The Mississippi moves a whole lot slower than you think
I've been to Memphis and rode it clean down to New Orleans
I'd bet a Ben Franklin I've seen the whole world in between
But I ain't seen you in God knows when

Too much of that bootleg liquor, not near enough champagne
Too much of that dust bowl love and not near enough Delta rain
I shed too many tears last I smelled 'em burnin' the cane
But I ain't held you in God knows when

We had a love that we held true
I don't know how it slipped away
You always had good sense 'bout when to leave
I wish you knew something 'bout when to stay

Power lines went down in hell 'cause they had an ice storm again
The devil he cursed the TVA and now he's headed down south of I-10
You ain't been back so you must have cut some kind of deal with him
'Cause hells froze over since God knows when

We had a love that we held true
I don't know how it slipped away
You always had good sense 'bout when to leave
God I wish you knew something 'bout when to stay

The Mississippi moves a whole lot sadder than you think
You cry tears in Memphis, they hit bottom south of New Orleans
You won't feel redemption 'til they mingle in the warm Gulf Stream
And that ain't gonna happen 'til God knows when
it ain't gonna happen 'til God knows when
I ain't gonna hold you 'til God knows when