[Intro: tape warble, slow heavy distorted bass drum, toy piano] (Tape hiss, crackling radio static) [Verse 1: whispered vocals, intimate near-mic, acoustic guitar only] I stood by the river of rusted machines Where the water runs silver and chemical greens Old time started leaking right out of my hands Turning the bright roads to sinkhole lands It’s a broken transistor, this current that changes The cold water whispers and swaps out its names It left me a pocket of shadows and rain And buried my memory like teeth in the plain [Chorus: distorted vocals, chest register, fuzzed indie rock explosion, sad strings] River, river, what next? River, river, what next? You spin me a dream on a carousel wheel Then show me the rust in the way that I feel River, river, what next? River, river, what next? You carry the hope till the engine goes dead Then leave all the static inside of my head [Verse 2: whispered vocals, intimate near-mic, acoustic guitar only] I watched my reflections shatter and float Like a dead battery in a cardboard boat Faces from yesterday drown in the grey Under the mud where the old children play Some were like winter, some sharp as cracked glass All of them asking how long can this last? The river’s an engine that never stops humming Stealing tomorrow before it stops coming [Chorus: distorted vocals, chest register, fuzzed indie rock explosion, sad strings] River, river, what next? River, river, what next? You spin me a dream on a carousel wheel Then show me the rust in the way that I feel River, river, what next? River, river, what next? You carry the hope till the engine goes dead Then leave all the static inside of my head [Guitar Solo: melodic broken fuzz guitar, weeping mellotron] [Outro: breathy vocals fade, radio static, abrupt tape stop cut-off] Knowing it brings me... Knowing it takes me... Just a pocket of rain. Just a box of old teeth. [End]
