The Rivers 
Words And Music By: 
Cheryl Wheeler 


In the afternoon light riding around 
Riding my bike all over town 
They said on TV that out west right now 
The rivers can poison us 

And it was hard to believe 
Watching it win 
Kept coming down and kept coming in 
And finally reached where our great cities stand 
Now the rivers can poison us 

And once more we find out in case we've forgot 
Just who is strong here and just who is not 
As if we could hand her some route that we'd plot 
The rivers can poison us 

It lifted the trash 
It lifted the gold 
And lifted the lives to weak to hold 
All swept into some diluvian fold 
The rivers can poison us 

It's like all that we've done has seeped from the sea 
It's been take what you want and leave what you leave 
We sure have been pigs since adam and eve 
Now the rivers can poison us 

And I love the thought of us all being one 
But kids in the third grade pack needles and guns 
And now we might die if we lie in the sun 
And the rivers can poison us 

Salt of the earth ebb and the flow 
All that we have and more than we know 
Laden with garbage from decades ago 
The rivers can poison us 

Maybe one day the great salty blue 
Will swallow us up with all that we knew 
And things will start over like they always do 
When the rivers can poison us 

(P) August 17, 1997 

Penrod And Higgins Music / Amachrist Music ACF Music Group International Copyright Reserved