Rosanne Cash (born May 24, 1955 in Memphis, Tennesee) is an American singer… Read Full Bio ↴Rosanne Cash (born May 24, 1955 in Memphis, Tennesee) is an American singer and songwriter. She is oldest daughter of Johnny Cash and his first wife, Vivian Liberto, born shortly before the release of her father's first single. She is also the stepdaughter of June Carter Cash and the stepsister of country singer Carlene Carter.

Cash released her first single in 1979, a duet with Bobby Bare called "We Don't Need No Memories Hangin' 'Round". Two years later, she had her first country No. 1 (and the biggest commercial hit of her career), "Seven Year Ache". Although Cash was a prominent country star throughout the '80s, alongside fellow decade-defining artists Emmylou Harris, Juice Newton, and Dolly Parton, her music was anything but traditional: She topped the charts with songs written not only by herself, but by her father ("Tennessee Flat Top Box"), John Hiatt ("The Way We Make a Broken Heart"), Tom Petty ("Never Be You") and the Beatles ("I Don't Want to Spoil the Party"), "I Don't Know Why You Don't Want Me", which won her a Grammy in 1985, and "It's Such a Small World", a 1987 duet with Rodney Crowell on his album Diamonds & Dirt, provided further hits. A sampling of these songs and more are included on the compilation Hits 1979-1989. In 1979, she married Rodney Crowell, who was to produce most of her hit records. Their stormy marriage lasted until 1992; its break-up is chronicled in Cash's Interiors and in Crowell's album Life Is Messy. Cash later married John Leventhal, who produced her albums The Wheel, 10 Song Demo, Rules of Travel, and Black Cadillac.

To date, Cash has had more than twenty top 40 country singles, including eleven chart-toppers, but none since 1990, and she has left Nashville in both spirit and body to pursue her artistic vision. Although she had recorded all of her hits for Columbia Records' Nashville division, she released 10 Song Demo for the pop division of Capitol. Cash resurfaced in 2003 with Rules of Travel. The album features guest appearances by Sheryl Crow and Steve Earle, as well as a tune penned by Joe Henry and the Wallflowers' Jakob Dylan. Cash's latest album, entitled Black Cadillac, was released by Capitol Records in January 2006 to critical acclaim. Many of the songs were written by Cash and address the losses (within a 24-month span) of her step-mother, her father, her step-sister (Rosey Nix Adams) and then finally her mother on Cash's fiftieth birthday.

Big River
Rosanne Cash Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Now I taught the weeping willow how to cry,
And I showed the clouds how to cover up a clear blue sky.
And the tears that I cried for that woman are gonna flood you Big River.
Then I'm gonna sit right here until I die.

I met her accidentally in St. Paul (Minnesota).
And it tore me up every time I heard her drawl, Southern drawl.
Then I heard my dream was back Downstream cavortin' in Davenport,

And I followed you, Big River, when you called.

Then you took me to St. Louis later on (down the river).
A freighter said she's been here but she's gone, boy, she's gone.
I found her trail in Memphis, but she just walked up the block.
She raised a few eyebrows and then she went on down alone.

Now, won't you batter down by Baton Rouge, River Queen, roll it on.
Take that woman on down to New Orleans, New Orleans.
Go on, I've had enough; dump my blues down in the gulf.
She loves you, Big River, more than me.

Now I taught the weeping willow how to cry, cry, cry
And I showed the clouds how to cover up a clear blue sky.

And the tears that I cried for that woman are gonna flood you Big River.
Then I'm gonna sit right here until I die.

Overall Meaning

"Big River" by Rosanne Cash is a classic country song that tells a story of love lost along the Mississippi River. The song is written from the perspective of a man who follows the river in search of his lost love. The lyrics are full of vivid imagery, from teaching the weeping willow how to cry to showing the clouds how to cover up a clear blue sky. The man's heartache is palpable as he sings about the tears he's cried for his lost love and how they will someday flood the Big River.

The song's verses detail the man's journey along the river, starting with his first encounter with the woman in St. Paul, Minnesota. He's taken with her Southern drawl, but their romance is short-lived, and soon she's headed downstream to Davenport. He follows her along the river, ending up in St. Louis where he learns she's already moved on. He tracks her to Memphis, but she's already gone, leaving him alone with his heartache.

One of the most intriguing aspects of "Big River" is the way Cash incorporates traditional country themes of love, loss, and heartache into her own unique musical style. Despite being the daughter of country legend Johnny Cash, Rosanne Cash's music is often described as "genre-bending," mixing country with rock, pop, and folk influences. "Big River" is a perfect example of this, with its twangy guitar riffs and catchy melody blending seamlessly with the song's emotional lyrics.

Line by Line Meaning

Now I taught the weeping willow how to cry
I was so sad and upset that I felt like I brought other things to tears.

And I showed the clouds how to cover up a clear blue sky.
I could make the beauty of the day also reflect my sorrow.

And the tears that I cried for that woman are gonna flood you Big River.
I will feel so much sadness for the loss of the woman that the river itself will flood.

Then I'm gonna sit right here until I die.
I am so devastated that I will not leave until the very end.

I met her accidentally in St. Paul (Minnesota).
I met this woman by chance, in a place I never was before.

And it tore me up every time I heard her drawl, Southern drawl.
Her accent and voice made my heart ache and break.

Then I heard my dream was back Downstream cavortin' in Davenport,
Later, I heard she was somewhere else and it was like a dream, something that felt impossible but I hoped so much for it to be true.

And I followed you, Big River, when you called.
I felt like the river was calling me or leading me to where she was.

Then you took me to St. Louis later on (down the river).
The river took me to another city, where I expected to find her.

A freighter said she's been here but she's gone, boy, she's gone.
Someone told me that she was there, but it was too late, she had already left.

I found her trail in Memphis, but she just walked up the block.
I followed her tracks to Memphis, but she was only there briefly and left again.

She raised a few eyebrows and then she went on down alone.
She caused a stir, drew attention, and then left without anybody else.

Now, won't you batter down by Baton Rouge, River Queen, roll it on.
I ask the river to go on and continue its journey beyond Baton Rouge.

Take that woman on down to New Orleans, New Orleans.
I ask the river to take her to New Orleans, where she wanted to go.

Go on, I've had enough; dump my blues down in the gulf.
I tell the river to go on and leave me behind, to let me drown my sorrows in the Gulf of Mexico.

She loves you, Big River, more than me.
I realize that she loves the river more than she loves me.

Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Johnny R. Cash

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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Comments from YouTube:

Sonia Currie

4y↑3

She's killing it!

Steph Allan

5y↑3

I forgot how great Roseanne is...Thanks for an excellent teenage memory. My dad actually allowed me to play you continuously without complaint! Love 💗 your musical Talent. 🤔🙇🏻‍♀️🎤🔥💎👏