'River in the pines'

The River in the Pines

Oh, Mary was a maiden
when the birds began to sing.
She was sweeter than the blooming rose
so early in the spring.

Her thoughts were gay and happy
and the morning gay and fine,
for her lover was a river boy
on the River in the Pines.

Now, Johnny, he got married
to his Mary in the spring,
when the trees were budding early
and the birds began to sing.
"But early in the autumn,
when the fruit is on the vine,
I'll return to you, my darling,
and the River in the Pines."

Twas early in the morning,
in Wisconsin's dreary clime,
when he rode the fatal rapids
for the last and fatal time.
They found his body lying
on the rocky shore below,
where the silent water ripples
and the whispering cedars grow.

Now every raft of lumber
that comes down the Chippeway,
there's a lonely grave that's visited
by drivers on their way.
They plant wildflowers upon it
in the morning fair and fine.
This the grave of two young lovers
on the River in the Pines.

Extracted from the Eau Claire Leader Telegram
Special Publication, Our Story 'The Chippewa Valley and Beyond', published 1976
Used with permission.