The Healing Journey

August 16, 2024

“In the middle of the night, I go walking in my sleep,
From the mountains of faith to the river so deep,
I must be looking for something, something sacred I lost
But the river is wide, and it’s too hard to cross…”
— Billy Joel

In many ways the Healing Journey is a spiritual journey. One of singer Billy Joel’s most popular songs is “The River of Dreams,” which is based on a Gospel tradition and explores the themes of peace of soul and the afterlife. It was released in 1993 and topped the charts in the United States and overseas and was later nominated for a Grammy.

In the song, Joel uses the River of Dreams as a metaphor that will lead to what he has been searching for in life. The music video has many images to reflect his spiritual search. It was filmed on the Connecticut River and includes locations in Middletown, Glastonbury, Portland, East Haddam and Old Saybrook. The barn in which Joel plays the piano is a tobacco barn in South Glastonbury that is still in use.

The song, particularly with the elements of a traditional spiritual, resonates with many people who are “looking for something, something sacred they lost…”

Hear Billy Joel sing “The River of Dreams,” (https://youtu.be/hSq4B_zHqPM)

The River of Dreams

In the middle of the night
I go walking in my sleep
From the mountains of faith
To the river so deep
I must be looking for something
Something sacred I lost
But the river is wide
And it’s too hard to cross
Even though I know the river is wide
I walk down every evening and I stand on the shore
I try to cross to the opposite side
So I can finally find what I’ve been looking for
In the middle of the night
I go walking in my sleep
Through the valley of fear
To a river so deep
I’ve been searching for something
Taken out of my soul
Something I’d never lose
Something somebody stole
I don’t know why I go walking at night
But now I’m tired and I don’t want to walk anymore
I hope it doesn’t take the rest of my life
Until I find what it is I’ve been looking for
In the middle of the night
I go walking in my sleep
Through the jungle of doubt
To the river so deep
I know I’m searching for something
Something so undefined
That it can only be seen
By the eyes of the blind
In the middle of the night
I go walkin’ in the, in the middle of the
I go walkin’ in the, in the middle of the
I go walkin’ in the, in the middle of the
I go walkin’ in the, in the middle of the
I go walkin’ in the, in the middle of the
I go walkin’ in the, in the middle of the
I go walkin’ in the, in the middle of the
I go walkin’ in the, in the middle of the
I’m not sure about a life after this
God knows I’ve never been a spiritual man
Baptized by the fire, I wade into the river
That is running to the promised land
In the middle of the night
I go walking in my sleep
Through the desert of the truth
To the river so deep
We all end in the ocean
We all start in the streams
We’re all carried along
By the river of dreams
In the middle of the night
I go walkin’ in the, in the middle of the
I go walkin’ in the, in the middle of the
I go walkin’ in the, in the middle of the
I go walkin’ in the, in the middle of the
I go walkin’ in the, in the middle of the
I go walkin’ in the, in the middle of the
I go walkin’ in the, in the middle of the
I go walkin’ in the, in the middle of the …
(Songwriters: Billy Joel
The River of Dreams lyrics © Impulsive Music)

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