Wonderin' how to cross the river

On a cold and windy night

With the water ragin' higher

By the moon's shinin' light

Suddenly a man stepped forward

And he looked at all around

He said, "We all must cross this river

We all stand on common ground"



Though I was standin' amongst strangers

I did not know their names

I realized they were with me

And our journey was the same

As he spoke out loud, I looked around me

I could see they knew it, too

We would cross or die together

No one man could make it through



There was shelter across the river

Across the water deep and black

As a storm moved in behind us,

There was no way to turn back

So I stepped right up beside him

And took one last look around

That before my eyes I realized,

We all stand on common ground

We all stand on common ground



So many years have come and gone

Since we crossed that river wide

When I look back on that night

It still moves me so inside

This world today is like that river

Its water cold and black

We all must cross together,

For there is no turnin' back



For the mountain high or a city street,

It's the same old world below our feet

It's time to wake up, people, and take a look around

We all stand on common ground

It's time for every woman and every man

And hold the future in our hands

Wake up and look around,

We all stand on common ground

We all stand on common ground