Riverman shining shoes Singing Appalachian blues Drinking black coffee Was a fire in his soul And it rang like rock and roll Roared like a freight train We listened all night long To the sound of the rivermans' song In a moonshine haze Till Johnnys' blood ran dry Beneath the Cherokee sky Nothing lasts forever And everything fades into Tennessee dust Ooo ooh ooo Ooo ooh ooo Buckle on the bible belt Swear to God I never felt This was his country And we all hit the booze At the old Bartholomew's Down on main street Tommy was a gun for hire Oh and a real live wire When he'd go dancing But no one made a sound The day his body hit the ground In Chilhowee And everything fades into Tennessee dust Everything fades into Tennessee dust