Drink Up the River
Words and music by Kathy Mar © 1986


      D                           G                   D
I was sitting by a river when the thought occurred to me,
            G                D              A
There are a hundred thousand rivers that we never even see,
             D                             G                   D
They are the boundaries of all we know--of truth and right and wrong,
           G              D              A              D
And I have written some examples for you here within my song.
         C                                    D
Some are bridged and some are forded some are swollen from the rains,
             C                          A
Some are the ultimate result of all our joys and all our pains,
             D                                G
But when the rivers in your life are full and starting to wash down,
              G            D     A          D
You've got to drink up the river before you drown.


	Chorus (after every verse):
	              D
	You've got to drink up the river,
	              G            D
	You've got to drink up the river,
	              G            D     A
	You've got to drink up the river before you drown.
	              D
	You've got to drink up the river,
	              G            D
	You've got to drink up the river,
	              G            D     A          D
	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 and black and brown
We've got to drink up that river before we drown.

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.

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.