“Roll Muddy River” is a country song written by Betty Sue Perry, a Nashville songwriter. It was introduced on record in the early 1960s by the Wilburn Brothers, the popular country duo.
The lyric is a heartbreak song built around a river image — the muddy river rolling on past a lost and lonely singer, indifferent to his sorrow, carrying his thoughts toward a love that has gone. That blend of natural imagery and personal grief gave the song a quiet, mournful pull.
The song crossed readily into bluegrass.
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