Look out, mama, there's a white boat comin' up the river
With a big red beacon and a flag and a man on the rail
I think ya better call John
'cause it don't look like they're here to deliver the mail
And it's less than a mile away
I hope he didn't come to stay
It's got numbers on the side and a gun
And it's making big waves

Daddy's gone, and my brother's out hunting in the mountain
Big John's been drinking since the river took Emmylou
So the powers that be
Left me here to do the thinking
And I just turned 22
I was wonderin' what to do
And the closer they got, the more those feelings grew

Daddy's rifle in my hands felt reassuring
He told me red means run, son, numbers add up to nothing
When the first shot hit the dock
I saw it coming
Raised my rifle to my eye
Never stopped to wonder why
Then I saw black and my face splashed in the sky

Shelter me from the powder and the finger
Cover me with the thought that pulled the trigger
Just think of me as one
You'd never figure
Would fade away so young
With so much left undone
Remember me to my love, I know I'll miss her