Berkeley is a New Jersey native, but in the past decade, he's lived in Brooklyn, Atlanta, Berkeley and Corsica. Santa Fe is now home, where he lives with this wife and two young sons. Within months of arriving and still overwhelmed by the palette of reds and browns, the endless open sky, and the frightening lack of water in his new high desert surroundings, Berkeley wrote and recorded his most haunting and personal songs to date. Berkeley's doleful baritone and vulnerable falsetto, called "lustrous and melancholy" by the New York Times, is up front in the mix, showcasing his profoundly elegiac lyrics. Indeed, Berkeley cites Yeats and Melville among his greatest influences. For his unique way with words, the San Francisco Chronicle dubbed Berkeley "a musical poet."
Berkeley's gift as a songwriter and storyteller is that he sees both the tragedy and comedy in life, managing to both reveal the sorrow at the heart of the human condition and the blazing joy and beauty in the same. It's a duality that audiences experience at all of Berkeley's shows as he tells uproarious stories between heartbreaking songs. It's why his fans respond so deeply to his music and why so many look to him to express what they are often unable to articulate. It's also why his voice and lyrics have cross-genre appeal. Berkeley's songs are at once hard and hopeful.
Shenandoah
David Berkeley Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Away you rolling river.
Oh Shenandoah, I long to hear you.
Away, I'm going away,
Cross the wide Missouri.
‘Tis seven long years since I last saw you.
Away you rolling river.
Away I'm going away,
Cross the wide Missouri.
Oh Shenandoah, I love your daughter.
Away you rolling river.
Oh Shenandoah, I love your daughter.
Away, I'm going way,
Cross the wide Missouri.
Oh Shenandoah, I long to hear you.
Away you rolling river.
Oh Shenandoah, I long to hear you.
Away, I'm going away,
Cross the wide Missouri.
Oh Shenandoah, I'll never leave you.
Away you rolling river.
Oh Shenandoah, don't want to leave you.
Away, I'm going away,
Cross the wide Missouri.
David Berkeley's song Shenandoah is a beautiful and poignant reflection on longing and nostalgia. The song tells the story of someone who has been away from Shenandoah for seven long years, but still longs to hear the rolling river and see the land that they love. The lyrics capture the bittersweet feeling of leaving a place that is home, while also acknowledging the pull of the unknown.
The first verse establishes the longing that the singer feels for Shenandoah, with the repetition of "Oh Shenandoah, I long to hear you" creating a sense of restlessness. The second verse reveals that it has been seven years since the singer has seen Shenandoah, which adds to the sense of yearning. The third verse introduces the idea of loving Shenandoah's daughter, which ties the singer's longing to a specific person and adds an element of romance. The final verse reinforces the idea that the singer never wants to leave Shenandoah, even as they prepare to cross the Missouri river.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh Shenandoah, I long to hear you
The singer deeply desires to hear the Shenandoah river once again
Away you rolling river.
The Shenandoah river is rolling and moving on
Oh Shenandoah, I long to hear you.
The singer repeats his longing to hear the river's soothing sound
Away, I'm going away, Cross the wide Missouri.
The artist is departing for Missouri, crossing the river that separates it from the Shenandoah
‘Tis seven long years since I last saw you.
It has been a long time since the artist has been near the Shenandoah river
Oh Shenandoah, I love your daughter.
The singer loves someone related to or associated with the Shenandoah river
Oh Shenandoah, I long to hear you.
The singer repeats his longing to hear the river's soothing sound
Away, I'm going away, Cross the wide Missouri.
The artist reiterates his departure for Missouri, crossing the river that separates it from the Shenandoah
Oh Shenandoah, I'll never leave you.
The artist promises to always stay connected to the Shenandoah river
Away you rolling river.
The Shenandoah river continues to flow on
Oh Shenandoah, don't want to leave you.
The singer expresses his reluctance to leave the soothing sound of the river behind
Away, I'm going away, Cross the wide Missouri.
The artist reminds us once more of his plans to leave for Missouri, crossing the river that separates it from the Shenandoah
Contributed by Vivian P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.