INTRO Bm D Bm D Bm D Well, I was eighteen, my brother was twenty-one. Bm D One Saturday evenin' when all the work was done, A G We went down to the river. Had some trot lines we'd run. Bm D My brother Walter had a fight the week before. Bm D Knocked a boy name Wilson through the pool hall doors. A G They said you don't mess with Wilson unless you want a war. Bm D I put the boat in the water and I made the engine run. Bm D I loaded the lantern against the sinkin' sun. A G And my brother Walter was loadin' his gun... D A Bm D Dm And we went down the river... Bm D Down past the coal docks we were runnin' our line. Bm D Heard some drunken boaters racin' up behind. A G It was Wilson and his cousin, had trouble on their mind. Bm D They passed on by us, probably goin' to tend their pot. Bm D We headed up the river with the fish that we'd caught but, A G Before we made the landing, I thought I heard a shot... D A Bm D Gm Back down the river... Bm D Well my brother Walter fell over the side. Bm D I couldn't find him no matter how I tried A G And I looked along the bank but couldn't find where they hide. Bm D Well the drugged the river, they searched it up and down. Bm D Couldn't find his body so they decided that he'd drowned, A G But I knew better and Wilson bragged around town. Bm D So one night I floated down right above Wilson's shack. Bm D I hid in the woods til I saw him walk out back. A G I put a bullet in his head, dropped him in his tracks... D A Bm D Gm And we went down the river... Bm D Down below the tressel, where the water runs slow, Bm D I chained him to an anvil then I let him go. A G And five years later, I ain't told a soul. Bm D I ain't done much fishin', hardly wet a line. Bm D The death of my brother is still heavy on my mind. A G I've been thinkin' Wilson's cousin better find a place to hide... D A Bm D A Bm Cause I'm goin' down the river...yeah, I'm goin' down the river. D Bm (until end of song)