Lyrics Kern River - Dave Alvin

Kern River

I’ll never swim Kern River again
It was there that I met her
It was there that I lost my best friend
Now I live in the mountains
I drifted up here with the wind
I may drown in still water but I’ll never swim Kern River again
I grew up in an oil town but my gusher never came in
And the river was the boundary where my darling and I use to swim
One night in the moonlight the swiftness swept her life away
Now I live at Lake Shasta and
Lake Shasta is where I will stay
There’s the South San Joaquin where the seeds of the Dust Bowl are found
There’s a place called Mount Whitney where the mighty Kern River comes down
Now, it’s not deep nor wide but it’s a mean piece of water, my friend
I may cross on the highway but I’ll never swim Kern River again
I’ll never swim Kern River again
It was there that I met her
It was there that I lost my best friend
Now I live in the mountains
I drifted up here with the wind
I may drown in still water but I’ll never swim Kern River again