Merle Haggard - Kern River lyrics

I'll never swim Kern River again It was there that I met her It was there that I lost my best friend And now I live in the mountains I drifted up here with the wind And 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 a boundary Where my darlin' and I used to swim One night in the moonlight The swiftness swept her life away And now I live on 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 And there's a place called Mount Whitney From where the mighty Kern River comes down Well, it's not deep nor wide But it's a mean piece of water my friend And I may cross on the highway But I'll never swim Kern River again I'll never swim Kern River again It was there I first met her It was there that I lost my best friend And now I live in the mountains I drifted up here with the wind And I may drown in still water But I'll never swim Kern River again I'll never swim Kern River again It was there I first met her It was there that I lost my best friend Now I live in the mountains I drifted up here with the wind And I may cross on the highway But I'll never swim Kern River again