There's a deep bitter river

There’s a deep bitter river
That runs underground
Oh, I’ve been to its banks
And stared all the way down

I’ve been down to the river
So dark and so clear
And its waters are frightful
And as bitter as tears.

I looked down in that river
And felt a cold in my bones
Though I wanted to run
I felt myself turned to stone.

And I saw a baby
All swaddled in white
Rise up from the river
And dissolve into light

And I saw my mother
On the opposite shore
Till a thick fog arose
And I could see her no more.

And I heard a trumpet
That blew from a cloud
And I heard a voice call me
So deep and so loud

And I looked in the sky
And saw fire and smoke
And I felt myself shiver
As the voice above spoke

It said, “You must cross through
This river so black
And once you have started
You cannot turn back.

So go down to the river
Go down and dive in
Though the waters will scald you
And blister your skin.”

I must dive in the river
And go all the way down
Though I’m too scared to swim
And afraid that I’ll drown.

And where the river takes me
I know I must follow
Though the water’s so foul
That I can’t drink or swallow

There’s a deep bitter river
That runs underground
Oh, I’ve been to its banks
And stared all the way down