Streets are almost empty, shops are all closed down
There's not a soul left in the bar to tell my troubles to
Think I'll walk down to the river [bad word] just south of town
I hate like [bad word] when there aint nothin left to do
But stand beneath the river bridge and listen for the train
It's been a long hot summer, not a drop of rain

Well, I broke down in December, I headed for the coast
I thought the wind and water would elevate my mind
I surfaced in the springtime feelin like a ghost
Missin' more than ever the things I left behind
Now Im standin' on this riverbank and still cannot explain
It's been a long hot summer, not a drop of rain

My bag is full of letters, unopened and unread
I'm sure they'd tell the story of worry and of form
My heart is beating heavy with all we left unsaid
And I swear to you I never meant you any harm
This sacrifice [bad word] could never stand the strain
It's been a long hot summer, not a drop of rain

Tonight Ill close my eyes again, try to see your face
Listen for your voice to tell me its alright to sleep
Convince myself I'll wake up in another time and place
Knowin' all the while that its a promise I cant keep
string of broken promises, another link of chain
It's been a long hot summer, not a drop of rain

The children on the playground, the lovers in the shade
Remind me of a life and time that feels more like a dream
When the sound of love and laughter was the music that we played
As we lay beside the waters of a never-ending stream
Now the stream has gone to hiding, the dream lives on in vain
It's been a long hot summer, not a drop of rain

The clouds are building slowly on the skyline to the east
The wind and dust are dancing like the devil across the lake
I could try to find a bottle or try to find a priest
Salvation won't be traveling either road I take
So I turn my collar to the wind that echoes this refrain
It's been a long hot summer, not a drop of rain.

SONGWRITERS
KEEN, ROBERT EARL JR.