Kern River - Dave Alvin

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