Alvin and his older brother Phil Alvin grew up loving Americana, country and blues. In 1979 they formed The Blasters with friends Bill Bateman and John Bazz.
Shortly after leaving the Blasters, Alvin joined X as lead guitarist after the departure of Billy Zoom. Alvin amicably left the group to work on a solo project shortly after the recording sessions for their album See How We Are. Alvin is also a member of country band The Knitters (composed mainly of members of X), appearing on 1987's Poor Little Critter on the Road and the 2005 follow-up, The Modern Sounds of The Knitters.
In the early 1980s Alvin, along with fellow Blasters members Bill Bateman and Steve Berlin, performed on several albums with the Los Angeles punk band The Flesh Eaters. These albums are considered precursors to what is now called "deathrock". Alvin also played with the band The Gun Club briefly, playing guitar on "Eternally Is Here" & "The Stranger in Our Town" from the 1984 album, The Las Vegas Story.
Alvin's first solo album, entitled Romeo's Escape (1987) in the United States and Every Night About This Time in England, added a purer country influence along with a larger side-portion of the blues; while the album was critically well received, it didn't fare well in the marketplace, and Alvin was dropped by his American record label, Columbia. Alvin suffered health problems which sidelined him for a while, except for a wild tour with friends Mojo Nixon and Country Dick Montana as the Pleasure Barons, which was described as "a Las Vegas revue from acts who aren't going to be asked to play Vegas." (A live album was released of a second Pleasure Barons tour in 1993.)
In 1989, Dwight Yoakam scored a hit on the country charts with Alvin's song "Long White Cadillac," and Alvin used the royalties to start work on his second solo set, Blue Blvd. Released by the California-based roots-music label Hightone Records in 1991, Blue Blvd received enthusiastic reviews and sold well enough to re-establish Alvin as a significant artist in the roots rock scene.
After releasing Museum of Heart in 1993, Alvin began to turn his attention to acoustic music with 1994's King of California, and over the next several years Alvin moved back and forth between hard-edged roots rock and more introspective acoustic material that still honored his influences (and allowed him to display a greater range as a vocalist).
In 2000, Alvin recorded a collection of traditional folk and blues classics, Public Domain: Songs From the Wild Land, which earned him a Grammy award for Best Contemporary Folk Album.
In 2011, Alvin released the album Eleven Eleven on Yep Roc Records. The album was a return to Alvin's rock roots. According to Rolling Stone, "Though Alvin has often switched between electric and acoustic, almost everything here is plugged in – above all Alvin, an under-recognized guitar hero."
www.davealvin.net
Shenandoah
Dave Alvin Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Shenandoah I long to see you away I'm bound to way across the wide Missouri
Oh Shenandoah I love your daughter away you rolling river
Shenandoah I'll cross your waters away I'm bound to way across the wide Missouri
Cross the wide Missouri
Oh Shenandoah I'm gonna leave you away you rolling river
Oh Shenandoah I long to see you away I'm bound to way across the wide Missouri
Farewell my love I'm gonna leave you away you rolling river
Shenandoah I not deceive you away I'm bound to way across the wide Missouri
Cross the wide Missouri
The song, "Shenandoah" by Dave Alvin, is a traditional American folk song that speaks of longing and desire. The song begins with the singer addressing the Shenandoah river, expressing a yearning to see it once again. The river is described as "rolling" which could signify the constant change and flow of life. The second verse mentions the river's daughter, which could represent a loved one or a deeper love for the river itself. The desire to cross the river represents the desire to overcome life’s obstacles and reach a goal.
The third verse speaks of leaving the river, again, but this time with a sense of finality. The use of the word "Farewell" suggests a deeper emotional attachment that is being left behind. The lyrics convey an emotional journey, speaking of love, longing, and the inevitability of change. The song's repetitive structure reinforces the sense of longing and desire expressed in the lyrics.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh Shenandoah I long to see you away you rolling river
The singer desires to see the Shenandoah river that is constantly on the move.
Shenandoah I long to see you away I'm bound to way across the wide Missouri
The singer longs to see the Shenandoah river and is determined to cross the Missouri river to get there.
Oh Shenandoah I love your daughter away you rolling river
The singer expresses a fondness for the daughter of the Shenandoah river, which continues to flow.
Shenandoah I'll cross your waters away I'm bound to way across the wide Missouri
The artist is planning to make the journey across the Shenandoah river and ultimately across the Missouri river.
Cross the wide Missouri
The artist wants to cross the vast and wide Missouri river to reach the Shenandoah river.
Oh Shenandoah I'm gonna leave you away you rolling river
The singer will leave the Shenandoah river, which keeps flowing endlessly.
Oh Shenandoah I long to see you away I'm bound to way across the wide Missouri
The singer still longs to see the Shenandoah river and reiterates that crossing the Missouri river is a necessary part of the journey.
Cross the wide Missouri
The artist still emphasizes the importance of crossing the wide and mighty Missouri river to reach the Shenandoah river.
Farewell my love I'm gonna leave you away you rolling river
The artist bids farewell to the Shenandoah river, which continues to flow and move constantly.
Shenandoah I not deceive you away I'm bound to way across the wide Missouri
The artist pledges not to deceive the Shenandoah river and repeats the plan to cross the Missouri river to reach the Shenandoah river.
Cross the wide Missouri
The singer emphasizes the need to cross the wide and vast Missouri river to ultimately reach the Shenandoah river.
Contributed by Jacob E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.