The River Of Dreams

In the beginning
There was the cold and the night
Prophets and angels gave us the fire and the light
Man was triumphant
Armed with the faith and the will
That even the darkest ages couldn't kill

Too many kingdoms
Too many flags on the field
So many battles, so many wounds to be healed
Time is relentless
Only true love perseveres
It's been a long time and now i'm with you
After two thousand years

This is our moment
Here at the crossroads of time
We hope our children carry our dreams down the line
They are the vintage
What kind of life will they live?
Is this a curse or a blessing that we give?

Sometimes i wonder
Why are we so blind to fate?
Without compassion, there can be no end to hate
No end to sorrow
Caused by the same endless fears
Why can't we learn from all we've been through
After two thousand years?

There will be miracles
After the last war is won
Science and poetry rule in the new world to come
Prophets and angels
Gave us the power to see
What an amazing future there will be

And in the evening
After the fire and the light
One thing is certain: nothing can hold back the light
Time is relentless
And as the past disappears
We're on the verge of all things new
We are two thousand years

Advice is cheap you can take it from me
It's yours to keep 'cause opinions are free
Nobody knows about the trouble i've seen
Nobody's perfect, mister, nobody's clean
It costs too much and takes too long to find out too late
Some words are not heard 'til after they're spoken
Your role was protective, your soul was too defective
Some people just don't have a heart to be broken

Chorus

We could have gone all the way to the great wall of china
If you'd only had a little more faith in me
In lieu of diamonds, gold and platinum reminders will still shine bright
All the king's men and all the king's horses
Can't put you together the way you used to be
We could have been standing on the great wall of china

You take a piece of whatever you touch
Too many pieces means you're touching too much
You never win if you can't play it straight
You only beat me if you get me to hate
It must be so lonely to think that you have only
Somebody else's life to live if they let you
I ain't too selective, but it don't take no detective
To find out how fast your friends will forget you

We could have gone all the way to the great wall of china
Now all you're going to be is history
Help yourself, it's all you can eat at the empire diner tonight
You coulda had class, you coulda been a contender
Charlie, you shoulda looked out for me
You could have been standing, standing on the great wall of china

This was not your calling, just look how far you've fallen
I heard your story, man, you've got to be joking
Keep things in perspective, this is my true objective
Why tear this heart out if it's only been broken?

Chorus

Some days when i'm far away
In a lonely room in a cold seclusion
Some nights when i'm wound so tight
There is no release, there is no solution
In hell there's a big hotel
Where the bar just closed and the windows never opened
No phone so you can't call home
And the tv works, but the clicker is broken
But in the darkness i see your light turned on
You know my weakness, you know how i respond to

Chorus
Blonde over blue
Your hands are cold, your eyes are fire
Blonde over blue
They shine as though you're burning inside
One word from you is all i need to be inspired
Blonde over blue
I need your inspiration tonight

These days there's a million ways
To be pulled and torn, to be misdirected
These times there are sins and crimes
On the morning shows for the disconnected
I look and i write my book
And i walk away with the wrong impressions
I don't care 'cause i've done my share
And i need some time for my own obsessions
It doesn't matter, i've let that life go by
It's been forgotten 'cause all i wanted was you

Chorus

These days not a damn soul prays
And there is no faith 'cause there's nothing to believe in
These days only good luck pays
If we don't get paid then we try to get even
I look and i write my book
And i have my say and i draw conclusions
Some nights when i'm wound so tight
There is no release, there is no solution
But in the darkness i see your light turned on
You know my weakness, you know how i respond to

Chorus

Sitting here in avalon, looking at the pouring rain
Summertime has come and gone and everybody's home again
Closing down for the season, i found the last of the souvenirs
I can still taste the wedding cake and it's sweet after all these years

These are the last words i have to say
That's why this took so long to write
There will be other words some other day
But that's the story of my life

There's comfort in my coffee cup and apples in the early fall
They're pulling all the moorings up and gathering at the legion hall
They swept away all the streamers after the labor day parade
Nothing left for a dream now, only one final serenade

And these are the last words i have to say
Before another age goes by
With all those other songs i'll have to play
But that's the story of my life

And it's so clear standing here where i am
Ain't that what justice is for?
Frankly, my dear, i don't give a damn anymore

Stack the chairs on the table tops
Hang the sheets on the chandeliers
It slows down but it never stops
Ain't it sweet after all these years

And these are the last words i have to say
It's always hard to say goodbye
But now it's time to put this book away
Ain't that the story of my life

in the middle of the night
I go walking in my sleep
From the mountains of faith
To the river so deep
I must be looking for something
Something sacred i lost
But the river is wide
And it's too hard to cross

And even though i know the river is wide
I walk down every evening and stand on the shore
I try to cross to the opposite side
So i can finally find what i've been looking for

In the middle of the night
I go walking in my sleep
Through the valley of fear
To a river so deep
I'm a searcher for something
Taken out of my soul
Something i'd never lose
Something somebody stole

I don't know why i go walking at night
But now i'm tired and i don't wanna walk anymore
Hope it doesn't take the rest of my life
Until i find what it is i've been looking for

In the middle of the night
I go walking in my sleep
Through the jungle of doubt
To the river so deep
I know i'm searching for something
Something so undefined
That it can only be seen
By the eyes of the blind
In the middle of the night

I'm not sure about a life after this
God knows i've never been a spiritual man
Baptized by the fire, i wade into the river
That is running to the promised land

In the middle of the night
I go walking in my sleep
Though the desert of truth
To the river so deep
We all end in the ocean
We all start in the streams
We're all carried along
By the river of dreams
In the middle of the night