American Rivers
Tom Russell Lyrics

Ain’t no more cane on the Brazos
The Brazos River no longer has any sugarcane

It’s all been ground down to molasses
All the sugarcane on the Brazos River has been processed into molasses

I saw a red iron sunsets - From a rust iron bridge
I watched a sunset from a bridge made of rusted iron

In the Indian country –Of the mockingbird kid
I was in the Indian Country listening to the songs of a mockingbird

I saw the moon in a boxcar - Being carried as freight
The moon was being transported in a boxcar as if it was a piece of cargo

Through 62 winters - Through 48 states
I've traveled through 62 winters, across 48 states

In an old Chinese graveyard - I slept in the weeds
I rested in some weeds inside an old Chinese graveyard

When a song and a story - Were all a kid needs
In those days, a child was content with just a song and a story

Hear the rhymes and the rattles - Of those runaway trains
Listen to the cacophony of noise emanating from runaway trains

And the songs of the cowboy - And the sound of the rain
Hear the melodies of cowboys and the gentle patter of rain

And it’s mom I miss you
I have a longing for my mother

I woke up and screamed
I was so overwhelmed with emotion that I suddenly woke up and screamed

American rivers - Roll deep through my dreams
American rivers feature heavily in my dreams

Colorado, Yeah Alleghany, Shenandoah, Susquehanny
I often dream about rivers like the Colorado, Alleghany, Shenandoah and Susquehanny

And the Wabash and the Hudson and the brave Rio Grande
I dream about other rivers too such as the Wabash, Hudson and Rio Grande

I was a kid there asleep in the sandy old water
In my dreams, I am a child sleeping in the sandy water of those rivers

We named ‘em for Indians - Our guilt to forsake
We named these rivers after Native Americans to absolve ourselves of guilt for how we treated them

The Delaware the Blackfoot - The Flathead the Snake
Examples of rivers named after Native American tribes are the Delaware, Blackfoot, Flathead and Snake

Now they roll past casinos _ And old hamburger stands
Rivers that were once respected landmarks are now desecrated as they roll past casinos and fast food joints

They’re all waving farewell - To the kid on the lamb
As the rivers continue to flow, they are bidding farewell to the kid who left home

With their Jig sawed old arteries - So clogged and defiled
The rivers have been disrespected and are no longer pure; their once pristine arteries are now contaminated

No open heart miracle - Is gonna turn ’em back wild
It's too late for a miracle to restore the rivers to their original beauty and splendor

Past towns gone to bankers – Past fields gone to seed
The towns along the rivers have been decimated and the fields surrounding them are barren

All cut up and carved out - So divided by greed
The rivers and surrounding area that were once harmonious are now divided and torn apart because of greed

And old grandfather catfish - With his whiskers so long
An old catfish with long whiskers is a symbol of the harm done to the rivers and everything that lives in them

And his life in a struggle - Cuz the oxygen’s gone
Even the catfish, a symbol of strength and resilience, is struggling because the rivers have no oxygen left in them

These American rivers - They poison my dreams
The poisoned state of American rivers weighs heavily on my mind when I dream

Colorado, Alleghany, Shenandoah, Susquehanny
In my poisoned dreams, I can only see these rivers - the Colorado, Alleghany, Shenandoah and Susquehanny

And the Wabash and the Hudson and the brave Rio Grande
Other polluted rivers that haunt my dreams are the Wabash, Hudson, and Rio Grande

I was a kid there I was asleep in the sandy old water
Despite the pollution, I can't help but dream of being a child once again, asleep in the sandy waters of these rivers