As he stared past the fire
His hunger to leave well it gnawed his poor heart alive
Her skin smelled like black cherry blossom perfume
The sailboats they all sailed by
And a river she cried

And the wind was suddenly sweeter than Roosevelt Pine
The windows broke out and the cigarette smoke drifted by
The bums on the bowery, they were swallowed in the lights
As cars rolled on by in the night, screamin' "run for your life."

With cool and silvery eyes
And her heart it was fit for desires
Drown in a river of tears, oh a river she cried
Left her with her heart, made of ashes and fire

One day there was a silence and it washed through the town
There was no reason to speak and no one made a sound
Her eyes were indigo and the cats were all calico
And the sailboat's they all sailed by
And a river she cried

With cool and silvery eyes
And her heart it was fit for desires
Drown in a river of tears, oh a river she cried
Left her with her heart, made of ashes and fire

Ashes and fire
Ashes and fire
Ashes and fire