
you know the climate don't suit my clothes
freeze my fingers my blood runs cold
can't even pick my old banjo
all my rivers they run back south
baby in the cradle and hush your mouth
So I bought the coat and bought the shoes
followed the girl I could not lose
promised my love and my life
if she would only be my wife
caused me to weep cause me to moan
caused me to leave my home
all my rivers they run back south
baby in the cradle and hush your mouth
Sometimes I stare at lake Michigan
dreaming I'm back home again
on the banks of the Ohio
watching that old steamboat roll
all my rivers they run back south
baby in the cradle and hush your mouth
all my rivers they run back south
baby in the cradle and hush your mouth