The ladies would put the baskets on the table   And the men would sit beneath a shady tree   The children would listen to a fable   While something else came through to me      The river got no end   Just roll around the bend   Then pretty soon the women would all join in   On the river hymn      The whole congregation was standing   On the banks of the river   We are gathered here   To give a little thanks thanks      The voice of the rapids will echo   And ricochet like an old water well   Who'd ever want to let go   Once you sit beneath its spell      It's dark and wide and deep   Towards the sea it creeps   I'm so glad I brought along my mandolin   To play the river hymn      You can ride on it or drink it   Poison it or damn it fish in it and wash in it   Swim in it and you can die in it   Run you river, run      Son, you ain't never seen yourself   No crystal mirror can show it clear come over here instead   Son, you ain't never eased yourself   Till you laid it down in a river bed      If you hear a lonesome drone   It's as common as a stone   And gets louder as the day grows dim   That's the river hymn      The whole congregation was standing   On the banks of the river   We are gathered here   To give a little thanks thanks