The River - Live at LA Coliseum, Los Angeles, CA - September 1985

How you doin' out there tonight?
That's good, that's good
This is ah, when I was growin' up, me and my Dad used to go at it all the time, over almost anything
But I, I use to have really long hair, way down past my shoulders
And I was 17 or 18, oh man, he used to hate it
And we got to where we'd fight so much, that I'd, that I'd spend a lot of time out of the house
And in the summertime it wasn't so bad, 'cause it was warm and your friends were out
But in the winter, I remember standin' downtown and it would get so cold
And, when the wind would blow, I had this phone booth that I used to stand in
And I used to call my girl, like for hours at a time, just talking to her all night long
And finally I'd get my nerve up to go home, and I'd stand there in the driveway
And he'd be waiting for me in the kitchen
And I'd tuck my hair down in my collar, and I'd walk in
And he'd call me back to sit down with him
And the first thing he'd always ask me was "What did I think I was doin' with myself?"
And the worst part about it was, I could never explain it to him
I remember I got in a motorcycle accident once
And I was laid up in bed, and he had a barber come in and, and cut my hair
And man, I could remember telling him that I hated him, and that I would never, ever forget it
And he used to tell me "Man, I can't wait 'til the army gets you
When the army gets you they're gonna make a man out of you
They're gonna cut all that hair off, and they'll make a man out of you"
And this was in, I guess '68, and there was a lot of guys, from the neighborhood going to Vietnam
I remember the drummer in my first band, comin' over my house with his Marine uniform on
Saying that he was goin', and that he didn't know where it was
And a lot of guys went, and a lot of guys didn't come back
And a lot that came back, weren't the same anymore
And I remember the day I got my draft notice, I hid it from my folks
And three days before my physical, me and my friends went out and we stayed up all night
And we got on the bus to go that morning, man, and we were all so scared
And I went, and I failed. I came home - it's nothin' to applaud about
But I remember comin' home after I'd been gone for three days
And walkin' in the kitchen, and my mother and father were sittin' there
And my Dad said "Where you been?"
And I said "Ah, I went to take my physical"
He said "What happened?"
I said "They didn't take me"
And he said "That's good"

I come from down in the valley
Where mister when you're young
They bring you up to do
Just like your daddy done
Me and Mary we met in high school
When she was just 17
We'd ride out of that valley
Down to where the fields were green

We'd go down to the river
And into the river we'd dive
Oh oh, down to the river, we'd ride

Then I got Mary pregnant
And man, that was all she wrote
And for my 19th birthday
I got a union card and a wedding coat
We went down to the courthouse
And the judge put it all to rest
No wedding day smiles
No walk down the aisle
No flowers, no wedding dress

That night we went down to the river
And into the river we'd dive
Oh oh, down to the river
We'd ride

And I got a job working construction
For the Johnstown Company
But lately there ain't been much work
On account of the economy
Now all them things that seemed so important
Well mister, they just vanish right into the air
I just act like I don't remember
And Mary acts like she don't care

But I remember us riding in my brother's car
Her body tan and wet, down at the reservoir
At night, on those banks I'd lie awake
And pull her close just to feel every breath she'd take
Now, those memories come back to haunt me
They haunt me like a curse
Is a dream a lie if it don't come true
Or is it something worse?

That sends me down to river
Oh, I know the river is dry
That sends me down to river, tonight
Down to river, my baby and I
Oh-oh, down to river we ride