[Intro] (Crying guitar wails with long delays... a slow, heavy bassline like a heartbeat) Mmm... Lord, help me now. So much pain inna the valley. [Verse 1] My pockets are empty, my belly is thin And the walls of this system are closing in. I work for the bread, but they give me the stone I’m surrounded by many, yet I feel so alone. The rain is falling, but it don't wash the soul The iron is cold, and I’m losing control. [Chorus] And the river of tears... it’s running wide. Nowhere to run, and nowhere to hide. Oh, my brothers are falling, my sisters are crying Inside of the city, the spirit is dying. A lonely cry... inna the middle of the night. Waiting for the morning, waiting for the light. [Verse 2] I see a mother, she’s weeping today For a son that the cold streets have taken away. No justice for the poor, no mercy for the weak Only the echoes of the words we can’t speak. The sky is grey, and the birds do not sing Babylon is a winter that never finds spring. [Bridge] (Bass drops to a low, vibrating hum) How long, oh Lord? (How long?) How long must we weep? The mountain is high... And the valley is deep. Deep... so deep. [Chorus] And the river of tears... it’s running wide. Nowhere to run, and nowhere to hide. Oh, my brothers are falling, my sisters are crying Inside of the city, the spirit is dying. [Outro] (Slowly fading) Dry your eyes, my people. Though the river flows... One day it must reach the sea. One day... (Final lonely horn note)
