1. Steve Youn… Read Full Bio ↴There are multiple artists using the name Steve Young.
1. Steve Young (July 12, 1942 – March 17, 2016) was an American country music singer, songwriter and guitarist, known for his song "Seven Bridges Road" (on Rock Salt & Nails & Seven Bridges Road). He was a pioneer of the country rock, Americana, and alternative country sounds, and also a vital force behind the "outlaw movement" that gave support to the careers of Waylon Jennings, Hank Williams, Jr. and more. Young was also featured in the 1975 Outlaw Country documentary Heartworn Highways. He was the subject of the song "The All Golden" by Van Dyke Parks. Young's first album, Rock Salt & Nails, on A&M, was performed on and supported by Gram Parsons, Gene Clark and other musicians from the 1969 musical community in Southern California.
Steve Young has never fit comfortably into categories. He follows his own musical and spiritual quest, weaving together Southern roots with a wide experience of life, and creating new traditions in American music.
Young was born in Georgia and grew up in Alabama, Georgia and Texas in a family which moved frequently in search of work. By the time he had completed high school in Beaumont, Texas, he was playing guitar and writing songs which incorporated influences of folk , country , gospel, and blues musicians and people like Hank Williams , Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins and others. Once as a teenager he was blown away by seeing Carlos Montoya , a Flamenco Guitarist. He managed to use that too!
By his late teens, Young was back in Alabama, where he established some reputation on the local music scene. However, the wandering spirit soon took over again. He immersed himself briefly in the Greenwich Village folk scene, at a time when Bob Dylan and others were just being noticed.
Returning to Alabama, Steve found that "my New York folk-protest songs didn't fly in the South." Searching for more receptive audiences, he made short forays to California and other locations before moving to the West Coast in 1964.
In California, he worked with musicians like Van Dyke Parks and Stephen Stills, at one point holding a day job as a mailman. A major-label record deal led to a short-lived stint with a psychedelic country-folk band, Stone Country.
Settling into a solo career, Steve Young became an integral part of the movement which defined the California country-rock sound. Appearing on Steve's 1969 classic album, Rock, Salt & Nails were fellow pioneers like Gene Clark, Chris Hillman, Bernie Leadon and Gram Parsons.
Through 12 albums and countless live performances, Steve Young's music has remained fresh and aggressive, with a sense of deepening spirituality, and a consistent intellectual and artistic challenge, to himself and to his audience.
Many of the stars of the music industry have recorded Steve Young songs, and in some cases forged a career image around them. "Lonesome, Orn'ry & Mean," for example, became the signature tune for 'Outlaw' Waylon Jennings. Hank Williams Jr.'s cover of "Montgomery In The Rain" remains a classic.
Certainly the most-covered Steve Young song of all is "Seven Bridges Road," which has been recorded at various times by artists like Joan Baez, Rita Coolidge, Ian Matthews, the Eagles, Ricochet, and, most recently, Dolly Parton.
While Steve Young songs have brought commercial success to others, Young has never been close enough to the mainstream to sustain his occasional brushes with stardom . He has been unwilling to accept the loss of artistic control that the industry expects of its stars.
And while Steve has lived in country music towns like Nashville and Austin, and his songs have had a strong impact on the direction of country music, he rejects the country label for himself. Young is in many ways a cultural dynamic in himself.
Part Cherokee (from his father) by birth, steeped in Baptist fundamentalism as a child, yet attracted to a Zen spirituality, the young man from the South with a nomadic spirit went on to create a unique form of American roots music with a truly global perspective.
Steve Young has literally toured the world. He has performed in many countries of Europe, in Australia and New Zealand, in Micronesia, China and Mongolia, in Egypt and East Africa and beyond. Wherever he has gone, he has filled the dual role of ambassador for American music and student of the cultures of others.
Young's live performances express the depth and power of his vision. He draws on his own songs, on Southern folk songs from varied traditions, on collaborations and on the best of contemporary songwriters such as J.D. Loudermilk, David Olney and others.
Steve passed away on March 17, 2016 at age 73
2. 'Steve Young' is also a pseudonym of Peter Friel, ambient tape musician.
Many Rivers
Steve Young Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
If I ever see Him peeking from his stars
I'll say "Father take me home, I'm together here alone
And I've thrown away the keys to these bars
Oh, Father you've made many rivers
And I've followed them from the mountains to the seas
Now would you make me one that flows beyond the sun
Once I dreamed I saw the Lord in a vision
And he spoke from His flowing beard of silver gray
He said, "My son you've played the game, and you've used a rambler's name
But you never were a true hard-roller anyway."
He said, "My son, I have made many rivers.
And youÕve followed them from the mountains to the sea.
And now I'll make you one that flows beyond the sun
Oh I'll make a ship of grace and set you free
And now I'll make you one that flows beyond the sun
Oh I'll make a ship of grace and set you free
Free
The lyrics of Many Rivers by Steve Young are both beautiful and poignant. The song speaks of an individual's relationship with a higher power, namely, God; and their ultimate desire to be liberated from the struggles and tribulations that they have faced in life. The opening lines of the song imply a longing for salvation, a desire to be released from the confinement of one's current state. The use of metaphorical language, such as the "keys to these bars," is symbolic of the singer's desire to escape their current surroundings, possibly a reference to prison or a situation where they feel trapped. The following lines, "Oh, Father, you've made many rivers, and I've followed them from mountains to the seas," speaks to the singer's understanding of God's power and influence over their life. They recognize that they have been guided by a force greater than themselves and are grateful for the paths that have led them to where they are.
The second stanza speaks of a dream the singer had where they envision a conversation with God. Here, the use of symbolism is again present, with the depiction of God's "flowing beard of silver gray." The use of this image emphasizes the singer's somewhat mystical and mystical relationship with God, further solidifying the song's spiritual motifs. The conversation with God leads to the realization that although the singer has played the game of life, they have never truly lived as they could have. This line speaks to the idea that although we may go through the motions of living, it takes a certain courage and passion to find true fulfillment.
In the final lines of the song, the singer asks God to create a river that flows beyond the sun, further emphasizing a desire for something transcendent, something that goes beyond the normal boundaries of life. The creation of a ship of grace in which the singer can be set free symbolizes a hopeful and optimistic turning point in the singer's life. The use of the term "grace" in this context speaks to the idea of divine intervention, the concept that there is a higher power at work in our lives that gives us the strength and courage to move forward. The song's final line, "Free," serves as a hopeful and uplifting message, encouraging the listener to keep moving forward towards their own freedom and salvation.
Line by Line Meaning
If the Lord ever looks down from heaven
If there is a God and He looks down from the heavens above
If I ever see Him peeking from his stars
If I were to witness God looking down from the stars
I'll say 'Father take me home, I'm together here alone
I'll ask God to bring me back home because I feel alone here
And I've thrown away the keys to these bars
And I've given up control over the things that hold me back from being free
Oh, Father you've made many rivers
God, you have created many paths for me to follow
And I've followed them from the mountains to the seas
And I have traveled those paths from the high points to the low points
Now would you make me one that flows beyond the sun
Would you make a path for me that goes beyond what I can see or comprehend
Would you make a ship and sail it there for me
Would you guide me through that path which I cannot navigate on my own
Once I dreamed I saw the Lord in a vision
Once I had a dream where I saw God
And he spoke from His flowing beard of silver gray
And He spoke to me with His long and gray beard flowing
He said, 'My son you've played the game, and you've used a rambler's name
He said, 'You have traveled and lived a nomadic lifestyle without a true identity'
But you never were a true hard-roller anyway.'
But you were never truly committed to that lifestyle'
He said, 'My son, I have made many rivers.
God said, 'I have created many paths for you to follow'
And you've followed them from the mountains to the sea.
And you have traveled those paths from the high points to the low points'
And now I'll make you one that flows beyond the sun
And now I will create a path for you that goes beyond what you can see or comprehend'
Oh I'll make a ship of grace and set you free
And I will guide you through that path with love and set you free'
And now I'll make you one that flows beyond the sun
And now I will create a path for you that goes beyond what you can see or comprehend'
Oh I'll make a ship of grace and set you free
And I will guide you through that path with love and set you free'
Free
Free from the burden of trying to navigate life alone, and free to follow the path that God has laid out for me.
Contributed by Anna B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Kim Young
on Lonesome, On'ry and Mean
The lyrics posted here are not actually correct and I don't understand why they are not. If you listen to Steve's vocal you will hear what they should be. This song is truly about getting clean and sober, according to what Steve told me!