I went on the river for money, I sold my old rotten shack
For a rusty tanker leaking oil, and the burning sun was on my back
Traveled up the ragin' river, I watched the jungle burn
And in the reddenin' twilight, I wondered would I ever return

Ridin' on a river of dreams
Broken dreams
I'm ridin' on a river of dreams
Amazon, Amazon
Is it heaven or hell?
Amazon

An eagle flew above us, I felt the breezes blow
Fish with teeth like ivory, waited down below
On shore they cut and hammered, and fenced them in with wire
While ancient fires in the jungle, burned our souls like fire

Ridin' on a river of dreams
Somebody's dreams
I'm ridin' on a river of dreams
Amazon, Amazon
Is it Heaven or hell?
Amazon

What kind of creature's gonna rise up from these ashes?
What's gonna fly in the moonlight feathers aglow?
What kind of rain could come in from these sorrows?
Nobody knows, nobody knows
At dawn we crossed the rapids, a place where few men go
I felt the desolation, where nothing seemed to grow
When I got my wages, I hung my head and cried
I could not stop these visions, that swept in like the tide

Ridin' on a river of dreams
Broken dreams
I'm ridin' on a river of dreams
Amazon, Amazon
Is it Heaven or hell?
Amazon

Oh, Amazon, Amazon, Amazon, Amazon