In the Spring when we were young, we would run to the river,
There in the clearing where the trees touch the sky;
Dappled by the sunlight, laughing by the river,
Holding the future in our eyes.

The hazy days of Summer would lure us to the river
Splashing in the shallows where the shadows kept it cool;
Lazing in the long grass, we knew we'd live forever,
And the slowly rolling river knew it too.

Dancing in the sunlight, running with the wind;
Careless, we were heroes, we were young:
If we have to run, why can't we run like the river ?
Run like the river runs.

Now Autumn mist is hanging like a pall across the river,
Every falling leaf another memory that fades;
The slowly rolling water glides without a murmur,
Sliding out of sunlight into shade;

Dancing in the sunlight, running with the wind;
Careless, we were heroes, we were young:
If we have to run, why can't we run like the river ?
Run like the river runs.

The old man opens wide his window on the river,
How could something move so slow and disappear so fast ?
Reaching for his memories of springtime in the river,
His eyes’re on the horizon, but he's looking at the past.

He is dancing in the sunlight, running with the wind;
He is careless, he's a hero, he is young:
Oh, if we have to run, why can't we run like the river ?
Run like the river runs.

Copyright © MGP & M.J.C. Griffin [ASCAP]