[Verse 1]
It's been rainy and windy for seven days straight
I've been goin' to bed early and gettin' up late
I look out my window and it's one shade of gray
Oh, my wife and my kids don't have much to say
A man out of work only gets in the way

[Verse 2]
Oh, the river is risin' 'bout one inch an hour
Tonight we'll be lucky if we still have power
But I've got a flashlight, an oil lamp, and I'm ready to go
And a fresh set of batteries for my son's radio
If the dam really breaks 'least we know where to go

[Chorus]
River take me, river take me
River take me far from troubled times
River take me, river take me
River take me far from troubled times
Whoa, whoa, whoa

[Verse 3]
Yeah, if I had a boat you'd know what I'd do
I'd float me and my family down to Baton Rouge
I wouldn't work in no factory, I'd live off the land
And live within means of my own two hands
Then Saturday night to a Zydeco band
[Verse 4]
Well the river flows and a young man dreams
And the river can drown you or it can wash you clean
It can take you away to some other place
It can power your city or carry your waste
If all you drink a peculiar taste

[Verse 5]
Oh, don't look to me, boy, I've done my time
You see, I've had too many drinks with this one heart of mine
Oh, and I stood on the brick with the river below
Feelin' all the sadness that a proud man can hold
The river is full but there's no way, no way, no way to go

[Chorus]
River take me, river take me
River take me far from troubled times
River take me, river take me
River take me far from troubled times
River take me, river take me
River take me far from troubled times
Whoa, whoa, whoa