1) Manassas was a seventie… Read Full Bio ↴There is more than one artist with this name:
1) Manassas was a seventies American rock band formed by Stephen Stills in 1971.
2) Manassas was a musical project by English musician Shaun Blezard that ran from 2001 to 2005
1) Manassas was a seventies American rock band formed by Stephen Stills in 1971. The nucleus of the band had already backed Stills on his July 1971 album Stephen Stills 2, and in May 1972, the double-LP Manassas was released. Down The Road was released in 1973 and in September of that year the band split. Passarelli and Lala went to Stills' backing band. Harris, Perkins and Hillman joined The Souther-Hillman-Furay Band.
2) Manassas was a musical project by English musician Shaun Blezard that ran from 2001 to 2005. Two albums were: vague recollections on lost highway and Live at the Cavendish, both on Hypermnesis records. The albums have since been re-mastered and re-released on Earth Monkey Productions under the new name of Clutter. Manassas .
Down The Road
Manassas Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Standin' in the door
The room was dark and smokey
The smell of death befo' me
Think I'll go down Mama
Go on down the road
See what's goin' on
Lotsa friends and chirren
Layin' in the grass
Hookah makes me crazy
Believe I'm goin' have to pass
Then you find your cocaine
Start to movin' fast
Trip, stumble, fall, freeze up
Hope your body last
Drinkin' plenty good liquor
Bourbon twelve years old
Heroine, just in time
Worst trip that I know
Some people into Jesus
Other people into Zen
I'm just into everyday
I don't hide from where I been
I just go down Mama
Go on down the road
See what's goin' on
Down the road
The song "Down the Road" by Manassas speaks about the journey of a young man who is standing in a dark, smoky room where the smell of death surrounds him. He decides to go down the road, to see what's going on, hoping to find some clarity in life. Upon reaching there, he finds his friends and children lying in the grass, probably high on drugs. He experiences the trip, stumble, fall, and freezes up, hoping his body will last. He also talks about drinking good liquor and trying heroin, resulting in having the worst trip of his life.
The song depicts the various ways people cope with their problems, some seek solace in Jesus, some in Zen, but the singer just wants to experience life through his everyday struggles, openly acknowledging his past mistakes. The song is a reflection of the culture of the 70s, where drugs were rampant and young people were searching for answers in life through hedonistic pleasures.
Line by Line Meaning
When I was a young man
Reflecting on a time from his youth
Standin' in the door
Positioned at the entrance
The room was dark and smokey
A room full of smoke and dark
The smell of death befo' me
There was the scent of death in the air
Think I'll go down Mama
Deciding to venture forth
Go on down the road
Traveling along the path
See what's goin' on
Discovering what's happening
Down the road
Continuing ahead
Lotsa friends and chirren
Friends and children everywhere
Layin' in the grass
Lying in the grass
Hookah makes me crazy
The hookah causes him to become unstable
Believe I'm goin' have to pass
He thinks he needs to skip it
Then you find your cocaine
Coming across cocaine
Start to movin' fast
Beginning to move quickly
Trip, stumble, fall, freeze up
Experiencing a variety of unsteady movements
Hope your body last
Hoping his body will be able to handle it
Drinkin' plenty good liquor
Drinking a lot of good alcohol
Bourbon twelve years old
12-year-old bourbon whiskey
Heroine, just in time
Taking heroin at the perfect time
Worst trip that I know
The most horrible experience he can recall
Some people into Jesus
Some people follow Jesus
Other people into Zen
Other people follow Zen
I'm just into everyday
He's into living day-to-day
I don't hide from where I been
He doesn't hide his past
I just go down Mama
Continuing his journey
See what's goin' on
Discovering what's happening
Down the road
Continuing ahead
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@spindr2
Stephen Stills - guitar, piano, bass, vocals
Dallas Taylor - drums
Chris Hillman - guitar, bass, mandolin, vocals
Joe Lala - percussion, vocals
Al Perkins - guitar, pedal steel guitar, banjo
Calvin "Fuzzy" Samuel - bass, vocals
Paul Harris - piano
Joe Walsh - slide guitar
Bobby Whitlock - keyboards
Sydney George - flute
Jerry Aiello - organ
Charlie Grimes - guitar
Guille Garcia - percussion
Lachy Espinol - percussion
Pat Arnold - vocals
@kathleengooch3619
Oh wow this is deep 🎶🎶🦋
@dafbdirks
still packs a big punch after all these years
@davidwetherbee9949
Manassas was a great band that was obscure to many. This is soulful music extraordinaire !
@jonnybirchyboy1560
Some people lean to Jesus
Some people to Zen
I’m just into everyday
I don’t hide from where I’ve been
@steve58502
Great song from a great artist & great band!!
@timwilliams8343
Are U kidding me? Stephen Stills & Joe Walsh = "Lost Classic"!!!!
@dagnabbit6187
Stephen picked up where he left out on the first side of that Manassas where Stephen blues/rocked the house.
@madeleinehague648
PP Arnold, Joe Walsh, and just a fab band with a fab bandleader. You can't lose!
@sndmann5
Hey, I was in Germany in the army too, when I heard this for the first time and performed it. Small world.
@elkrunlowman
Some of these great songs are still not posted on YouTube. One of my all time favorites is "Do You Remember The Americans" on this same album.