When I first met you, Joshua, I was a desperate man,
Thought I saw salvation in the working of your plan.
You wished to build a riverboat — not just a boat, a Queen.
For the chance to save my packet line, well, I could share your dream
Together we worked side by side 'til the Fevre Dream was born,
A lavish, shining vision of speed and grace and form.
But I watched the dream grow cold and dark,
For you're not of humankind,
Though you're not quite the monster that I thought you at the time.
And the big wheels turn, and the rivers run.
You gotta keep on keeping on 'til your journey's done.
The wounds we take here will never mend,
And you never know what's waitin' 'round the river bend.
You haunted scenes of murder, of fear, despair and pain
To gather in your kindred; to the Fevre Dream they came.
Adrift upon the river, you bound them to your will:
No more to seek out human blood or to make the sating kill.
But the last one was too strong for you, a cruel and cunning beast;
Too long he'd thrived on misery, the master of the feast.
He broke you, to your lasting shame, just as he stole my dream.
And, though he could not make you kill, he would never set you free.
And the big wheels turn, and the rivers run.
You gotta keep on keeping on 'til your journey's done.
The wounds we take here will never mend,
And you never know what's waitin' 'round the river bend.
She lingered in my memory with somber, haunting grace,
But of my treasured Fevre Dream I never found a trace,
Until that final, bitter day when you called for me again
To help defeat your tormentor. You said I was your friend.
What could I do but help you then, if for not your sake, then hers;
But it was rage, not right nor reason, that made the victory yours.
Oh, Joshua, you lied to me, but I forgave you, friend.
Together we dreamed Fevre Dreams that saw a bitter end.
And the big wheels turn, and the rivers run.
You gotta keep on keeping on 'til your journey's done.
The wounds we take here will never mend,
And you never know what's waitin' 'round the river bend.