I was sitting by a river when the thought occurred to me
There are a hundred thousand rivers that we never even see
They are the boundaries of all we know of truth and right and wrong
And I have written some examples for you here within my song
Some are bridged and some are forded, some are swollen from the rains
Some are the ultimate result of all our joy and all our pains
But when the rivers in your life are full and starting to wash down
You've got to drink up the river before you drown
Chorus: You've got to drink up the river,
You've got to drink up the river,
You've got to drink up the river before you drown
You've got to drink up the river,
You've got to drink up the river,
You've got to drink up the river before you drown!
And through our nation's history, her times of peace and war
An overwhelming wave of misery has washed up on our shore
They did not ask for any fortune, just a corner and a plate
And how they shone with pride and honor as they made our country great
But migrants now are deportees, and more are turned away
We've forgotten it's the immigrants who made our fame today
Our salvation is that flood: white, yellow, red,& black & brown
We've got to drink up that river before we drown
Chorus
We are surrounded by technology, a flood that's rising still
And we are praying we'll survive it or we're sure we never will
And all our speed and skill and reach will soon be taking us to space
It's a great day in the morning for our funny human race
But we're frightened of our future and we're scared to move along
So we scream that our technology is dangerous and wrong
Back-to-nature cannot save us but the stars could be our crown
If we can drink up this river before we drown
Chorus
There's a river of humanity that's passing through your life
There is a sea of heavy sorrows and a stream of pain and strife
There is a river of tomorrow that will carry you away
And there's an ocean full of endless love to fill each passing day
There are rivers all around you in the life you have to live
All the rivers you've been given and the ones you have to give
So sing out this final message to the people all around
You've got to drink up the river before you drown