Come all you old-time rivermen
And go along with me,
Let's sing a song and give a cheer
For the days that used to be.
Let's wander down to Catlettsburg
And look upon the tide.
We'll mourn the changes time has made
There by the river side.
Gone is the old-time waterfront
That rang with joy and mirth,
And known throughout a dozen states
As "the wettest spot on earth."
And Damron's famed Black Diamond,
The logger's paradise,
Where whiskey flowed like water
And timbermen swapped lies.
Here Big Wayne ruled in splendor;
His right, none would deny.
And Little Wayne was always there
To serve the rock and rye.
And Big Wayne never failed a friend,
Or stopped to chat or lie,
And no one entering his doors
Was known to leave there dry.
And many a time some timberman
Would land himself in jail,
But Big Wayne always lent a hand,
And went the wretch's bail.
Some of the buildings still are there,
Along the old-time ways.
Silent and dark their windows stare
Gray ghosts of bygone days.
No sound of merriment or song,
No dancing footsteps fall;
The days of fifty years ago,
Are gone beyond recall.
So to Big Wayne and Little Wayne,
Big Sandy's pride and boast,
And to the old-time waterfront,
Let's drink a farewell toast.
While to the old-time timbermen,
This song we'll dedicate,
Who fought their battles with their fists,
And took their whiskey straight.
--Coby Preston