C                                 Am                F 
baby pulled her blue dress on and walked out in the night 
C                               Am               F 
left one silk stalking dangling from the bedside light 
F                Am                   C 
i sobered up and called her name just before the dawn 
F 
i followed foot prints through the sand  
C 
i knew where she had gone  
             F             (stop)             C 
down the rio grande              down the rio grande  


I pulled out of Albuquerque Must of been past eight 
four cups of coffee and i hit the interstate 
rolling through Las Cruces I thought i saw her car 
she always said shed go someday she never said how far  
down the rio grande     down the rio grande 

(chorus) 
F                             Am              C 
Maybe she's Brownsville she's got some family there 
F                            Am               C 
Shew always talked about the salty gulf coast air 
                F         (stop)             C   
where the river ends            Down the rio grande 

i saw an old grey heron flying south against the wind 
storm clouds over Jaurez rolling down the big bend 
i called her name in esparonzos dusty desert rain 
but who knows what the hell id say if i found her again 
on the rio grande down the rio grande 

i turned south on highway 90 sky begin to clear 
black mountains out ahead red sundown rearview mirror 
haunted by her dark wet skin moving next to mine 
i swore that things would change 
if could hold her one more time 
on the rio grande      down the rio grande 

(chorus) 

i bought a bottle in del rio and pulled out of the road 
spent the whole night starring at the lights of mexico 
i walked down to the border bridge about the break of day 
through that empty bottle off and watched float away 
down the rio grande down the rio grande 

so know im heading down to brownsville 
and the gulf of mexico  
just like that empty bottle  
i may sink or else ill float to the rivers end 
down the rio grande 

baby pulled her blue dress on and walked out in the night 
down the rio grande