Unwed Fathers by John Prine

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

From a 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, this ain't home'
Someone's children, out havin' children
In a gray stone building, all alone

From a 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

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

From a 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

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Lyrics provided by Gracenote