In an Appalachian
Greyhound station
She sits there waiting in a family way
Goodbye, brother
Tell Mom I love her
Tell all the others I'll write someday

From an teenage lover
To an unwed mother
Kept undercover like some bad dream
While unwed fathers
They can't be bothered
They run like water through a mountain stream

In a cold and gray town
A nurse says
Lay down
This ain't no playground, and this ain't home
Someone's children
Out having children
In a gray stone building, all alone

On somewhere else bound
Smokey Mountain Greyhound
She bows her head down
Humming lullabies
Your daddy never meant to hurt you ever
He just don't live here
But you've got his eyes

From an teenage lover
To an unwed mother
Kept undercover like some bad dream
While unwed fathers
They can't be bothered
They run like water through a mountain stream
Well, they run like water through a mountain stream