4 a.m. comes awful early And I was dead on my feet But if you're gonna catch the biggest fish You gotta lose a little sleep I packed my gear and a couple beers And I headed for my favorite spot But I cursed my luck When I saw his truck Right where I pulled off Was hopin' to have the river to myself that day 'Cause the river don't talk The river don't care Where you've been What you've done Or why it is you're standin' there It just rolls on by Whisperin' to your soul It's gonna be alright The river just knows The way the sun bounced off the water I could hardly make him out But I could see he had a fish on A big ol' rainbow trout The fight went on forever And as they headed down my way I saw his military haircut And the new scars on his face Right then I knew What brought him to this place You know the river don't talk The river don't care Where you've been What you've done Or why it is you're standin' there It just rolls on by Whisperin' to your soul It's gonna be alright The river just knows He held the fish down in the water And he coaxed it back to life He said 'I'll help you get your wind back 'Cause you helped me get mine' And all I could think to say was 'Welcome home' But I think that river said it best on its own 'Cause the river don't talk You know the river don't care Where you've been What you've done Or why it is you're standin' there It just rolls on by Whisperin' to your soul It's gonna be alright The river just knows