Kneeling down by the river, another day panning for gold
Can't even remember what I got to sell my soul
Well it's all kinda blurry, can't see through the haze
So I'm down on my knees just praying for better days
Well I know it wasn't love, and I know it wasn't money
It might as well been liquor cause my head feels kinda funny
And I know it wasn't strength, and I know it wasn't power
Cause I'm going blind getting weaker by the hour
Oh it must have been the river
Cause it keeps calling me back home, back home
Every ripple's just another memory, every wave's another sweet song
Bout the years gone by and the tales of right and wrong
So looked into the water
Yeah I looked down deep
And then the darkness looked back
And said, "Your soul is mine to keep!"
So I jumped into that shameful cold
Wrestled old man river for my sinful soul
As he dragged me to the bottom
I lost my last breath
So I put him in a stranglehold
And I dug him out of that deep dark cold
And I ripped my spirit from his withered hands
Oh, you can't trust that river
If he's calling you, you best just walk on by, walk on by
Breathing hard by the river, crawling away from the shore
Ain't gonna turn my back on the river no more