Down By The River
Neil Young & Crazy Horse (Live) Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Be on my side, I'll be on your side, baby
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
Down by the river
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

Overall Meaning

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 © Peermusic Publishing, WORDS & MUSIC A DIV OF BIG DEAL MUSIC LLC
Written by: Neil Young

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found

More Versions