From the sheet music in the Levy Collection, Johns Hopkins University:


GONE DOWN THE RIVER
Words by Hubert Spencer, music by George Maywood, ©1889.

1. There’s an album fill’d with pictures that the waters in their rage,
Spar’d to give back to its owner; there’s a group upon one page
With a young and lovely mother, two sweet children by her side,
While the husband and the father on his dear ones looks with pride.
This is all that is remaining of a home that once was bright,
And those little children, where are they whose smile was a delight?
Where is now that tender mother who once watch’d them in their play?
Only one remains, the father, who with choking voice will say:

CHORUS: Gone down the river, gone down the river,
Gone down the river with the fiercely rushing tide.
Those who found their graves ‘mid the wild and cruel waves
Will meet some day at that distant river side.

2. There are shining from the picture smiles that brought delight of yore.
There are those sweet eyes so loving that he never will see more.
There’s the wife’s face fond and trusting that once look’d into his own,
Vanished from his sight forever, gone to leave him here alone.
Children’s eyes once on him smiling, they are clos’d forever now.
Oh, the waste of waters lingers o’er each cold and marble brow.
Hush’d in death are those sweet voices now; in peace each lov’d one sleeps.
“They have all gone down the river,” says the father as he weeps.

3. Oh, the sorrow of that father as he thinks of happy days,
How he lov’d those little children their endearing winning ways!
‘Tis the only link, that picture that can bind him to the past,
And he gazes at it fondly as his tears fall thick and fast.
Never more when home returning will the children voices greet
His oft list’ning ears with “There’s papa,” or hasten him to meet;
And no more each morn with kisses from his dear wife will he part.
They have all gone down the river, leaving but a broken heart.

4. This alas! is one of many who are desolate and lone.
There are hundreds have a sorrow deep as is that father’s own.
In that fair and verdant valley there is scare a home that’s left
Where a family is dwelling that is not by death bereft.
Blessed be that little picture that is all in all to him.
He will gaze upon it often now; his loving eyes grow dim,
For it now is all that’s left him of the days all fill’d with love
Of the ones gone down the river whom at last he’ll meet above.

- - -
The sheet music cover misleadingly seems to identify this song as "THE TORRENTS CAME UPON THEM or the JOHNSTOWN DISASTER" with Words by Tom Hall and music by George Schleiffarth, but the first page of the music makes the actual title clear. "THE TORRENTS...etc." is actually the title of a different song published by the same publisher; see below. An email from a librarian at the Levy Collection clarified this for me.