Alright, okay, I give in
I can't fight and I can't move and I can't win
I'm staring at the pages 'til I hate every letter
And there's always someone else who has already said it better
And the lines all come out crooked and the words are upside-down
And there's never any room to turn around

So tell me a story, aren't all stories true?
Tell me a story and I'll tell it back to you
There's always someone else there, up the river, up the river
Got to find my own way up the river

Good luck, farewell, bon voyage
To the basement and the attic and garage
In the clutter of the world we keep on diving for our treasure
And with cobwebs in our hair we come parading for your pleasure
And it looks like all I've got's a broken lamp and one old shoe
Just wait 'til I recall what I can do

So tell me a story, aren't all stories true?
Tell me a story and I'll tell it back to you
There's always something out there, up the river, up the river
Got to find my way back up the river

Lullabye, stay awake, no one knows your great mistake
Cities, countries, castles, cats, and gentlemen in dashing hats
Straight & narrow path you you stray from, run a game & run away from
Home, where the heart is laughter, what comes after ever after?

Hit the road, hit the bottle, fear of flying, hit the throttle
Go! Didn’t you love that book? That day, the way the buildings shook
The man in the moon, man in space, lost a planet, lost a race
Sex and hate and joy and pain and love, love, love, love, love

Come on, take my hand, here we go
Through the woods and through the desert and the snow
Well I swear we got there last time but I don't remember how
And the map is lost, the road is gone, and what do I do now?
I’m slashing through the jungle word by word and line by line
You have to blaze a new trail every time

So tell me a story, aren't all stories true?
Tell me a story and I'll tell it back to you
There's always someplace calling, up the river, up the river
Got to find a new way up the river