Lyrics

My daddy's dog
Was an emboldened retriever
If you horsed around he'd chase you
Grab the hat right off your head
Granddad said he was a genius
And he'd make you a believer
One time he said, "Pal, go get my slippers”
And Pal did just what he said
And when he was old and blind and moaning
And the vet said there's no use
Grandad sat and watched him sleeping
Thinking about what he had to do
Pal was yipping and running
Down in his dreams so deep
That old pup was chasing bunnies in his sleep

There is a river
Shining in the sun
Sleeping in the tall grass
Laughing as it runs
And we'll all be delivered
I can't say what that means
But there is a river
There's a river in dreams

My Grandma was steadfast
Faithful all her life
Used to pray she'd be a good girl
Kneeling by her bed
Became a one-room schoolhouse teacher
A mother and a wife
But when all her work was over
She began to lose the thread
Dreaming in the care home
Not hearing the TV
Her fingers tracing careful lines
Across a page we couldn't see
Like it was the words of her Shepherd
Who laid his life down for his sheep
She was reading her devotions in her sleep

There is a river
Shining in the sun
Sleeping in the tall grass
Laughing as it runs
And we'll all be delivered
I can't say what that means
But there is a river
There's a river in dreams

My great-grandpa built this house
When he got back from World War One
Using only salvaged lumber
And rusty nails he'd straightened out
Never complained about the farm work
But he loved when it was done
In those days every crik in the pastures
Was swimming with trout
And like he insisted on driving
Even when he was going blind
'Cause he had every twist and turn
Of those backroads in his mind
In dreams his hands relived the habits
That the old man couldn't keep
Moving just like he was tying flies in his sleep

There is a river
Shining in the sun
Sleeping in the tall grass
Laughing as it runs
And we'll all be delivered
I can't say what that means
But there is a river
There's a river in dreams
There is a river in dreams