Old man river, that old man river He must know something but don't say nothing He just keeps rolling He keeps on rolling along You and me, we sweat and slave Bodies all aching and racked with pain Tow that barge, lift that bail Get a little drunk and you land in jail I get weary and sick of trying I'm tired of living but scared of dying That old man river He just keeps rolling along

Betty came by on her way Said she had a word to say About things today And fallen leaves Said she hadn't heard the news Hadn't had the time to choose A way to lose But she believes Going to see the river man Going to tell him all I can About the plan For lilac time If he tells me all he knows About the way his river flows And all night shows In summertime Betty said she prayed today For the sky to blow away Or maybe stay She wasn't sure For when she thought of summer rain Calling for her mind again She lost the pain And stayed for more Going to see the river man Going to tell him all I can About the ban On feeling free If he tells me all he knows About the way his river flows I don't suppose It's meant for me Oh, how they come and go Oh, how they come and go

Here we all work 'long the Mississippi Here we all work while the white folk play Pullin' them boats from the dawn till sunset Gettin' no rest till the judgment day Don't look up and don't look down Ya don't dast make the white boss frown Bend your knees and bow your head And pull that rope until you're dead Let me go 'way from the Mississippi Let me go 'way from the white man boss Show me that stream called the River Jordan That's the old stream that I long to cross Ol' Man River, that Ol' Man River He must know somepin', but he don't say nothin' He just keeps rollin', he keeps on rollin' along He don't plant taters, and he don't plant cotton And them what plants 'em is soon forgotten But Ol' Man River, jest keeps rollin' along You and me, we sweat and strain Bodies all achin' and wracked with pain Tote that barge and lift that bale Ya get a little drunk and ya lands in ja-ail I gets weary and so sick of tryin' I'm tired of livin', but I'm feared of dyin' And Ol' Man River, he just keeps rollin' along

I hear your voice Way down inside A whispering sea Of towering trees But no reply A silence so rare And more than I can stand Sweeps like a flood Through life's flesh and blood And steals away with it's heart If I'm losing you Then there's nothing more that I can say The fighting is on And battles are won Or thrown away But if I could live Safe and sound In God given fields Or mountains of steel Then here I'd stay Till you'd gone Guilty of stealing Every thought I own I will take my turn To fight the bullfight Every word's sunk in deep Like the blades of a knife through my heart But my strength will return To fight the bullfight As time's come to show I'm told nothing more than I should know A ship on the sea that threatens to leave But never goes This island of blue Where life clings to your hands Like water and sand Will loose it's way When you're gone When all's forgiven Still every fault's my own I will take my turn To fight the bullfight Say a prayer for my release When every hope in the world is asleep And my strength will return To fight the bullfight

I fall outside of her She doesn't notice I fall outside of her She doesn't notice at all And mine is an empty bed I think she's forgotten And mine is an empty bed She's forgotten, I know Put the brakes on, put the brakes on 'Cause I'm fading fast Can't find the link between me and her He who was first's coming in last I fall outside of her And the trouble is there's no telling Just who's right or who's wrong Don't tell me that love is all there is I know, don't I? Don't crowd me, pappy Got too much to think about The game's not lost if I say it's not And it's not Give me one more chance to do things right Don't crowd me, pappy Got too much to think about There's no talking to her, talking to her I'll keep my thoughts to myself Unless I'm asked Like blemishes upon the skin Truth sets in Life's for the taking, so they say Take it away I fall outside of her She doesn't notice She doesn't notice at all And mine is an empty bed I think she's forgotten All is bloated and far from truth Let's secure that reputation Place the dummy upon the roof Stitch him a tongue, give him proof Don't tell him love is all there is I know, I know Just pull the wool down over his eyes One more time Her heart's a foreign place I visited for a while And although I tried to please her She came at night and stole my visa Come away now, run away now, little man You'll not make sense of it Try as you might to understand Like blemishes upon the skin Truth sets in