South Shore Serenade

(Verse 1)
I was born where the river bends, on the South Shore line,
Where the hills roll steady and the water shines.
Daddy worked the ferry, Mama prayed all day,
We lived simple and honest, the old-time way.

The river sang low, the whippoorwills cried,
The kind of place where your soul’s your guide.
Barefoot days and long, quiet nights,
Dreamin’ ‘neath the stars and the firefly lights.

(Chorus)
Oh, the Ohio rolls like an old heartache,
Strong and steady, but it don’t break.
South Shore blues in the morning dew,
It’s the only life I ever knew.

(Verse 2)
We had a front porch fiddle and a backwoods song,
Every Saturday night, we’d sing along.
Neighbors brought the moonshine, the good Lord blessed,
A little piece of heaven in the river’s caress.

But the river don’t stop, and time rolls on,
Friends move away, and the old folks are gone.
Yet every time I hear that lonesome breeze,
It’s like a whisper callin’ me back with ease.

(Chorus)
Oh, the Ohio rolls like an old heartache,
Strong and steady, but it don’t break.
South Shore blues in the morning dew,
It’s the only life I ever knew.

(Bridge)
There’s a church bell ringin’ through the valley haze,
Like it’s callin’ me home to my younger days.
Where the fish jump high and the memories flow,
In the arms of the river, where my heart knows.

(Verse 3)
Now I’m far from the South Shore land,
But I still feel the mud and the gravel in my hand.
City lights shine, but they can’t compete,
With the glow of the river where my roots run deep.

(Chorus)
Oh, the Ohio rolls like an old heartache,
Strong and steady, but it don’t break.
South Shore blues in the morning dew,
It’s the only life I ever knew.

(Outro)
So I’ll sing these blues till my time is through,
‘Bout the South Shore hills and the river’s view.
Where the Ohio runs and the whippoorwill cries,
That’s where I’ll be when I close my eyes.