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Kern River cover art

Kern River

Merle Haggard
ChordsKeyAintermediate
4.9(162)

Chords in this song6

Song

From: lindsey@sirius.com (Tom Lindsey)
Kern River
Merle Haggard
CHORUS:
I'll never swim Kern River again.
It was there that I met her.
It was there that I lost my best friend. 
And now I live in the mountains.
I drifted up here with the wind.
And I may drown in still water,
But I'll never swim Kern River again.
VERSE:
I grew up in an oil town,
But my gusher never came in.
And the river was a boundary
A E (E7) E9
Where my darlin' and I used to swim.
One night in the moonlight
The swiftness swept here life away.
And now I live on Lake Shasta and
Lake Shasta is where I will stay.
CHORUS:
I'll never swim Kern River again.
It was there that I met her.
It was there that I lost my best friend. 
And now I live in the mountains.
I drifted up here with the wind.
And I may drown in still water,
But I'll never swim Kern River again.
VERSE:
There's the South San Joaquin,
Where the seeds of the dust bowl are found.
And there's a place called Mount Whitney
A E (E7) E9
From where the mighty Kern River comes down.
Well, it's not deep nor wide,
But it's a mean piece of water my friend.
And I may cross on the highway,
But I'll never swim Kern River again
CHORUS:
I'll never swim Kern River again.
It was there that I met her.
It was there that I lost my best friend. 
And now I live in the mountains.
I drifted up here with the wind.
And I may drown in still water,
But I'll never swim Kern River again.

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