Stephen Stills — River of Gold

There was nothing back here in the old days Nothing but a river of gold There was nothing blocking out the sky Nothing to be bought or sold There were lakes of rainbows and cutthroats You could walk for miles in the snow Didn't know a thing about the climate Watched the seasons come and go There was always the sound of the night wind Blowing through the old pine trees The melody of birds in the willows Flying so high and free The silver moon on the lake at midnight Looking back at me from the sky And the walks we took in the summer Till the light of the sun would die I always dreamed of making us a home here Now they've gone and done their very best Cleared out the trees and the Queen Anne's lace And the birds with their feathered nests They've taken all the magic from the meadows They plowed them up and threw away the green Rough rock and stone and clear cut Now they've gone ahead and dammed the stream Forever I will think of the old days The river that was made of gold In winter and spring and summer My memories will never grow old I always dreamed of making us a home here Now they've gone and done their very best Cleared out the trees and the Queen Anne's lace And the birds with their feathered nests I always dreamed of making us a home here Now they've gone and done their very best Cleared out the trees and the Queen Anne's lace And the birds with their feathered nests There was nothing back here in the old days Nothing but a river of gold Nothing out here in the old days Nothing but a river of gold