Mmmmmmm
La la la la la la la la la
All right
La la la la la la la la la
Growing up
It was tough
We were glad for what little we had
I saw my share of old fair Mississippi
Dirt roads and Confederate flags
Every day my father would tell me:
“Son, run and don't never come back”
That's where I left my girl
That's where my heart is at
And oh…
First chorus:
I held my breath when they dipped my head
Then I came up shiny and new
Found out about love in the back of my Impala
Where they laid my grandfather, too
Down by the river
Where black folks gather after Sunday service is thru
How the river runs to the ocean
I'll be running right back to you
I got along
I'm movin' on
I bandaged the scars up well
I think of her then I sit and I wait
For a card or a letter in the mail
I walk the beach
With the sand in my feet
Place my ear up to a shell
I wonder if you miss me, too?
'Cause I been longin' to get to you
I'm sick of staring out my window sill
I'm tired of hoping she remembers me still
I'm packing my bags, I said “I'm going back home,
to the place where I belong…”
The river…
And if she's there when I get there
I'm never gonna leave her again
You see, she stole my heart
Down by the river
Second chorus:
I held my breath when they dipped my head
Then I came up shiny and new
Found out about love in the back of my Impala
(Back seat of my '64 baby)
Where they laid my grandfather, too
Down by the river
Where black folks gather after Sunday service is thru
How the river runs to the ocean
I'll be running right back to you
So I'm packing up my suitcase
Bought me a one-way fare
I'm leaving everything behind me
But in my heart I'll always care
And I'll still be right there…
Thank you, baby
'Cause nothin' can replace that part of my life
And oh…
Third chorus:
I held my breath when they dipped my head
Then I came up shiny and new
Found out about love in the back of my Impala
Where they laid my grandfather, too
Down by the river
Where black folks gather after Sunday service is thru
How the river runs to the ocean
I'll be running right back to you