Bill Morrissey - Small town on the river

T^C/Ghey used to come to town from the Naval base Looking for ^F/Ca stiff drink and a pretty face H^C/Gang around the whore houses ^F/Call night long W^C/Gell some were drifters and some were bums S^F/Come just waited for the war to come O^C/Gut behind the fa^Amctory with a b^F/Cottle and a factory g^Girl In that sm^C/Gall town on the r^F/Civer, just a s^C/Gmall town on the r^F/Civer

W^C/Gell that December war broke out, many a w^F/Coman lost her man S^C/Gome wrote from overseas, some didn’t and their ^F/Cwomen didn’t understand And the w^C/Ghores left for the harbor towns where the b^F/Cusiness was still good And the f^C/Gactory girls put in do^Amuble shifts, worked as m^F/Cuch time as they c^Gould

In that s^C/Gmall town on the r^F/Civer, just a s^C/Gmall town on the r^F/Civer W^C/Gell some men came home aces, s^F/Come were carried home A^C/Gll of them were heroes, no ^F/Cman was left alone S^C/Gome took jobs, some went to school, some f^F/Cound they’d fathered kids S^C/Gome men tried, but could ^Amnot forget, some ^F/Cwound up on the s^Gkids In that s^C/Gmall town on the r^F/Civer, just a s^C/Gmall town on the r^F/Civer

W^C/Gell forty years later the t^F/Cown remains the same One ^C/Gmill burnt down, another one was built The pay^F/Cchecks now come from a different name A^C/Gnd at the Eagles and the Legion halls, n^F/Co one seems to age With the s^C/Game jokes told and the ^AmTV on; the paper ^F/Copen to the sports p^Gage In that s^C/Gmall town on the r^F/Civer, just a s^C/Gmall town on the r^F/Civer

And I ^C/Gwas talking with the bartender la^F/Cst night at the PAC A^C/G Navy man from World War II, sharp dr^F/Cesser though he don’t have to be And^C/G over a double bourbon, he said “I’ll ^F/Ctell ya man to man” “Well this t^C/Gown died forty y^Amears ago, son; g^F/Cet out while you c^Gan” It’s just a s^C/Gmall town on the r^F/Civer, we’re nothing but a s^C/Gmall town on the r^F/Civer We’re nothing but a ^C/Gsmall town on the r^F/Civer ^{G C/G}