Riverman shining shoes
Singing Appalachian blues
Drinking black coffee
Was a fire in his soul
And it rang like rock and roll
Roared like a freight train
We listened all night long
To the sound of the rivermans' song
In a moonshine haze
Till Johnnys' blood ran dry
Beneath the Cherokee sky
Nothing lasts forever
And everything fades into Tennessee dust
Ooo ooh ooo
Ooo ooh ooo
Buckle on the bible belt
Swear to God I never felt
This was his country
And we all hit the booze
At the old Bartholomew's
Down on main street
Tommy was a gun for hire
Oh and a real live wire
When he'd go dancing
But no one made a sound
The day his body hit the ground
In Chilhowee
And everything fades into Tennessee dust
Everything fades into Tennessee dust
