CRUISING DOWN THE RIVER (On a Sunday Afternoon) Blue Baron/Russ Morgan - words and music by Eily Beadell and Nell Tollerton, two middle-aged women who wrote the song to win a British songwriting contest in 1945 - sung by the crew of H.M.S. Amethyst as it made its historic dash down the Yangtze River in 1949 Cruising down the river on a Sunday afternoon With one you love, the sun above waiting for the moon The old accordian playing a sentimental tune Cruising down the river on a Sunday afternoon The birds above all sing of love, a gentle sweet refrain The winds around all make a sound like softly falling rain Just two of us together, we'll plan a honeymoon Cruising down the river on a Sunday afternoon