Small Town on the River

Lyrics

[Verse 1] They used to come to town from the naval base Looking for a stiff drink and a pretty face Hang around the whorehouses All night long Well, some were drifters and some were bums Some just waited for the war to come Out behind the factory With a bottle and a factory girl [Chorus] In that small town on the river Just a small town on the river [Verse 2] Well, that December war broke out Many a woman lost her man Some wrote from overseas, some didn't And their women didn't understand And the whores left for the harbor towns Where the business was still good And the factory girls put in double shifts Worked as much time as they could [Chorus] In that small town on the river Just a small town on the river [Verse 3] Well, some men came home aces And some were carried home All of them were heroes No man was left alone Some took jobs, some went to school Some found they'd fathered kids Well, most men tried but could not forget And some wound up on the skids [Chorus] In that small town on the river Just a small town on the river [Verse 4] Well, forty years later The town remains the same One mill burnt down, another one was built The paychecks now come from a different name And at the Eagles and the Legion Halls No one seems to age With the same jokes told and the TV on The paper open to the sports page [Chorus] In that small town on the river Just a small town on the river [Verse 5] And I was talking with the bartender Last night at the P.A.C.  A navy man from World War Two Sharp dresser, though he don't have to be And over a double bourbon He said, "I'll tell you man to man Well, this town died forty years ago, son Get out while you can" [Chorus] It's just a small town on the river Well, nothing but a small town on the river Oh, nothing but a small town on the river