Here we are stuck by this river You and I underneath a sky That's ever falling down, down, down Ever falling down Through the day as if on an ocean Waiting here always failing to remember Why we came, came, came I wonder why we came You talk to me as if from a distance And I reply with impressions chosen From another time, time, time From another time

We had such a hell of a time On the banks at the river drinking too much wine Oh yeah Ahha yeah Sat by the water smoking cigarettes Told me those words that I can't forget Oh yeah Ahha yeah When we were together Those were the days It couldn't get much better I feel the same You feel the same I told you I'll be waiting for you So meet me By The River Where it all began Let's go back to the place Where our love burned brighter than the sun Oh yeah Meet me By The River Where it all began Let's go back to the place Where our love burned brighter than the sun Oh yeah, uh! By The River Meet me By The River By The River Oh yeah Oh I see it rising, that sweet old moon Are you thinkin' of me 'cause I'm thinkin' of you Oh yeah Oh yeah Been thinking 'bout those eyes of the deepest green I don't know my mind but I know what I see Oh yeah And we were together Those were the days It couldn't get much better I do believe I do believe I told you I'll be waiting for you So meet me By The River Where it all began Let's go back to the place Where our love burned brighter than the sun Oh yeah Meet me By The River Where it all began Let's go back to the place Where our love burned brighter than the sun Oh yeah, uh! By The River Meet me By The River By The River Oh yeah Meet me By The River Where it all began Let's go back to the place Where our love burned brighter than the sun Oh yeah

The air is getting hotter There's a rumbling in the skies I've been wading through the high muddy water With the heat rising in my eyes Everyday your memory grows dimmer It don't haunt me like it did before I've been walking through the middle of nowhere Trying to get to Heaven before they close the door When I was in Missouri They would not let me be I had to leave there in a hurry I only saw what they let me see You broke a heart that loved you Now you can seal up the book and not write anymore I've been walking that lonesome valley Trying to get to Heaven before they close the door People on the platforms Waiting for the trains I can hear their hearts a-beatin' Like pendulums swinging on chains When you think that you've lost everything You find out you can always lose a little more I'm just going down the road feeling bad Trying to get to Heaven before they close the door I'm going down the river Down to New Orleans They tell me everything is gonna be alright But I don't know what alright even means I was riding in a buggy with Miss Mary Jane Miss Mary Jane got a house in Baltimore I've been all around the world, boys Now I'm trying to get to Heaven before they close the door Gonna sleep down in the parlor And relive my dreams I close my eyes and I wonder If everything is as hollow as it seems Some trains don't pull no gamblers No midnight ramblers like they did before I've been to Sugar Town, I shook the sugar down Now I'm trying to get to Heaven before they close the door

Microphone check, yo, yeah They won't call me a nigga They won't call me a nigga Listen to the preacher man, but are you talkin' to me? I can't hear you with a mouth full of pig's feet Thy shouldn't eat the swine flesh Your body is a mess but you're blessed With the Father, Son, Spirit an' the Holy Ghost But my whole neighborhood is comatose Lookin' for survival The Devil made you a slave an' he gave you a Bible 400 years of gettin' our ass kicked By so called Christians an' Catholics But I'ma watch 'em burn in the fire See I'm a G, that's why I ain't in your choir 'Cause I see, 'cause I know The church ain't nuttin' but a fashion show Get the Devil do a 187 An' they won't call me a nigga when I get to Heaven They won't call me a nigga when I get to Heaven No they won't, no they won't, no they won't You're waitin' for the Devil to come from the ground Clown, take a look around Just look at the cross that the priest is holdin' A beast in sheep's clothin' But I'm rollin' with that knowledge of self 'Cause Heaven ain't just wealth So mister preacher, if I couldn't pay my tithe Do I have to wait outside? White man, please take another look 'Cause we couldn't be readin' out the same book 'Cause you'se a crook an' I'm a brother King James had sex with his mother Is that yo' edition? Is that your religion? Black man, you gotta make a decision 'Cause God is comin' on day number seven An' they won't call me a nigga when I get to Heaven They won't call me a nigga when I get to Heaven No they won't, no they won't, no they won't They won't call me a nigga when I get to Heaven No they won't, no they won't, no they won't The same white man that threw me in the slammer He bombed the church in Alabama So if I cock the hammer, God won't mind If I have to kill the human swine 'Cause God is a killer from the start Why you think, Noah had to build his Ark? An' God is a man from his feet to his hair That's why you say 'Amen' after each an' every prayer I just stare at the church, man Spendin' mo' money on the church band But Elijah's got a plan Got the white man screamin',? Damn that Farrakhan? 'Cause one day these babies'll uprise Much more than bow ties an' bean pies Kickin' knowledge at the 7/11 An' they won't call me a nigga when I get to Heaven They won't call me a nigga when I get to Heaven No they won't, no they won't, no they won't They won't call me a nigga when I get to Heaven No they won't, no they won't, no they won't They won't call me a nigga when I get to Heaven No they won't, no they won't, no they won't They won't call me a nigga when I get to Heaven No they won't, no they won't, no they won't They won't call me a nigga when I get to Heaven No they won't, no they won't, no they won't They won't call me a nigga when I get to Heaven No they won't, no they won't, no they won't They won't call me a nigga when I get to Heaven No they won't, no they won't, no they won't They won't call me a nigga when I get to Heaven No they won't, no they won't, no they won't

Sing the wondrous love of Jesus Sing His mercy and His grace In the mansions bright and blessed He'll prepare for us a place When we all get to heaven What a day of rejoicing that will be When we all see Jesus We'll sing and shout the victory While we walk the pilgrim pathway Clouds will overspread the sky But when travelling days are over Not a shadow, not a sigh When we all get to heaven What a day of rejoicing that will be When we all see Jesus We'll sing and shout the victory Onward to the prize before us Soon His beauty we'll behold Soon the pearly gates will open We shall tread the streets of gold When we all get to heaven What a day of rejoicing that will be When we all see Jesus We'll sing and shout the victory When we all see Jesus We'll sing and shout the victory, yeah