Sunny Girl — An athletic adult woman river guide steers a vivid raft through luminous whitewater as California canyon walls become botanical waves

The songbook

Sunny Girl

Words by Douglas Heyes Jr. Listen to the recorded versions and follow the lyric below.

Original Doug Heyes lyrics · AI-generated music & vocals

Sunny is remembered as a skilled river guide whose strength and care make others trust her with a dangerous run. When she and her crew fail to return, admiration becomes mourning. The narrator holds together her daring, their shared love and the river's beauty without forgetting the irreversible cost of its hazards.

Listen

Recorded versions

3 recordings. Different voices and arrangements bring another side of the song into the light.

Lyrics

Sunny Girl

Words by Douglas Heyes Jr

Save Lyrics as Text
SUNNY GIRL  (12/8 Time)

She lives in a shack by the Riverside
She was flat on her back when she first arrived
Spent time on the Road through the Other Side
Now she Lives by the Code of a Big River Guide

Sun on her Cheeks and the Wind in her Hair
Steep Mountain Creeks and Grizzly Bears
She's been Released right up into the Air
Holding her Passengers in her Loving Care

She Lives on the Water
The Woods are her Home
With the Birds and the Animals
She’s never Alone

Her Hands are so Strong
They get Blood from a Stone
When she needs to Bleed
It cuts down to the Bone

CHORUS : (4/4 Time)

She's my Sunny Girl
The Center of my World
Badly hurt, a Little Girl
Tan and dirty, a little curl
Ringing down beside her Face
Scarlet Ribbons, Leather, Lace
Oh, won't you come back to my World
Cuz you're my sweet Sunny Girl

She got a Call from her River Crew
They said, we've been looking just for you
Late Spring Run, High Water too
You’re the only one who can take ‘em through
She said, done is done, let's start the Show
Cascades running, Overflow
Highside flip, look out below
Nightside trip, it's time to go

(12/8 Time)

The Run wasn't rated, we anticipated
A run like no other, no way to recover
If we lose it out here
They'll be spilling a beer
In the middle of Town
With the Sun going down
With no Souls to Save
And a cold, early Grave

By late Afternoon
With the Sky turning Black
We began to suspect
They would never be back
The Cry of the Loon
Came around Sunny's Shack
And the Wolf Blood Red Moon
Then Arose from the Pack

They say that a Rose
Would still smell as Sweet
When it Dies getting trampled
Right under your feet
Sunny was last seen
Pushing off round the bend
And She and her Crew
Were not seen again

There are Legends up here in these Hills
We seek the most Dangerous Thrills
I lost my Friend and the Woman I Love
But Sunny still smiles from Above
The Whitewater River of Love
Your Fame and your Fortune are waiting for you
With Sunny to guide you down all the way through
And I'll be here waiting for You, my Love

Yes, I'll be here waiting for You

*********

© Douglas Heyes Jr. All rights reserved.