Down here, there’s a river with a wide, sandy bend
Big water rolling green and deep
by fir and the cottonwood stands
Kids that don’t know each other
shouting as they play in the sand
There’s something ‘bout a river
with a wide, sandy bend
And the buses bring the youngsters
escape the city for a week
We hike ‘em through the forest
get their hands in the mud and the cedar tree
Strangers teachin’ strangers
and helping each other to see
There’s somethin’ ‘about a river
makes a child feel free
Sandy River, bending true and deep
Hope you never stop running, hope you’ll always be
A haven to the hungry-hearted
for something ancient, unbroken and clean
There’s something about a river makes a child feel free
Come evening we gather by the bright campfire
Shootin’ sparks up to heaven
and back down to where we are
All screaming and singing together as the frogs and the crickets creak
And the sound of the river singin’ us to sleep
Sandy River, bending true and deep
Hope you never stop running, hope you’ll always be
A haven to the hungry-hearted
for something ancient, unbroken and clean
There’s something about a river
makes a child feel free
As the week wears on, we can see the children change
They don’t carry so much worry
Their clothes all damp and dirty
Their limbs all interlinked
Say good-bye, and we whisper a prayer
Keep ‘em safe from those cold, city streets
And thank God they’ve known a river
And what it’s like to feel free
So I don’t care about your budgets
or your broken economy
And I don’t want to hear excuses
for the fake world that we’ve made
‘Cause when I’m down here by the river
I can see what you may not see
That there’s something ‘bout a river
Makes a child feel free
And every child deserves a river
To set his soul free
credits
from Little One,
released May 19, 2022
Piano and vocal: Rachel Jumago
Harmony vocal: Katie Fitzgerald
The Icelandic songwriter packs her stunning debut with sweeping melodies delivered via intimate, folky arrangements. Bandcamp New & Notable Oct 12, 2023