The River Tracer

On a cold summer's morning, on a car bound for nowhere,
I met up with my friends, we were all too tired to speak.
So we all took turns a-driving, up the mountain, in the jungle,
Till boredom overtook us, and I began to speak.

I said, "friends I've made a life, out of going river tracing,
And knowing how to get there, by the way the river glides.
And if you don't mind me saying, I can see you're not out tracing,
For a sip of your coffee, I'll give you some advice."

So they handed me a helmet, and life vest worth a-wearing,
Donned a wet suit, cause the river felt like ice.
And the river was deathly freezing, and my skin lost all complexion,
Said, "If you're gonna trace the river, boys, you gotta learn to trace it right."

You got to know when to step up, know when to jump down,
Know when to plow on through, or when to swim or run.
You never hike on dry land, when the river is a-callin',
There'll be time enough for hiking, when the tracing's done.

Well every tracer knows, that the secret to a good time,
Is lying in a waterway, and building up the oomph!
And then everyone stands up, except the person at the front,
And they go sliding down the water slide into the small lagoon.

You got to know when to turn right, know when to turn left,
Know when to jump off cliffs, or zip-line for fun.
You never say no to new stuff, like rappelling down a waterfall,
There'll be time to second guess yourself when the tracing's done.

And when we finished tracing, we went back to the cars,
Took off our wetsuits, and and piled them in a heap.
And somewhere in the jungle, the tracers had broke even,
Cause in the final stretch they found a source that they could keep.

You got to know when to go on (when to go on), know when to go home (when to go home),
Know when the source is found, or just another bend.
You got to go river tracing, with your bestest Taiwanese friends,
And have a lasting memory, at the journey's end.

Don't forget to check out our pictures from the trip: River Tracing in Yangmingshan!

From the gambling, river tracing, Kenny Rogers of Taiwan, Michael!