Lyrics

Frida Hostvet moved out to Illinois,
She was married to a good Norwegian boy!
He was a steel man, a bridge builder by trade,
And in their spare time, a couple o' babies got made!

Crossing over Illinois to Iowa,
Flying high o'er the water like a song!
The trains are runnin' and the cottonwood still grows.
I'll meet my baby where the Mississippi River Flows!

Sweet Savanna's a place along the rails.
Folks would stop by for one of good Frida's meals!
She played piano! Hjalmer smoked his pipe.
They could have played those honkey-tonk songs all night!

Crossing over Illinois to Iowa,
Flying high o'er the water like a song!
The trains are runnin' and the cottonwood still grows.
I'll meet my baby where the Mississippi River Flows!