I found this song in a shoe box and redid it in BIAB. I wrote it in my freshman year of college when I came out of a swamp and a country road to find that things were not what they seemed and a lot of people of “privilege” seemed to have a kind of misery that no amount of mashed potatoes or biscuits and gravy could cure.

My band at this time was called Blue Babylon or something cheesy like that. My first girlfriend that year told me I was an "18 year old kid with the heart of an 80 year old Memphis blues man." Things got really interesting after that.


https://soundcloud.com/davidsnyderchannel/and-the-river-cries



And the River Cries

By David Snyder

V1

You’ve got so many
sad-eyed friends
who don’t where your troubles start
or where they end

don’t nobody here really laugh anymore
It’s a different kind of laugh
Comes behind the closet door

And here your untrained actors
learn to laugh and cry
and here your shooting stars
their infant voices try

CH:

and here the water comes
and the river rises
here the water comes and the river rise
yeah here the water comes
and the river rises

and oh, oh, oh, the river cries


V2

well it rains down
on this city
like it rains down in my heart
and there’s a darkness in your love
that tears my soul apart

I wish that I could tell you
that love’s the only cure
but there’s only so much love
some people can endure

CH

and here the water comes
and the river rises
here the water comes and the river rise
yeah here the water comes
and the river rises

and oh, oh, oh, the river cries
and oh, oh, oh, the river cries

SOLO

CH:

And here the water comes
and the river rises
here the water comes and the river rise
yeah here the water comes
and the river rises
and oh, oh, oh, the river cries
and oh, oh, oh, the river cries

Outro

Lyrics and music by David Snyder, ASCAP/Day of Faith, new version copyright 2018

Written and performed by David Snyder

TRACKS

I started with the Fallen Style from Xtra Styles Pak 2 (Rock) but added my own acoustic, electric rhythm guitars, and lead.

The lead guitar is a Strat, obviously. There is a Brent soloist in this style that is cool but I chose to do my own.

Style is _FALLEN.STY (Fallen Emotional Rock Ballad)

RealTracks in style: 1036:Bass, Electric, NorthernRockBallad Ev 065
RealTracks in style: 806:Guitar, Electric, Rhythm DrivingCountryBalladDirty Ev 065
RealTracks in style: 1598:Guitar, Electric, Rhythm Pop16thsGritty Ev16 065
RealTracks in style: 1596:Guitar, Acoustic, Strumming Pop16ths Ev16 065
RealDrums in style: NashvilleEven16^5-a:Snare, HiHat , b:Snare, Ride

*******************

David,

I like EVERYTHING about this. And almost everything about it brings to mind the best of early Neil Young with Crazy Horse (and still sounds like David Snyder doing David Snyder).

A good Rock-Singer-Songwriter write.

The vocal has soul, heart.

The backing tracks are just what they need to be. Nice mix. And your leads (very Neil Young-ish!) take it another notch higher. Very cool tone/processing - a real standout - you could make that a signature sound...

Super.

fj

David,

Now that is cool! Great song. I love the way this still reflects your style, even though it was written years ago. Great mix and vocal.

Love the pic as well!

Bob

David

Excellent song, one of your best vocals - great choice of backing and as floyd said a Neil Young feel to the guitar.
Really strong composition.

Peter

The lyrics may be the same as when you were a younger man, but your vocal surely has added a maturity to it. I have to say, your voice seems to fit this song REALLY well!

There are obviously no lyrics for the guitar solo, but none are needed. The cool part is, I know exactly what it's saying anyway. To me that is PURE emotion.

Great song man. I really enjoyed it.

David this is your best to date IMHO.

I love the blues and you did the blues justice on this one.

Great backing tracks with an outstanding vocal, lyrics and lead guitar. That rhythm guitar was also very good.

This is a keeper.

Hi David. Its nice to revisit your roots.
Great lyrics that reflect the age.
Powerful tune as yours always are.
Well done again sir. Rob

David, I too feel that this is one of your best vocal performances! I also hear the Neal Young thing going on but I also hear a lot of the late 60's influences popping up (Jefferson Airplane, CCR-the extended jam type songs and other Bay Area groups. Nice processing on that guitar! Thanks, Torrey

Great song. great feeling in it. Excellent chord line and real tracks used.
Super final solo.
Very well performed. Surely one of your best for me.

Sergio

I actually got a little Randy Newman (ala I Love LA) kind of vibe from the vocals. Nice work on the guitars too.

Man, I LOVE THIS!!!!

Your vocal is just dripping with emotion!

I also dig your guitar playing! You should play more often, lots of attitude and feel happening with that lead, a Neil Young vibe happening as others have commented, and that's ok in my book!

My new favorite from you! Love that old picture of you BTW

Great song. I agree with Floyd, it has a Neil Young kind of quality to it. Great vocals. Love the way it starts with just acoustic and vocals and builds up throughout the song.

Thanks Floyd! I was just having fun on this one and amazed once again and at how fast BIAB could help me resurrect a "blast from the past."

As for the guitar sound, yeah, I fiddled with that tone a lot. I started off trying to get a Shine On You Crazy Diamond sound, then it went to kind of a Comfortably Numb sort of thing, then it went to this.

But yeah, I have saved that sound for sure!! I love the way you can make a Strat growl if you spank it just right.

Thanks Bob! Yeah, that was a good era. I am amazed I am still alive after having gone through it.



But wait! Then I moved closed to the area of the village you are writing about in your last song.

Even MORE surprised I got through THAT phase. Must have had a guardian angel.

Thanks Peter. That means a lot! Looking forward to hearing all of your great songs in 2018!

Thanks HTL!

That compliment on the guitar solo is about the highest compliment you can give a musician.

Thank you so much.

My daughter told me one time something to the effect "Dad, you should just shut up and play the guitar."

I told her Frank Zappa had already done that album.

Wow - what a stunning piece of music! Your signature sound is coming through full force here, and I really enjoyed it The lyrics and the vocal delivery of them is extremely captivating.

Great work, and thanks so much for sharing

David, Good work on this one. May be my new favorite from you. The guitar work has that ragged edge in all the right places. It compliments the raw emotion in the vocals. Nicely mixed and mastered. Sounds great! I liked everything about it, Tom

Really, really like this song. Man you had the gift back then as well. Super vocal and backtrack. The lyric was exceptional. The guitar tone was so complimentary to the song. Everything just first fit perfectly..

"don’t nobody here really laugh anymore
It’s a different kind of laugh
Comes behind the closet door"

Great lines out of many.

We wholeheartedly agree with fj's "the backing tracks are just what they need to be. Nice mix. And your leads (very Neil Young-ish!) take it another notch higher. Very cool tone/processing - a real standout - you could make that a signature sound..."

Powerfully written and performed. There's about five good emotional songs packed into this one tune.

We like everything about it and now off to look through shoeboxes....

J&B

Hi David,

I love lyrics like these, where everyone writes their own hidden meanings into
the message of the song. Very evocative.

And the song? Brilliant. Great vocals, fabulous guitars.

One of your very best.

Cheers, ROG.

Thank you Mario! That means a lot! I loved your latest one as well!

Thanks Rob. I am so glad you enjoyed it--and I can't wait to hear your new songs this year!

Thanks Torrey. I am certainly an admirer of your guitar playing.

Yeah, I put some thought into that guitar set up. I am glad you enjoyed it!

Great stuff David!! Some great lyrics and nice bluesy melody. BUT, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts---everything just works (esp. wonderful vocal and lead guitar-you were better for this one than Brent) to just make a great listening experience. Awesome!!

an "18 year old kid with the heart of an 80 year old Memphis blues man." So, if you've slowed down to normal human aging, your heart would be about 110 or so? Or did you maintain the accelerated rate which would put your heart around...........175 or so? Either way, you have an amazing heart, and a great gift for music!! Take care. Greg

Hello, David

Very nice song!
As Rob said, it's nice to revisit your roots.
Great lyrics that reflect the age.
Powerful tune as yours always are.
Your photo at the age is also interesting.
I also remembered the band in my high school days.

Best regards.

Shigeki Adachi

Great stuff David.

Like everything particularly the phrasing and the guitar sounds.
Lyrics with a bite.
One for George Thorogood.

Cheers.

Thanks Sergio!! Coming from a guitar master like yourself that means a lot!

Happy New Year!

Thanks Steve! I am really glad you enjoyed it.

I don't mind being compared with Randy Newman any day except that I saw a youtube interview with him where he said everybody in his neighborhood hates him and won't speak to him when he goes out for a walk so he is basically shunned by society.

Other than that, I guess his life is ok.

Thanks Dave! Coming a blues guitar MONSTER like yourself, I will take that as a real compliment!

I appreciate that man!

Well, I just enjoyed this very much, both vocals and the solo.

Strong write and great performance

sounds fresh as if newly written

awesome song

enjoyed the listen,

Kenny

Great song, nice minor chords, great vocals and guitar playing. Reminds me of some hit, but I can't recall what, maybe that is a sign of an instant classic, a future hit

Janne

Hey thanks Samuel! That means a lot coming from a rockin' country star like yourself!



Happy New Year!

David,
Totally agree that you nailed the sound to lift this memory beyond where Blue Babylon took the song... but wait, I am the first to ask here if there`s an original recording of this to go with that cool picture??
I was also hearing PinkFloyd until your inner Neil kicked in.
Fantastic!

Robert