We met down where the Rio Grande flows
Right off I called her my Big River Rose
She was just a waitress in a honky tonk cafe
I was busting all rigs on my way to Santa Fe

We talked a while and shared a jug of wine
She said her life was just as blue as mine
That night we got married and packed up Rose's clothes
That's how I left Brownsville with my Big River Rose

We thumbed our way to Texas Rose and me
We lived like prairie rabbits wild and free
The weeks went by like minutes until the winter came
Then I watched Rose suffering not a penny to my name

The blizzard struck at twelve one Sunday night
While in a boxcar I held Rosy tight
My arms were not enough for to keep my darling warm
And Rosy was the victim of a howling Texas storm

So now I roam to prairies all alone
Sad and hurt and lonely to the bone
The pain grows still within me and only heaven knows
I won't be contented till I join my Big River Rose
Big River Rose Big River Rose