How old was I when
I first seen old Rivers?
Well, just can't recall
when he wer en't around.
Well, that old feller sure done
a heap of work,
Spent his whole life walking
plowed ground.
He had a one -room shack
not far from us,
And well, we was about as poor as him
And he had one old mule
he called Midnight
And I'd trail along after them
He used to plow them roads
straight and deep
And I'd come along there behind
Of busting up clods
with my own two feet
Old Rivers was a friend of mine
When the sun would get high
and that mule would work
And old Rivers would finally say, whoa
He'd wipe his brow and
lean back on the reins
And talk about a place he
was gonna go
Sayin' one of these days
I'm gonna climb that mountain
Walk up there among them clouds
When the cotton's high
and the corn's a -growin'
And there ain't no fields
to plow
Got a letter today
from the folks back home
They're all fine, crops are dry
Down near the end,
Mom said I guess you know, rivers die
I sit here now, this new cloud earth,
trying to find me a little shade
with the sun beating down
across the fields I see,
that view for rivers and me.
Now one of these days,
I'm going to climb that mountain,
walk up there among them clouds,
When the cotton's high
and the corn's a -growin'
And there ain't no fields to plow
With the sun beatin' down
across the fields I see
That mule, old rivers,
and me you