Verse 1
Endless days end in silence
Days that end with prayer
Forty days of flooding
Sleeping in the dark despair
I once held the future in my hand
I heard prophets, knew all the signs
Now I’m walking to my neighbor’s porch
With a fistful of sunshine
Chorus
What good is gold when the river runs dry
What good is are wings never meant to fly
I built an ark from the weight of the world
What good is gold anyway
Verse 2
He sits wary with his loaded gun
He’s got eggs warm from the nest
I offer him a piece of the sun
He says brother I need more than that
I need medicine for my children’s fever
I need someone who knows machines
You got anything that really matters
Or just your shiny dreams
Chorus
What good is gold when the river runs over
What good is gold when the river has run dry
You learned the numbers, you learned the game
What good is gold without the rain
Bridge
I was fluent in the language of money
Charts and cycles, the spin of the wheel
Didn’t learn to mend a single thing
Never learn how to kneel
Verse 3
Tonight I hold my daughter close
Tell her about the foolish king
Who held the world into his arms
And couldn’t feel a thing
Final Chorus
What good is gold when you’re lost at home
What good is a castle made of stone
Midas wept in his perfect room
What good is gold
What good is gold