I'll never swim Kern River again.
It was there that I met her,
It was there that I lost my best friend.
Now I live in the mountains,
I drifted up here with the wind.
I may drown in still water but I'll never swim Kern River again.I grew up in an oil town but my gusher never came in.
And the river was the boundary where my darling and I use to swim.
One night in the moonlight the swiftness swept her life away.
Now I live at Lake Shasta and
Lake Shasta is where I will stay.There's the South San Joaquin where the seeds of the Dust Bowl are found.
There's a place called Mount Whitney where the mighty Kern River comes down.
Now, it's not deep nor wide but it's a mean piece of water, my friend.
I may cross on the highway but I'll never swim Kern River again.
I'll never swim Kern River again.
It was there that I met her,
it was there that I lost my best friend.
Now I live in the mountains,
I drifted up here with the wind.
I may drown in still water but I'll never swim Kern River again.