It's knowin' that your door is always open And your path is free to walk That makes me tend to leave my sleepin' bag Rolled up and stashed behind your couch And it's knowin' I'm not shackled By forgotten words and bonds And the ink stains that have dried upon some line That keeps you in the back roads By the rivers of my memory That keeps you ever gentle on my mind It's not clingin' to the rocks and ivy And for hours you're just gentle on my mind Or something that somebody said because They thought we fit together walkin' It's just knowing that the world Will not be cursing or forgiving When I walk along some railroad track and find That you're movin' on the back roads By the rivers of my memory Planted on their columns now that bind me Though the wheat fields and the clothes lines And the junkyards and the highways come between us And some other woman's cryin' to her mother 'cause she turned and I was gone I still might run in silence Tears of joy might stain my face But not to where I cannot see You walkin' on the back roads By the rivers flowin' gentle on my mind by dip my cup of soup back from a gurglin' cracklin' cauldron And the summer sun might burn me till I'm blind In some train yard My beard a rustlin' coal pile And a dirty hat pulled low across my face Through cupped hands 'round a tin can I pretend to hold you to my breast and find That you're waitin' from the back roads By the rivers of my memory Ever smilin', ever gentle on my mind
[00:31.180]It's knowin' that your door is always open [00:31.690]And your path is free to walk [00:38.140]That makes me tend to leave my sleepin' bag [00:40.650]Rolled up and stashed behind your couch [00:47.610]And it's knowin' I'm not shackled [00:49.670]By forgotten words and bonds [00:52.080]And the ink stains that have dried upon some line [00:59.900]That keeps you in the back roads [01:01.660]By the rivers of my memory [01:04.300]That keeps you ever gentle on my mind [01:15.990]It's not clingin' to the rocks and ivy [01:18.610]And for hours you're just gentle on my mind [01:25.820]Or something that somebody said [01:28.360]because They thought we fit together walkin' [01:35.060]It's just knowing that the world [01:37.200]Will not be cursing or forgiving [01:39.920]When I walk along some railroad track and find [01:46.920]That you're movin' on the back roads [01:49.290]By the rivers of my memory [01:51.570]Planted on their columns now that bind me [02:36.860]Though the wheat fields and the clothes lines [02:40.740]And the junkyards and the highways come between us [02:46.100]And some other woman's cryin' to her mother [02:50.080]'cause she turned and I was gone [02:56.100]I still might run in silence [02:58.670]Tears of joy might stain my face [03:07.970]But not to where I cannot see You [03:10.860]walkin' on the back roads [03:16.070]By the rivers flowin' gentle on my mind [03:28.110]by dip my cup of soup back from a gurglin' cracklin' cauldron [03:31.890]And the summer sun might burn me till I'm blind [03:33.690]In some train yard [03:38.430]My beard a rustlin' coal pile [03:41.170]And a dirty hat pulled low across my face [03:47.660]Through cupped hands 'round a tin can [03:50.620]I pretend to hold you to my breast and find [03:57.210]That you're waitin' from the back roads [03:59.680]By the rivers of my memory [04:01.940]Ever smilin', ever gentle on my mind
