Grand Ancient Rivers

Flow mighty rivers, what all have you seen Rise and fall of empires, string of storied kings As veins carry blood, you give Earth its life Carving the landscape as if done by a knife Ancient, so ancient, much older than man Incredible show of Gods mighty hand Oh Nile and Amazon, visions so vivid What secrets you keep alongside the pyramids Yangtze and Yellow, through China you flow Fog and mist rising, light and shadow aglow OB-Irtysh, Lena and Yenisey too Through grand scenic Russia, mysteries come into view Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio you carry Life giving waters, beside you we tarry The vanity of man, tis he gives you names creating boundaries, staking his claims How much blood has been spilled, along sacred shores Man wants all you can give, and then he wants more You were here long before him, and will flow when he's gone Still rushing and rippling your beautiful songs Reflections of Sun and of Moon on your face Inspire our souls with power and grace We've drank and bathed, and cried on your shores We've polluted and dumped, filling your pores Please forgive us our trespass, in time we will go Still rivers, grand ancient rivers will continue to flow