Lyrics of 'I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free' by Levon Helm

So we find from far away
Troubled peoples have sent us here today
A place where ghosts rest and blood was she'd
Ceremonies in the sand honor the dead

The dirt feels fine against my feet
The sun shines bright
Where sky and water meet

If you will dry my tears
I promise i'll dry yours
So come wade with me along the southern shore

Water will carry our sins
And leave them where the current begins
So far away from us, along the southern shore

Where cursed ships with sailors float by
They can never know love
They can't know our life

But i'll still drink to life
And smoke to death
But it's in honor of our last breath

So we'll gather here and confess the truth
It's just an image of what i see in you

The water can fill our needs
And keep us strong like the roots of trees
That plant themselves along the southern shore

Sun shine fades as clouds roll through
In our darkest hour, we don't know who to turn to

With my blood i will pass on all my dreams
Like the clear fresh water from rivers and streams
That collect and run off the southern shore
With the hope my kin wont need anything more
Than to live and feel the sun on their face
I trust they'll make it here to this sacred place

We hold our hearts steady and fast
But i warn you now, your life will pass

And we all have our complaints
But believe me, here, they are nearly the same
They'll wash away along the southern shore