The song lyrics were written by the band Van Halen, as they were asked to write a song for the 1979 movie "Over the Edge" starring Matt Dillon. The movie (and the lyrics, although more obliquely) are about bored, rebellious youth with nothing better to do than get into trouble. If you see the movie, these lyrics will make more sense. It's a great movie if you grew up in the 70s/80s you'll definitely remember some of these characters from your own life. Fun fact, after writing the song, Van Halen decided not to let the movie use it.
I looked out across the river today
Saw a city in the fog
And an old church tower where the seagulls play
Saw the sad shire horses walking home
In the sodium light
Two priests on a ferry
October geese on a cold winter's night
All this time
The river flowed
Endlessly to the sea
Two priests came 'round our house tonight
One young, one old
To offer prayers for the dying, to serve the final rites
One to learn, one to teach
Which way the cold wind blows
And fussing and flapping
In priestly black like a murder of crows
All this time
The river flowed
Endlessly to the sea
If I had my way
I'd take a boat from the river
And I'd bury the old man
I'd bury him at sea
Blessed are the poor
For they shall inherit the earth
Better to be poor
Than be a fat man in the eye of a needle
As these words were spoken, I swear
I hear the old man laughing
What good is a used up world
And how could it be worth having?
All this time
The river flowed
Endlessly like a silent tear
All this time
The river flowed
Father, if Jesus exists
Then how come He never lives here?
Teachers told us the Romans built this place
They built a wall and a temple
And an edge of the empire garrison town
They lived and they died
They prayed to their gods
But the stone gods did not make a sound
And their empire crumbled till all that was left
Were the stones the workmen found
All this time
The river flowed
In the falling light
Of a northern sun
If I had my way
I'd take a boat from the river
Men go crazy in congregations
They only get better one by one (all this time)
One by one
One by one, by one
One by one
I looked out across the river today
I saw a city in the fog
And an old church tower where the seagulls play
Saw the sad shire horses walking home
In the sodium light
Two priests on the ferry
October geese on a cold winter's night
Saw a city in the fog
And an old church tower where the seagulls play
Saw the sad shire horses walking home
In the sodium light
Two priests on a ferry
October geese on a cold winter's night
All this time
The river flowed
Endlessly to the sea
Two priests came 'round our house tonight
One young, one old
To offer prayers for the dying, to serve the final rites
One to learn, one to teach
Which way the cold wind blows
And fussing and flapping
In priestly black like a murder of crows
All this time
The river flowed
Endlessly to the sea
If I had my way
I'd take a boat from the river
And I'd bury the old man
I'd bury him at sea
Blessed are the poor
For they shall inherit the earth
Better to be poor
Than be a fat man in the eye of a needle
As these words were spoken, I swear
I hear the old man laughing
What good is a used up world
And how could it be worth having?
All this time
The river flowed
Endlessly like a silent tear
All this time
The river flowed
Father, if Jesus exists
Then how come He never lives here?
Teachers told us the Romans built this place
They built a wall and a temple
And an edge of the empire garrison town
They lived and they died
They prayed to their gods
But the stone gods did not make a sound
And their empire crumbled till all that was left
Were the stones the workmen found
All this time
The river flowed
In the falling light
Of a northern sun
If I had my way
I'd take a boat from the river
Men go crazy in congregations
They only get better one by one (all this time)
One by one
One by one, by one
One by one
I looked out across the river today
I saw a city in the fog
And an old church tower where the seagulls play
Saw the sad shire horses walking home
In the sodium light
Two priests on the ferry
October geese on a cold winter's night
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Thank you. :)
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