Dan Fogelberg - The River

Dan's "The River" set to scenes of lakes, rivers, and caverns of The Hill Country in Central Texas.

I was born by a river
Rolling past a town
Given no direction
Just told to keep my head down.
As I took my position
A man fired a gun
I was so steeped in tradition
That I could not run.

I was raised by a river
Weaned upon the sky
And in the mirror of the waters
I saw myself learn to cry.
As my tears hit the surface
I saw what had been done.
I gave feet to my freedom
And I did run.

Someday later
I saw the writing in the dust
It told me how I should travel
It told me who I was.
I ran far from the river
Far as I could see
And as the sun hit my shoulders
I felt it burning me.

How I longed for the waters
As the fire raged
How I longed for the river
As I aged.
I will die by a river
As it rolls away
Bury me in the nighttime
Do not waste the day.

High above the waters
That roll on to the sea.
All the angels in heaven will
laugh at me.
They will laugh at me.

My life was naught but a river
Rolling through my brain
Made of so many teardrops
Made of so much pain.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Dan
• Fogelberg
• The
• River

[jellyjukebox]

Wow Donna, excellent tour you've given here. I need to come over for a visit, I grew up in Alabama near the river Styx, beautiful also.

[beggarsgame]

Yes, the Texas hill country is gorgeous... my favorite area in Texas. The River Styx.. is that the same River which formed the boundary between Earth and the Underworld in Greek mythology???

[beggarsgame]

This one was fun, especially putting the pic of Dan at the end with the caption "Next Time Bring Groceries" LOL!! Thanks to everyone for viewing and the great comments!

[pensaame2]

"was born by a river rolling past a town" That would be the Illinois River and the town/ city is Peoria,IL.

The Texas scenes are nice but since Dan was born in Peoria,IL it would've been nice to have seen something from his home state.

[asquare176]

I am Texan born gal. You can take the girl out of Texas, but can't take Texas out of the girl!The hill country is beautiful. Go in the spring and see those lovely fields of bluebonnets.I don't believe I ever saw Lake Travis, went to Belton Lake and hung out on the Brazos River. Now that is a river! Thanks for the post, it reminds me of my childhood days. It's perfect with Daniel.

[2Granule]

The Colorado River is a river that runs through the U.S. state of Texas; it should not be confused with the much longer Colorado River which flows from Colorado into the Gulf of California.

The Blue Bonnet is a short version of the Lupine, found throughout the west. Texas has it's charms, no question!

I'm from California, and I thought the people there were wonderful!

[MrHobbes2001]

I take it from the earliest posts that this video has been on You tube for around three years! Beggarsgame, a fantastic blend of Texas scenes and Dan's song "The River"! I love this song and remember when it first came out many years ago. I must say songs like this don't seem to be written or recorded in the 21st Century.

I know music changes over time, but I do think we've lost something in the past decade!!

[123ThisIsMe]

Hey, I really appreciate the beautiful pictures here ... but I have to say that your video strays away from Dan's song. I found it hard to listen to enjoy his lyrics and trying to follow the text in your video at the same time ...

[bobby7771117]

As I explained "The River" story on JMEagle101's video, the incident happened in 1997--(Not 1991)--I'm sorry for the goof! Again, it was a few drunken rowdies yelling at Dan to play "The River"! Dan was gracious, but spoke in a very firm tone that he didn't take requests, had a playlist, and that this was a Democracy, and he would play what he wanted to play! I remember yelling at the top of my lungs something like this:"Let Dan play what he wants to play"! The drunks then calmed down! Bobby

[HiVybe]

...the river runs through us all, from well before to long after... 

[bobby7771117]

I remember when I saw Dan in 1991, solo, at Westbury Music Fair, in New York, a drunk person kept yelling"The River". Dan calmy said that he didn't take requests, and that it was a Democracy, and he had the right to play what he wanted to! I wouldn't have wanted to be that guy who yelled for this song! I can only imagine what the people around him were saying, and the looks on their faces! Peace, BobbyK

[buzlno1]

@MrHobbes2001

thank you for your sentiment and newfound love of this. There aren't too many of us left that likes a GOOD ballad/tune.

[Ghenghy]

Awesome. A songwriter like we will never see again.

[MrHobbes2001]

I really love this song. I first heard it one afternoon at a friend's house. I liked it so much. I was pleasantly suprised to hear that this was from Dan Fogelberg. What has happened to music these days? So few singers or bands are producing this type and quality of music anymore! Most modern stuff is just junk...

[incubus60]

this is his greatest song.