"The Riverbank"
Words and music by Paul Simon
From the album "Stranger to Stranger"

Time Sig: 2/2 140 BPM

[Intro] 
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[Verse 1]

Frightened by 

the tone of a 

phone in the d

ead of night
              
Then staring i

              
nto darkness a

              
nd praying til

              
l the morning 

            
light
    
The price alre

ady paid, a so

n gone to the 

grave
            
Now the sorrow

            
ful parade to 

                  
the riverbank

[Verse 2]

Must be half t

he county come

 down to the r

iverbank
              
High school is

              
 closed, same 

              
for the local 

                  
police
             
Shall we tearf

             
ully embrace, 

/            
shall we sing 

        
“Amazing Grace

”
            
Will the shall

            
ow river water

 
s bring us pea

ce

[Chorus]
              
Army dude, onl

       
y son, nowhere

 to run
             
No one to turn

        
 to, he turns 

to the gun
             
It’s a cross, 

              
it’s a stone, 

      
it’s a fragmen

t of bone
             
It’s a long wa

  
lk home
  
A long walk ho

me
             
Gonna be a lon

     
g walk home
         
From the river

bank

[Bridge]

Is there any r

eason why the 

black pine sho

uld not weep
              
Is there a wom

              
an or a man wh

              
o wouldn’t und

              
erstand why he

              
 could not sle

    
ep
             
And the nightm

              
ares when they

           
 came, like po

            
ison to the br

      
ain
            
Reminded him a

    
gain life is c

heap

[Chorus]
              
Army dude, onl

       
y son, nowhere

 to run
             
No one to turn

        
 to, he turns 

to the gun
             
It’s a cross, 

              
it’s a stone, 

      
it’s a fragmen

t of bone
             
It’s a long wa

  
lk home
  
A long walk ho

me
             
Gonna be a lon

     
g walk home
         
From the river

bank

[Verse 3]
             
Army dude’s ma

            
ma at the edge

        
 of the river
             
Limp as a rag,

              
 American flag

                
 in her arms
             
Then a triangl

              
e of light kis

        
sed the red an

d blue and whi

te
             
Along the rive

     
rbank, past th

e dealerships 

and farms

[Outro] 
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