Men And Rivers

Ever since hands could build
Since dreams could float
They've been shoving off together in a wooden boat
Fathers and sons
Casting lines together
That's the bond between men and rivers

There were gamblers and girls
Good old Mark Twain
Big wheels from the Gulf Coast to the Illinois plain
Here's to the Huck Finns
And the young Tom Sawyers
That's the romance of men and rivers

Chorus:
Carrying rumors of gold in the pan
We followed these veins all over this land
The rugged risk takers
The rolling reward givers
That's the story of men and rivers
Men and rivers

Ever since rain could fall
Since floods could rise
They've been kneeling in mud and cursing the skies
But some hang on because
They aren't quitters
That's the measure of men and rivers

Chorus:
Bold hearts like Lewis and Clark mapped the west
Trappers and loggers and poets, the rest
And black southern preachers
Who baptize the sinners
All touch the spirits of men and rivers
Men and rivers

Music and Lyrics by Craig Bickhardt
Copyright 2010 Stone Barn Music (ASCAP)