way up north where the snow flies and the sun don t hardly shine if it weren t for my true love i d ve long ago lost my mind i d ve long ago lost my mind there s good folks here and good folks there most everywhere i go but the land of my heart is down where the snow white cotton grows where the snow white cotton grows when the river runs over from the melting snow we will take to the higher ground when the water goes down again we ll saddle our old paint we ll be homeward bound me and my love will be homeward bound heartstrings hold tighter than the roots of a live oak tree holding through tornado wind tougher than timber stronger than steel they ll guide me back southward again they ll guide me back southward again when the river runs over from the melting snow we will take to the higher ground when the water goes down again we ll saddle our old paint we ll be homeward bound me and my love will be homeward bound