Unwed Fathers
by John Prine (1984)

In an Appalachian Greyhound station
She sits there waiting, 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 and this ain't home.
Someone's children out having 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 somewheres-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.