River Of Sand
River Of Sand
In a house by the river lived Sarah McKenna
Her beauty was out of a dream
With long golden hair curling down to her bosom
Spilling soft like a mountain stream
The summer of '60 was hot in Montana
An angry red sun baked the land
And the wind blew so hard that dust filled the sky
And the river she turned into sand
The river she turned into sand
One day I asked Sarah as I sat close beside her
"Is the river to run again?"
For a river's the same as a woman's heart
It fills with the love of a man
Summer wore on and brought in a stranger
Who rode up to Sarah's door
And I cried as he left with the golden-haired lady
"I love you" she silently swore
Oh Sarah, the poets know your home
And looking back is not your destiny
Sarah, I'd make you my own
But a river made of sand cannot run free
Autumn passed swiftly and winter set in
And the rain that we thought we had missed
Came in the form of an icy intruder
With death at its fingertips
The message he sent said Sarah had died
While trying to reach a friend
And I knew it was home she was trying to find
The river and me in the end
For a river's the same as a woman's heart
It fills with the love of a man
And the River of Sand all covered in snow
Was never to run again
She slipped through his fingers in the wink of an eye
Like so much dust in his hand
For his heart was as cold as the Montana wind
Blowing down on a River of Sand
Oh Sarah the river is your own
And we can't change what wasn't meant to be
Sarah, I'm taking you home
For home is where the river's running free
Home is where your river's running free
Words and music copyright ©1981 Betty Elders/ Whistling
Pig Music (ASCAP) administered by BUG Music
All rights reserved. Duplication porhibited.