River Take Me

River Take Me

It's been rainy and windy for seven days straight

I've been going to bed early and getting up late

I look out my window and it's one shade of gray

My wife and my kids don't have much to say

A man out of work only gets in the way

Oh the river is rising now one inch an hour

And tonight we'll be lucky if we still have power

But I've got a flashlight, an oil lamp and I'm ready to go

And a fresh set of batteries for my son's radio

If the dam really breaks, least we'll know where to go

River take me, river take me

River take me far from troubled times

River take me, river take me

River take me far from troubled times

If I had a boat you know what I'd do?

I'd float me and my family down to Baton Rouge

I wouldn't work in no factory I'd live off the land

And live within means of my own two hands

Dance Saturday nights to a Zydeco band

Oh the river flows and a young man dreams

And the river can drown you

Or it can wash you clean

It can take you away to some other place

It can power your cities, carry your waste

And give all that you drink a peculiar taste

Oh, don't look to me, I've done my time

You see I've had too many dreams for this one heart of mine

And I've stood on the bridge with the river below

Feeling all of the sadness that a proud man could hold

Oh the river is full but there's no way to go