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Cold River Lyrics by John Hiatt

Master of Disaster

2005

Well he packed up his suitcase
'cause the deal gone down
She was slipping on her stockings
Lord it made the sweetest sound

There was a baby in the reeds
Along the river outside of town
As he wound his pocket watch
To set time spinnin' 'em all around

Wasn't long they'd be forgetting
This old rainy Texas day
Little fella wasn't meant
For this old world anyway

Gambling and whoring
Hiding from plain view
Tell me which one of us rounders
Would you trust this poor child to

You just roll on cold river
Wash little moses down
We've got business to attend to
In Chicago Town
In Chicago Town

Well they rolled out of Austin
On some kind of cattle train
She'd been with him for a year
Didn't know his second name

He worked the small towns hustling nine ball
She hooked the truck stops too
They were trying to make Chicago
Before the winter come blowing through

Some trucker sprang a leak
In California they supposed
Started working Arizona
Lord she missed the bloody rose

They rambled through the southwest
Making money and making time
But they never could find no help
Not a doctor, not that kind

You just roll on cold river
Wash little moses down
We've got business to attend to
In Chicago Town
In Chicago Town

Some women love their babies
Some women won't have one
Some Texas woman found him
And we're still on the run

The kind of life we're living
He'd only slow us down
Ain't good for nothing anyway
Just rambling town to town

You just roll on cold river
Wash little moses down
We've got business to attend to
In Chicago Town
In Chicago Town

Well he unpacked his suitcase
She pulled her stockings down
Dreaming up a pool hall
And shooting up a round

She thought about tomorrow
When the money rolled around
That night they slept like babies
In Chicago Town
Credits
John Hiatt

John Hiatt

About “Cold River” by John Hiatt

Read the complete lyrics to "Cold River" by John Hiatt from the album "Master of Disaster" in 2005. On Lyrks you can follow along with the full text, explore the artist's discography, and discover related songs. The track is often categorized under Pop.

"Cold River" is performed by John Hiatt. from the album "Master of Disaster" in 2005 This page provides the full lyric text for fans who want to sing along, study the songwriting, or compare versions across releases. Lyrks organizes lyrics by artist and song slug so you can bookmark and share a stable URL. Music lyrics help listeners connect with emotion, narrative, and rhythm in a track. Whether you are learning English, researching a favorite chorus, or preparing for karaoke, having accurate line breaks and section labels (verse, chorus, bridge) makes the experience easier. We link to the official artist profile on Lyrks where available, including biography snippets, top songs, and chart placements when we have that data. If you enjoy "Cold River", explore more songs by John Hiatt using the links below. Chart and trending pages on Lyrks highlight what listeners are searching for this week. For copyright or correction requests, see our DMCA and contact pages.

View all songs and biography for John Hiatt · Trending lyrics · Billboard Hot 100

Frequently asked questions

"Cold River" is credited to John Hiatt. Songwriting credits may include additional writers listed on the release; check the credits section on this page for linked collaborators.

"Cold River" appears on "Master of Disaster" in 2005.

Visit the John Hiatt artist page at /artist/john-hiatt for biography, popular tracks, and links to more lyric pages.

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After All This Time
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