1 In the world I’ve gained my knowledge,
And for it have had to pay,
Though I never went to college,
Yet I’ve heard that poets say,
Life is like a mighty river,
Rolling on from day to day,
Men are vessels launched upon it,
Sometimes wreck’d and cast away.

Chorus:
So then do your best for one another,
Making life a pleasant dream;
Help a worn and weary brother,
Pulling hard against the stream.

2 Many a bright good hearted fellow,
Many a noble minded man,
Finds himself in water shallow—
Then assist him, if you can.
Some succeed at ev’ry turning,
Fortune favors ev’ry scheme,
Others, too, tho’ more deserving,
Have to pull against the stream. [Chorus]

3 If the wind is in your favor,
And you’ve weathered ev’ry squall,
Think of those whose luckless labor,
If you try and persevere;
Darkest night will have a morning
Tho’ the sky be overcast,
Longest lanes must have a turning,
And the tide will turn at last. [Chorus]