It's been rainy and windy for seven days straight
I've been going to bed early and getting up late
I look out my window and it's one shade of gray
My wife and my kids don't have much to say
A man out of work only gets in the way

Oh, the river is rising now one inch an hour
And tonight we'll be lucky if we still have power
But I've got a flashlight, an oil lamp and I'm ready to go
And a fresh set of batteries for my son's radio
If the dam really breaks, least we'll know where to go

River take me, river take me
River take me far from troubled times
River take me, river take me
River take me far from troubled times

If I had a boat you know what I'd do
I'd float me and my family down to Baton Rouge
I wouldn't work in no factory, I'd live off the land
And live within means of my own two hands
Dance Saturday nights to a Zydeco band

Oh, the river flows and a young man dreams
And the river can drown you or it can wash you clean
It can take you away to some other place
It can power your cities, carry your waste
And give all that you drink, a peculiar taste

Oh, don't look to me, I've done my time
You see, I've had too many dreams for this one heart of mine
And I've stood on the bridge with the river below
Feeling all of the sadness that a proud man could hold
Oh, the river is full but there's no way to go