Wonderin' how to cross the river On a cold and windy night With the water ragin' higher By the moon's full shining 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' among strangers I did not know their names I realized that 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 I took one last look around Right 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 On the mountain high or a city street, It's the same old world below our feet It's time to wake up, people, take a look around We all stand on common ground It's time for every woman and every man We hold the future in our hands Wake up and look around, We all stand on common ground We all stand on common ground Common ground Common ground.