Clark was born in Monahans, Texas and eventually settled in Nashville, where he helped create the progressive country and outlaw country genres. His songs "L.A. Freeway" and "Desperados Waiting for a Train" that helped launch his career were covered by numerous performers.
He was an accomplished luthier and often played his own guitars. He achieved success as a songwriter with Jerry Jeff Walker’s recordings of "L.A. Freeway" and "Desperados Waiting For A Train". Artists such as Johnny Cash, David Allan Coe, Vince Gill, Ricky Skaggs, Steve Wariner, Brad Paisley, John Denver, Alan Jackson, Rodney Crowell, The Highwaymen, and Kenny Chesney have recorded Clark’s songs. Emmylou Harris has accompanied him on several recordings, particularly his own version of "Desperados Waiting For A Train" on his first album, Old No. 1, released in 1975. Clark is frequently referred to as "The Fifth Highwayman".
Clark has been a mentor to such other singers as Steve Earle and Rodney Crowell. He organized Earle's first job as a writer in Nashville. In the 1970s, the Clarks' home in Nashville was an open house for songwriters and musicians and it features in the documentary Heartworn Highways, an evocation of the songwriter scene in Nashville at that time. (Snapper/Catfish, 1981/2003, with Townes Van Zandt, David Allan Coe, and Steve Earle). Numerous artists have charted with Clark-penned tunes. In 1982, Bobby Bare made it to the Country Top Twenty with Clark’s "New Cut Road". That same year, bluegrass leader Ricky Skaggs hit No. 1 with Clark’s "Heartbroke", a song that permanently established his reputation as an ingenious songwriter. Among the many others who have covered Clark's songs are Vince Gill, who took "Oklahoma Borderline" to the Top Ten in 1985; The Highwaymen, who introduced "Desperados Waiting For A Train" to a new generation that same year; and John Conlee, whose interpretation of “The Carpenter” rode into the Top Ten in 1987.
Steve Wariner took his cover of Clark's "Baby I’m Yours" to No. 1 in 1988; Asleep at the Wheel charted with Clark's "Blowin’ Like a Bandit" the same year. Crowell was Clark’s co-writer on "She’s Crazy for Leavin’", which in 1989 became the third of five straight #l hits for Crowell. Brad Paisley and Alan Jackson cover Clark’s "Out in the Parkin' Lot," co-written with Darrell Scott, on Paisley's Time Well Wasted CD. Jimmy Buffett has covered Clark’s "Boats to Build" and "Cinco de Mayo in Memphis". Clark credits Townes Van Zandt as being a major influence on his songwriting. They were best friends for many years until Van Zandt's death in 1997, and since then Clark has included one of Van Zandt's compositions on most of his albums. In 1995, he recorded a live album with Van Zandt and Steve Earle, Together at the Bluebird Cafe, which was released in October 2001. Other live material can be found on his album Keepers.
In 2006 Clark released Workbench Songs. The album was nominated for "Best Contemporary Folk/Americana Album" at the Grammy Awards. He also toured with Lyle Lovett, Joe Ely, and John Hiatt in 2004, 2005 and 2007.
In May 2008, Clark canceled four concerts after breaking his leg. After two months on crutches, he began to perform again on July 4 at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in Washington, DC where he appeared with Verlon Thompson. On June 20, 2009, Clark announced a new album entitled "Somedays the Song Writes You" which was released on September 22, 2009. It features originals along with a Townes Van Zandt song entitled "If I Needed You".
In December 2011 This One's For Him: A Tribute to Guy Clark (a two-CD set) was released by Icehouse Music.
Guy Clark won the Grammy Award for Best Folk Album in 2014 for My Favorite Picture of You.
On May 17, 2016, Clark's death was announced on his Facebook page.
Clark was married to songwriter and artist, Susanna Clark from 1972 through her death from cancer on June 27, 2012.
Water Under The Bridge
Guy Clark Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Down at the river's edge
All my sins are washed away
Like water under the bridge
I had a little girl and her eyes were blue
She lived just over the ridge
Her love ran deep and her love ran true
Sailin' away on a paper boat
As far as I can go
All the way to New Orleans
And the Gulf of Mexico
River run clear river run clean
River run rough sometime
River run wild and it run serene
Just like a friend of mine
Tie my troubles in a gunnysack
And throw em' over the edge
Sailin' away and I won't be back
Like water under the bridge
You might be saint you might be sinner
You might be Billy The Kid
You might crap out or roll a winner
It's water under the bridge
Guy Clark's song "Water Under the Bridge" is a tender ballad about the simple pleasures of life and the inevitable passing of time. The song describes the singer's baptism in the river and how it symbolized the cleansing of his sins. It also reflects on a lost love and a childhood memory of sailing a paper boat down the river. The river is used as a metaphor for life, with its ups and downs, changes, and constant flow.
The lyrics evoke a sense of nostalgia for an idealized past that can never be recaptured. The singer is acknowledging that life can be harsh, and things don't always work out as we want them to. Still, the river keeps flowing, just as life goes on, and the memories and experiences become “water under the bridge.”
In the last stanza, the song moves towards a more general message, suggesting that everyone has their own story, and no matter what life brings, it too will eventually become water under the bridge. The song becomes a comforting reminder that although life can be complicated, it always keeps moving on.
Line by Line Meaning
They baptized me one fine day
I was baptized by the river one fine day
Down at the river's edge
I was baptized by the edge of the river
All my sins are washed away
All my sins have been cleansed
Like water under the bridge
My sins are gone and left behind, like water that continues to flow under the bridge
I had a little girl and her eyes were blue
I once had a lover with stunning blue eyes
She lived just over the ridge
She lived just over a small hill
Her love ran deep and her love ran true
She loved me deeply and truly
Like water under the bridge
Our love for each other still exists, but is like water that has flowed under the bridge
Sailin' away on a paper boat
I'm sailing away on a flimsy boat made of paper
As far as I can go
I'm going as far as my boat will take me
All the way to New Orleans
I'm going all the way to New Orleans
And the Gulf of Mexico
I'm heading towards the Gulf of Mexico
River run clear river run clean
The river flows with clarity and cleanliness
River run rough sometime
However, the river can be rough at times
River run wild and it run serene
The river flows wildly or calmly, just like a friend of mine
Just like a friend of mine
The river flows in a way that reminds me of a close friend of mine who has both wild and serene moments
Tie my troubles in a gunnysack
I'm bundling up my troubles in a bag
And throw em' over the edge
I'm throwing my bag of troubles over the edge of the boat
Sailin' away and I won't be back
I'm sailing away and don't intend on coming back
Like water under the bridge
I'm leaving my troubles behind, like how water constantly flows under the bridge
You might be saint you might be sinner
Whether a person is considered a saint or a sinner
You might be Billy The Kid
Whether a person is famous or not
You might crap out or roll a winner
Whether a person fails or succeeds
It's water under the bridge
It doesn't matter what has happened in the past, it's all gone and left behind like water under the bridge
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: NIGEL RICHARD CLARK, ANDREW PETER MILLER, MATTHEW PRIEST
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind