Down By The River
Neil Young; Crazy Horse Lyrics
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There is no reason for you to hide
It's so hard for me staying here all alone
When you could be taking me for a ride, yeah
She could drag me over the rainbow
And send me away
I shot my baby
Down by the river
Dead, ooh
Shot her dead, ooh
You take my hand, I'll take your hand
Together we may get away
This much madness is too much sorrow
It's impossible to make it today, yeah
Ooh, yeah
She could drag me over the rainbow
And send me away, yeah
Down by the river
I shot my baby
Down by the river
Dead, dead, ooh ooh
Ooh ooh shot her dead
Shot her dead
Be on my side, I'll be on your side
There is no reason for you to hide
It's so hard for me staying here all alone
When you could be taking me for a ride
Ooh, yeah
She could drag me over the rainbow
And send me away, yeah
Down by the river
I shot my baby
Down by the river
Down by the river
I shot my baby
Down by the river
Down by the river
I shot my baby
Down by the river
The lyrics to Neil Young's song "Down By The River" are open to interpretation, but many believe it to be about a man who kills his lover by shooting her down by the river. The song opens with the singer asking for his lover to be on his side and reassuring her that there is no reason for her to hide. He then expresses his desire to leave with her, saying that it is hard for him to stay alone when she could be taking him for a ride. The lyrics suggest that the two of them might flee together to escape a world that is filled with madness and sorrow.
However, about halfway through the song, the tone shifts abruptly. The singer says that the woman could "drag me over the rainbow and send me away," which has been interpreted as a reference to being high on drugs. He then sings, "Down by the river, I shot my baby. Dead." The repetition of the line emphasizes the gravity of the situation and the shock of what has happened. The song leaves the listener to fill in the blanks about the details of the murder.
Overall, "Down By The River" is a haunting and enigmatic song that captures the darkness and mystery of violent crime.
Line by Line Meaning
Be on my side, I'll be on your side, baby
Let's be on each other's side, we don't need to hide anything from each other
There is no reason for you to hide
You don't need to keep any secrets from me
It's so hard for me staying here all alone
It's difficult for me to stay by myself
When you could be taking me for a ride, yeah
We could be together having fun instead of me being alone
She could drag me over the rainbow
She has the power to take me to higher places
And send me away
And show me a world beyond my imagination
Down by the river
Near the river
I shot my baby
I killed my lover
Dead, ooh
She is dead
You take my hand, I'll take your hand
Let's join hands and be together
Together we may get away
We may escape from our troubles if we are together
This much madness is too much sorrow
There's so much chaos and sadness around us
It's impossible to make it today, yeah
It feels like there's no way out of our problems
Down by the river
Near the river
I shot my baby
I killed my lover
Dead, dead, ooh ooh
Lifeless, lifeless
Ooh ooh shot her dead
I killed my lover
Down by the river
Near the river
I shot my baby
I killed my lover
Down by the river
Near the river
Lyrics © Broken Arrow Music, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., WORDS & MUSIC A DIV OF BIG DEAL MUSIC LLC
Written by: Neil Young
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Sean O'Neil
Fantastic version. Crazy Horse, always the perfect match for electric Neil.
Three albums by other bands I know & love that obviously come from this song's influence (as well as that of Cowgirl In the Sand):
Perfect From Now On - Built to Spill
May I Sing With Me - Yo La Tengo
El Moodio - Eleventh Dream Day
Thank you, Neil Young & Crazy Horse, for such great electric guitar music.
Tomás Cullen
Oh how I love Neil's solos. It's as if he's locked in a deadly fight against his guitar for every note that has to come out, and he always barely wins.
paul gallagher
well put.
William Lezotte
yes for sure!
Patricia Ballard
Good old Neil, crazy horse is awesome. A problem a Woodstock, playing Buffalo Springfield, while CSN is trying to dump him for S.Stills. My favorite song, "the damage done ". I Used to be a herion addict
Glen Stacey
Fark yeah tomas👌
anton1949
Gold Star post.
blklvsmttr
Everytime I run into anything by Neil Young it's like a warm all over, stress free, head rush.
warholnyc
It just doesn't get any better. A riveting love song wrapped in a guitarists dream......one of the original jam band songs. Rock and roll will never die!
Greg Crawford
If you don't mind having all the YouTube ad Interruptions then the MUSIC is GOOD
Chance1957
@Greg Crawford pay $4 a month and get rid of the ads.