Back To The River on Soundcloud
Back To The River on YouTube

A song about leaving without saying goodbye. Perhaps another mystery disappearance like in my You Coulda Fooled Me. In this one we don't know if she died by accident or suicide, left him for someone else or just left him. She's gone and ain't commin' back. Your comments and suggestions are MUCH apreciated. Thanks.

Style is _PJONPBA.STY (Pop Ballad Piano & Acoustic Guit)

RealTracks in style: 1728:Piano, Acoustic, Rhythm PopBalladJohn Ev 085
RealTracks in style: ~362:Guitar, Acoustic, Strumming Ev 085
RealTracks in song: 1766:Mandolin, Rhythm Pop16Sync Ev 085
RealDrums [in style:NashvilleEven8^2-a:Sidestick, HiHat , b:Snare, HiHat
Utility Track: 1903 Acoustic Guitar
Utility Track: 1601 Mandolin
Utility Track: 2976 Ooz & Oz
I added bass and vocals and some acoustic guitar for the bridge. Couldn' fashion the right solo so lo I wrote the Sforzando midi flute & piano parts. Since it turned out to be a sad attempt at conterpoint, the sadness seemed to fit the song so it stayed. Suggestions?

Back To The River

She was waving from the bank of the river that night as I watched from the bridge.
She will never know how hard I cried after what she did.
And now Heaven only knows where that river's gonna flow.
She's never coming back this way I know.
So now I know I cannot go back to the river.

I remember all those times when she looked into my eyes
as she promised me her love.
My only vision now is sadness in those lies when I watched her from above.
Was she waving me goodbye? Was I too scared then to try?
She's never comin' back to hear my cry,
and, yes, I know I'll never go N

BR: I will never hold you in my arms again, never have a chance to say goodbye.
Was there someone else? Something that I did?
Now what can I do? You never even told me why.

Such a long, long time ago, but this feeling never passed.
There's still no answer why.
We were taking it all slow, but it happened all too fast.
I had no chance to say goodbye.
Was she waving me goodbye? Was I too scared then to try?
She's never comin' back to hear my cry,
and, yes, I know I'll never go N
Oh, God, I know I cannot go N

Marty,

This is excellent! Killer chorus and great vocal.

Loved it all!

Bob

Beautiful song, Marty!

Really well written, and one of your best vocals I think.

Nice!

Really nice song. Good performance and production.

Charlie

Hi Marty,

Yes I agree - a good song and well performed.

I liked the way you dropped out the bass and drums after the instrumental break to give the song a bit of light and shade.

Best Regards
Nigel

Marty,
Fantastic performance and composition. Big acoustic sound. Arrangement is ace. Nice use of mandolin, OOhs and that flute sounds really good. Sad and beautiful piece. Thank you for sharing.

Misha.

P.S. That girl dancing on a remains of the wall made me nervous.

beautifully emotive with great lyrics.

if i can make a suggestion ?
for some reason, i hear... try a vocal double marty ?

ie keep current vocs but do another vocal trak singing along with original and placed just under the current vocal.
its an old production trick and can work really well on this type of song.
experiment with it only in places and also all the way through in a subtle fashion. eg choruses// changes.

nice song.
best.
OM

Mary, this is a super sad love song. Your instrumentation is perfect for this song. Super lyrics sung by a fantastic singer; I could hear the pain in your voice. The mix was spot on also.

Two thumbs up!

Hi Marty,

Had me reaching for the Kleenex after the first verse!

Good song and a super vocal performance.

Nice instrumentation and an excellent mix.

Enjoyed.

ROG.

Marty,

Sad song. Very well done. The arrangement/production fits the song perfectly.

Good vocal. Well mixed.

Great job on all the parts!

fj

Hi Marty,

These rivers gave us a lot of inspiration, don't they?
Your and my rivers give a lot of emotion too!

But to focus on your 'river'; A very nice song, a lovely melody and -of course- a lot of heartbreak.
(some women don't know what they can cause to a man).

I agree with Floyd this is one of your best vocals. I don't know why, because you sing in the same stacato way as before, but here it fits more in the rhythm I think.

A very good song, Marty. Enjoyed it!

Hans
(it's still in my head, I like to sing along...)

Reminds me of Bobby Goldsboro's Honey...without the detail and without showing the monster.
As cool as the arrangement is I reckon you should go the whole hog and add strings.
Well done and a really, really good vocal performance + capture.

Hi Marty,

great song and very nice video. A teriffic write and well-produced.
Yes, things like that happen, and if they happen to you they can make you go nuts...

Liked the song a lot.

Take care,

Stefan

Lovely vocal Marty. Harmonies were excellent as well. Very cool laid back piece of music. Very cool lyric. Well done.

Marty

A really nice tear-jerker. Nicely played sung and arranged.

Agree with Ray some really soppy strings would sound good.

Excellent work.

Peter

Hi Marty
Good story telling, lovely melody and excellent arrangement. Really good vocal, with plenty of emotion and conviction.
Regards,
Leon

Thanks, Bob.

Thanks, Dave. I know a solo by you would make it much better, but I can't ask every time. Thanks for the help on the mixing.

Thank you, Charlie.

Thanks, Nigel. I tried making that verse a little like the solo was flashing "Years Later..." if that makes any sense.

Thanks so much, Misha. Yeah, she reminded me of my recently acquired fear of heights, too.

A different type of tune for you Marty but you did in excellent fashion! Very nice vocal and your bass is as good as any of the realtracks or better! Thanks, Torrey

Very poignant and well sung with emotion and confidence.

And all of your instrumental performances are right in the pocket with the well selected BiaB tracks.

Great soundstage too ... we are suckers for open mixes like this. Well done.


Enjoyed it and now off to the video,

J&B

This is one of your best. What a fabulous vocal!

A song from an era long gone by.

Good tune. Great production and mix. Well played (you and the band). Video was well done too. I enjoyed it.

Of course, you can make a suggestion, OM. I thrive on them unless you suggest I quit doing all this. hehe I did try a double track, but I'm not a big fan of my vocal so it only sounded twice as bad. Can you fill in the ellipses? What do you hear?
Thanks so much, Mario. Very kind of you, and leaving out the T in my name is probably what kept me out of the army in 60s.

Hahaha. Thanks, Rog. Maybe I should submit this song to the Kleenex company.

Thanks, Floyd.

Yeah, I thought that was cool that we both wrote about rivers, Hans. About my staccato singing... well, I probably should keep it that way because the longer I hold a note the more I veer from the pitch. hehe. Hey, I'd love to hear you sing along with this. Maybe we should do a duet --nah, better you should sing one of mine.

You always have the best advice, Ray. I tried strings --even some plucking harp strings. Though it sounded like overkill. Maybe just a sad, lonely cello. I worry about my Phil Spector tendencies of building a wall of sound that ears can't penetrate.

Thanks, Stefan. Sometimes it's cathartic to do the sad ones. hehe

Thanks, Scott. It's weird writing a piece that doesn't feature a good guitar.

Hey Marty,

Suicide is a tough subject to write about. I was trying to think back to a tragedy song from when I was a little kid about a car and train but I can't remember the name of it.

Production sounds good supports the song well and your vocal which really shines here.

Josie

Hi Marty, great song all around. Yep, that feeling never goes away.

Cheers

Mike B.

Hello, 'BabuMusic'...

Your song is so melodically attractive and rhythmically relaxing that is takes the edge off of what is actually a frightening and confusing experience: being left by a lover who never explained the reason for their departure. Violence and suicide often occurs in the wake of such painful separations.

The musical break that occurs after the line, "Now what can I do? You never even told me why", was perfectly timed and starkly dramatic.

The flute and piano duo you composed added a delicate tone to the song that emphasized the fragility of the tragic subject matter.

Your singing was clear and expressive, as usual. Fine songwriting, sir!

Thanks, Peter. I'm going to have to revisit that idea. It seemed too much soppiness, or maybe I couldn't get them to play what I wanted.

Thanks, Leon. That means a lot to me because I'm becoming quite a fan of what you do.

Thanks, Torrey. Yeah, it's different for me alright, but I recently uploaded an album to the streaming sites entitled Odzinenz that has 8 of the stranger songs I've done.

Thanks so much, you guys. For everything.

A strong story about a sad subject well written, I think I've written at least one song around the same thing. A beautiful melody - everything works well, verses the chorus and the bridge. Nice minor chording and I like the ending chord. Great vocals full of emotion. Good instrumentation, oohs give it a nice lift.

Janne

Hi BabuMusik,

Very pretty sad melody. You immerse us in what you sing. It is well done and very compelling. Well done. Very pleasant.

Kindly regard
Derochette
alias JaniJackFlash

Dang, she didn't even tell you why she didn't tell you why? I don't know what it is exactly, but I hear this as a bit of a cross between new wave and americana. Maybe it's the chords/melody or maybe it's the just the weird mood I find myself in....regardless, it's really pleasing. And I think these may be the crispest, clearest vocals I've heard from you so far. I really liked this.

Marty:

Love the write . . . and the production is as sweet and sad as the lyrics, capturing the mood perfectly. The back up vocals are so sweet in this. I like what you did with the instrumental following the bridge—it also fits the mood, and going with a bolder solo I don’t think would work as well.

One of my favorite tunes from you, Marty. Really special tune. Great work!

Hope all is well with you—

Deej

Thanks!! You know I'm a big fan of your vocal talent.

Thanks for your listen kind comment, jptjptjpt

Thanks, Josie. Not sure of the song you mention, but further back when I was a kid it was "Last Kiss" by L. Frank Wilson was the one that got me. Still, I'm not sure whether she committed suicide, fell in, or left me for another.
Thanks for mentioning the vocal because you really shine in that department.

Thanks, Mike. You're right. It never does.

Hi Marty,

Your answer on my post:
Hey, I'd love to hear you sing along with this. Maybe we should do a duet --nah, better you should sing one of mine.

My answer:
I will sing one of your when you sing one of mine. I will sent in a new song within an hour or so. It's a kind of classic Blues called 'Going up!'. So well suited for you, I think...

Hans

Man, bluage, you always have the best comments for everyone. I really appreciate how you break down the song and give such encouraging and thoughtful suggestions. Thank you.


Thanks for the listen and encouraging comment, Janne. Those ooze and oz gals really can add a nice touch. Ending on a major 7th seemed to fit.


Thanks, Derochette. I can almost hear the wonderfully emotional soundtrack you'd write for this.

Thanks, Tangmo. I can't tell is she didn't want to tell him, didn't have time to, or was just the type to avoid confrontation at all cost.

Thanks so much, Deej. Very much appreciated.

I've been busy with some odd calamities here lately, but I'd always make time to sing one of yours, my friend. I just had a chance to listen to "Going Up". A wonderful tune, and no one can sing it better than you.

Aint been around for a while, just catching up on some of the great songs.

I always like songs with a story.
This is a touching story represented well in the lyrics and melody.

Well done.

Moto