Call him the next Duane Allman or Jimi Hendrix, but whatever you do, don’t call Marcus King a child prodigy. Sure, the guitar shredder’s talent shimmers with the same resonance as his heroes, but he’s been wielding an axe since he learned to talk – he started playing when he was 2.
King was born into music, gifted with steel-string DNA and two generations of men before him who nurtured the boy’s musical nature. King’s dad, the slyly talented Marvin King, has been a force in Upstate South Carolina’s music heritage for as long as anyone can remember. Marvin’s father and Marcus’s granddad, Bill, played a big part, too.
It was only natural, then, that the boy who got his first guitar (a Squier Strat) at age 7 would land his first paying gig a year later. When he was 11, he joined his father’s Marvin King & The Blues Revival to open for Muddy Waters’s onetime bassist Mac Arnold at The Handlebar, the storied venue in their Greenville, S.C., hometown. Around that time, he also played on his dad’s critically acclaimed album, Huge in Europe. And when he was 15, the Marcus King Band opened for the legendary Johnny Winter.
A particular MKB achievement came with the September 2014 release of Soul InSight. The album’s 12 original tunes, including three instrumentals, showcase a literal lifetime of virtuosity, along with vocals as clear and as soulful as Marvin Gaye’s and as nuanced as Amy Winehouse ’s.
Adding to all that, King knows jazz. That’s because he built on his Southern-rock foundation with lessons from one of the best instrumentalists around: Steve Watson, the formidable guitarist renowned for his performance on TV’s seminal Hill Street Blues theme song.
King still continues to grow, to experiment, to share his passions, although he’s not much of a talker. He lets his guitar do that, using it to tell the same story we all tell, to share emotions we all feel.
“I can say more truthfully in song what I can say in words,” he says. “Music breaks down the awkward barrier.” (For the record, whenever he hears the shopworn “teen angst,” Marcus recoils with the same allergic reaction that he has to “child prodigy.”)
Of the band, Jack Ryan plays drums with a musicianship that brings to mind Ginger Baker and Charlie Watts. Bassist Stephen Campbell drives MKB the same way that Garry W. Tallent keeps Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band on course. Through it all, King gives his mates plenty of breathing room to jam.
The result is a fusion of wildly eclectic genres, offering a live experience as mesmerizing as it is dance-inducing.
King himself lists an intriguing roster of favorites and influences: Duane Allman, of course, as well as Warren Haynes, Little Feat and Aretha Franklin, to name a few, and his band on any given night plays covers from Bob Marley to Lauryn Hill and from Les McCann to Black Sabbath.
That’s King – an engaged and engaging young man with a lifetime of experience, still coming into his own, still carrying his guitar with him, and promising us all a promising future.
Autumn Rains
The Marcus King Band Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Singing sweet songs that wash my pain away
There's Autumn rains up on the mountain
I don't seek shelter 'cause I've always loved the rain
There's Autumn rains down by the river
Singing sweet songs that wash my pain away
There's Autumn rains up on the mountain
She said nobody's ever written a song about me
'Cause they don't see the beauty in the rains that I see
Amber ale, sweet bud and sunshine
Like to listen to the river flow cross my mind
There's Autumn rains down by the river
Singing sweet songs that wash my pain away
There's Autumn rains up on the mountain
I don't seek shelter 'cause I've always loved the rain
I ain't seen you 'round in a month or two you've been hiding
I can't fight these feelings for you I'm fighting
I'm the first to sing this song to
you, but the only man that's going to
All the places that you'll see, you won't stop to think of me
And I'll listen to the river flow cross my mind
And I'll listen to the river flow while it kills my time
The song "Autumn Rains" by The Marcus King Band is a slow, melancholic ballad that expresses the singer's deep love for the autumn rains. The lyrics describe the beauty and soothing qualities of the rain, both down by the river and up on the mountain. The rain is said to wash away the singer's pain and provide a calming effect on his mind. The second verse brings in a character, a woman who feels unappreciated and overlooked, just as the rain is. The chorus repeats the imagery of the rain and its healing properties. The final verse expresses the singer's longing for a woman who has been absent from his life and his inability to forget her, as he continues to listen to the river flow, while time passes by.
The song appears to be about finding solace in nature and its beauty, especially during difficult times. The singer seems to have a deep connection with the rain, as it helps him deal with his emotions and find comfort. The woman in the song represents a lost love and the pain that comes with it. The singer acknowledges his feelings for her but also his realization that she may never come back. The image of the river flowing seems to represent the passage of time and the inevitability of change.
Overall, "Autumn Rains" is a heartfelt and emotional song that uses vivid imagery to paint a picture of the healing power of nature. The rain is portrayed as a beautiful and comforting presence that brings solace to the singer's troubled mind.
Line by Line Meaning
There's Autumn rains down by the river
The rainy autumn weather near the river is present and it makes me feel better because the sounds and the songs of the river soothe me.
Singing sweet songs that wash my pain away
The sweet songs that the river sings to me during the rainy autumn weather have the power to ease the pain I feel inside.
There's Autumn rains up on the mountain
The rainy autumn weather is also present up on the mountain.
I don't seek shelter 'cause I've always loved the rain
I don't seek shelter during the rainy autumn weather because I have always enjoyed being in the rain.
She said nobody's ever written a song about me
Someone told me that nobody has ever written a song about them.
'Cause they don't see the beauty in the rains that I see
The reason nobody has ever written a song about them is because others cannot see the beauty of the rain like they can.
Amber ale, sweet bud and sunshine
I enjoy the simple things in life like good beer, weed, and sunshine.
Like to listen to the river flow cross my mind
I enjoy listening to the sounds of the river and it has a calming effect on my mind.
I ain't seen you 'round in a month or two you've been hiding
I haven't seen you in a while, you have been avoiding me.
I can't fight these feelings for you I'm fighting
I am struggling to fight my feelings for you.
I'm the first to sing this song to you, but the only man that's going to
I am the first one to sing you this song, but I am the only one who will ever sing it to you.
All the places that you'll see, you won't stop to think of me
You will see many different places, but you will not think of me.
And I'll listen to the river flow cross my mind
I will continue to listen to the sounds of the river, letting my mind wander.
And I'll listen to the river flow while it kills my time
I will listen to the river flow and kill some time.
Contributed by Declan E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@Juan08135
There's Autumn rains down by the river
Singing sweet songs that wash my pain away
There's Autumn rains up on the mountain
I don't seek shelter 'cause I've always loved the rain
She said nobody's ever written a song about me
'Cause they don't see the beauty in the rains that I see
Amber ale, sweet bud and sunshine
Like to listen to the river flow cross my mind 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
@mcruckus16
There's Autumn rains down by the river
Singing sweet songs that wash my pain away
There's Autumn rains up on the mountain
I don't seek shelter 'cause I've always loved the rain
There's Autumn rains down by the river
Singing sweet songs that wash my pain away
There's Autumn rains up on the mountain
I don't seek shelter 'cause I've always loved the rain
She said nobody's ever written a song about me
'Cause they don't see the beauty in the rains that I see
Amber ale, sweet bud and sunshine
Like to listen to the river flow cross my mind
There's Autumn rains down by the river
Singing sweet songs that wash my pain away
There's Autumn rains up on the mountain
I don't seek shelter 'cause I've always loved the rain
I ain't seen you 'round in a month or two you've been hiding
I can't fight these feelings for you I'm fighting
I'm the first to sing this song to
You, but the only man that's going to
All the places that you'll see, you won't stop to think of me
And I'll listen to the river flow cross my mind
And I'll listen to the river flow while it kills my time
@kevroh06
If that ending solo doesn’t make you feel something you’ve gotta be dead or dead on the inside. The way this band brings it all together with that ending is absolutely beautiful.
@MetalForLife1970
This dude gives me hope! There's good music out there if you look! Ignore the charts!
@Juan08135
There's Autumn rains down by the river
Singing sweet songs that wash my pain away
There's Autumn rains up on the mountain
I don't seek shelter 'cause I've always loved the rain
She said nobody's ever written a song about me
'Cause they don't see the beauty in the rains that I see
Amber ale, sweet bud and sunshine
Like to listen to the river flow cross my mind 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
@JacopoDeBenedictis1983
This track is the most Allman Brothers-like one I've heard from Marcus King
@lottepeng9691
So perfect 👌🎤🎸🎶
Support from Germany 🇩🇪 ✌️
@BalesR
“I’ll listen to the river flow, across my mind”
“No bodies ever written a song about me, cause they don’t see the beauty in the rains that I see.”
Can’t get no better.
Thank you Toy, and all them boys.
@annhancock4509
I am a fan of everything I have ever listened to by MKB but this is my favorite so far. Just paints the perfect picture. Puts right there and the melancholy pain in the guitar solo is palpable.
@steveoz4382
Me as well.. This man is fantastic
@JacopoDeBenedictis1983
My personal favorite is "where im headed", but I also like this one very much
@mimroses965
Goddamn I am so madly in love with this song. My MK/MKB obsession is never going to wane.