The New River runs from West Virginia through the Blue Ridge Mountains to North Carolina. “New River Train” is believed to take its name from a train on the Norfolk and Western system that ran through this area in the 1880s.
The double line cutting horizontally across this old magazine ad for the Norfolk and Western Railway roughly follows the New River.
Henry Whitter recorded the song first in 1924, but it was recorded by a number of hillbilly musicians in the ’20s. The Carter Family played it on their live radio shows in the ‘30s, and even the Father of Bluegrass himself, Bill Monroe, recorded it with brother Charlie as the Monroe Brothers in 1936.
A warning if you break this song out at a jam: It can get a little repetitive. Best to squeeze two verses in between each chorus, because at least the verses have a little variety—not much, but a little. If you try to alternate chorus-verse-chorus-verse, they’ll head for the door at “you can’t love four…”
“New River Train” lyrics and chords
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Riding on that New River Train
Riding on that New River
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Train
That
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same old train that
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brought me here
Is gonna
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carry me away a
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gain
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Darling you can’t love but one
Darling you can’t love but
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one
You
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can’t love but one and
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have any fun
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darling you can’t love but
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one
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Darling you can’t love two
Darling you can’t love
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two
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can’t love two and your
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little heart be true
Oh
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darling you can’t love
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two
CHORUS
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Darling you can’t love three
Darling you can’t love
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three
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can’t love three and
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still love me
Oh
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darling you can’t love
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three
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Darling you can’t love four
Darling you can’t love
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four
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can’t love four and
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love me anymore
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darling you can’t love
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four
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Darling you can’t love five
Darling you can’t love
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five
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can’t love five and get
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honey from my hive
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darling you can’t love
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five
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Darling you can’t love six
Darling you can’t love
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six
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can’t love six, that
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kinda love don’t mix
Oh
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darling you can’t love
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six
CHORUS
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