Down By The River
Hammond Albert Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Pitched our tent on a patch of ground down by the river
Lit a fire and drank some wine you put your jeans on top of mine
I said: Come in
The water's fine
Down by the river
Down by the river
Said: Come in the water's fine down by the river
Didn't feel too good all night
So we took a walk in the morning light
And came across the strangest sight down by the river
Silver fish lay on its side it was washed up by the early tide
I wonder how it died?
Down by the river
Down by the river
Down by the river, silver fish lay on its side
The doctor put us both to bed
He doesed us up and he shook his head
Only foolish people go
He said
Down by the river
The mighty willows weep
Said he
Because they're dying gradually
From the waste from the factories
Down by the river
Down by the river
Down by the river
The mighty willows weep, said he down by the river
And in time the riverbanks will die
The reeds will wilt and the ducks won't fly
There'll be a tear in the otter's eye down by the river
The banks will soon be black and dead
And where the otter raised his head
Will be a clean
White skull instead
Down by the river
Down by the river
Down by the river, the banks will soon be black and dead
Down by the river
Down by the river
The banks will soon be black and dead, down by the river
The song "Down by the River" by Hammond Alberts tells a story of a couple who take a break from the city life to spend a weekend camping down by the river. The lyrics describe the serene environment of the river and their experience of discovering a silver fish laying dead on the riverbank. The lyrics then take a darker turn, as the doctor warns them of the dangers of pollution from nearby factories that is killing off the wildlife and turning the riverbanks black and dead. The lyrics end with a poignant image of a clean, white skull taking the place of where an otter once raised its head.
The lyrics of the song can be interpreted as a commentary on the destructive impact of industrialization and urbanization on the environment. The river, once a symbol of purity and life, is now a victim of human negligence and greed. The couple's discovery of the dead fish and the doctor's warning serve as a wake-up call to the consequences of our actions on the fragile ecosystem of our planet.
The song uses powerful imagery to convey its message, such as the "mighty willows" weeping and the otter's tears. The use of repetition in the chorus emphasizes the theme of the river as a setting for both joy and sorrow, and the inevitability of the destruction of the natural world if we do not take action to protect it.
Overall, "Down by the River" is a poignant and thought-provoking song that encourages us to reflect on the impact of our actions on the environment.
Line by Line Meaning
City life was getting us down so we spent a weekend out town
We were tired of the city so we went out of town for the weekend
Pitched our tent on a patch of ground down by the river Lit a fire and drank some wine you put your jeans on top of mine I said: Come in The water's fine
We camped by the river and enjoyed wine while sitting by a fire. I invited you to swim with me.
Said: Come in the water's fine down by the river Didn't feel too good all night So we took a walk in the morning light And came across the strangest sight down by the river Silver fish lay on its side it was washed up by the early tide I wonder how it died?
I invited you to swim in the river again. However, the next day we found a dead silver fish near its banks and wondered how it died.
The doctor put us both to bed He doesed us up and he shook his head Only foolish people go He said Down by the river The mighty willows weep Said he Because they're dying gradually From the waste from the factories
The doctor gave us medicine for not feeling well and warned us that only foolish people go near the river where the willow trees are slowly dying due to factory waste.
And in time the riverbanks will die The reeds will wilt and the ducks won't fly There'll be a tear in the otter's eye down by the river The banks will soon be black and dead And where the otter raised his head Will be a clean White skull instead
The riverbanks will eventually die, causing the vegetation to wilt and animals like ducks and otters to leave the area. The river will become polluted, and the otters will be replaced with nothing but a pile of bones.
Down by the river The banks will soon be black and dead, down by the river
The riverbanks will soon be lifeless and unrecognizable due to pollution and environmental decay.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ALBERT HAMMOND, MIKE HAZLEWOOD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Kilisitina Bernhard
City life was gettin' us down
So we spent the weekend out of town
Pitched the tent on the patch of ground
Down by the river
Lit a fire and drank some wine
You put your jeans on the top of mine
Said, come in the water's fine
Down by the river
Down by the river
Down by the river
Said, come in the water's fine
Down by the river
Didn't feel too good all night
So we took a walk in the morning light
Came across the strangest sight
Down by the river
Silver fish lay on its side
It was washed up by the early tide
I wonder how it died
Down by the river
Down by the river
Down by the river
Silver fish lay on its side
Down by the river
Doctor put us both to bed
He dosed us up and he shook his head
Only foolish people go, he said
Down by the river
Why do willows weep, said he
Because they're dying gradually
From the waste, from the factories
Down by the river
Down by the river
Down by the river
Why do willows weep, said he
Down by the river
In time, the river banks will die
The reeds will wilt and the ducks won't fly
There'll be a tear in the otter's eye
Down by the river
The banks will soon be black and dead
And where the otter raised his head
Will be a clean white stone instead
Down by the river
Down by the river
Down by the river
Will be a clean white stone instead
Down by the river
Lijo Jose
City life was getting us down so we spent a weekend out town
Pitched our tent on a patch of ground down by the river
Lit a fire and drank some wine you put your jeans on top of mine
I said: Come in
The water's fine
Down by the river
Down by the river
Down by the river
Said: Come in the water's fine down by the river
Didn't feel too good all night
So we took a walk in the morning light
And came across the strangest sight down by the river
Silver fish lay on its side it was washed up by the early tide
I wonder how it died?
Down by the river
Down by the river
Down by the river, silver fish lay on its side
The doctor put us both to bed
He doesed us up and he shook his head
Only foolish people go
He said
Down by the river
The mighty willows weep
Said he
Because they're dying gradually
From the waste from the factories
Down by the river
Down by the river
Down by the river
The mighty willows weep, said he down by the river
And in time the riverbanks will die
The reeds will wilt and the ducks won't fly
There'll be a tear in the otter's eye down by the river
The banks will soon be black and dead
And where the otter raised his head
Will be a clean
White skull instead
Down by the river
Down by the river
Down by the river, the banks will soon be black and dead
Down by the river
Down by the river
The banks will soon be black and dead, down by the river
Golf & Tesla
what makes this song great: the enormous contrast between the "happy summer love all easy" tune and the very meaningful and concerned lyrics...
Left4Plamz
I want to dance to this song about death and sickness
anna h
Yey 🤗
Hanzey1966
Song written in the Seventies..... and sadly enough its still actual Nowadays....
Kilisitina Bernhard
City life was gettin' us down
So we spent the weekend out of town
Pitched the tent on the patch of ground
Down by the river
Lit a fire and drank some wine
You put your jeans on the top of mine
Said, come in the water's fine
Down by the river
Down by the river
Down by the river
Said, come in the water's fine
Down by the river
Didn't feel too good all night
So we took a walk in the morning light
Came across the strangest sight
Down by the river
Silver fish lay on its side
It was washed up by the early tide
I wonder how it died
Down by the river
Down by the river
Down by the river
Silver fish lay on its side
Down by the river
Doctor put us both to bed
He dosed us up and he shook his head
Only foolish people go, he said
Down by the river
Why do willows weep, said he
Because they're dying gradually
From the waste, from the factories
Down by the river
Down by the river
Down by the river
Why do willows weep, said he
Down by the river
In time, the river banks will die
The reeds will wilt and the ducks won't fly
There'll be a tear in the otter's eye
Down by the river
The banks will soon be black and dead
And where the otter raised his head
Will be a clean white stone instead
Down by the river
Down by the river
Down by the river
Will be a clean white stone instead
Down by the river
Wissenschaften und Praxis Hand in Hand
Thank you!
James Sim
Why do people like you bother texing the words that have already been sung?
Paul Walker
I'm 60 now and I think I was 12 when this came out. I've always loved this song. What a GREAT performance here in this video. Wow!
Kenneth Kleinert
Still one of my top favorite songs.
dexter fundulu
Great 😊👌 song always cheers me up