While they're only a trio, the Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band deliver a sound that lives up to their name, with thick, bass-heavy, blues-based guitar figures and growling vocals accompanied by muscular but minimal drumming and the metallic percussive scratch of a washboard (making them one of the first rock bands to regularly feature the latter instrument since Black Oak Arkansas). The group was formed by guitarist and singer Josh "Reverend" Peyton, who was born and raised in Indiana, and first exposed to music through his father's record collection, which was heavy on Neil Young, Jimi Hendrix, and Bob Dylan -- all artists with their own take on the blues. When Josh was 12 years old, his dad gave him a Kay guitar, and once he learned his way around the instrument, he got an amp to go along with it. With his brother Jayme Peyton on drums and a mutual friend on bass, Josh formed his first band, Drive-Thru, and began playing parties and dances as Josh developed a greater passion for vintage blues, ranging from the electric blues of icons like Muddy Waters and B.B. King to country-blues artists such as Bukka White and Charley Patton. Not long after finishing high school, Josh broke up Drive-Thru after developing a severe case of tendonitis that made it extremely painful for him to play the guitar. However, after a year working as a hotel desk clerk, doctors at the Indiana Hand Center were able to perform surgery that allowed him to play the guitar again, and around the same time, he met a woman named Breezy, who shared his love of the blues. The two fell in love and eventually married; they decided to form a band, with Josh on guitar and vocals, and Breezy on vocals and washboard. Jayme Peyton rounded out the group on drums, and the Big Damn Band was born. The band hit the road hard -- they play up to 250 dates a year -- and in 2004 cut their first album, The Pork n' Beans Collection, which they self-released, selling thousands of copies at the merch table at their shows. After two more self-released albums (2006's Big Damn Nation and 2007's The Gospel Album), Peyton's Big Damn Band struck a deal with Side One Dummy, a punk label with a fondness for aggressive roots music, and 2008's The Whole Fam Damily was their first release for the label. In late 2009, Jayme Peyton left the Big Damn Band, and Aaron "Cuz" Persinger took over the group's makeshift drum kit (complete with a modified bucket). Two more albums for Side One Dummy followed (2011's Peyton on Patton, with the group covering the songs of blues legend Charley Patton, and 2012's Between the Ditches) before Persinger left the Big Damn Band and Ben "Bird Dog" Bussell signed on as drummer in 2013. In 2014, the Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band signed a new record deal with the relaunched blues label Yazoo Records; their first release for the company, So Delicious, dropped in January 2015. For 2017's self-produced, down-home The Front Porch Sessions, the group signed to Thirty Tigers.
Down By The Riverside
The Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
daar bij de waterkant
daar bij de waterkant
daar bij de waterkant
2maal
Ik vroeg of jij me kussen wou, daar bij de waterkant
daar bij de waterkant
Je kreeg een kleurtje en zei nee, hoe komt u op 't idee
u bent beslist abuis, maar na verloop van nog geen jaar
werden wij een paar, stonden wij samen op de stoep van het stadhuis
The lyrics to The Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band's song Down by the Riverside tell of a first encounter between two people on a waterfront. The lyrics are in Dutch and speak of the singer asking the other person if they wanted to kiss. The other person initially declines but over the course of a year they end up getting married. The song has a cheerful and upbeat rhythm, which contrasts with the initial rejection but ultimately emphasizes the happiness that comes when love is found.
The song does not have a clear narrative structure, but rather highlights the moment of meeting and the eventual outcome of the encounter. The use of Dutch in the lyrics adds an exotic flair to the song, which is typical of the band's style of blending traditional American music with global sounds. The song is not solely about love, but also touches upon the transformative power of time and the unexpected nature of life.
Overall, "Down by the Riverside" is a song that celebrates life's unpredictability and the joy that comes from finding love in unexpected places. Its catchy melody and optimistic tone make it a song that can easily lift one's spirits and bring a smile to the listener's face.
Line by Line Meaning
Ik heb je voor het eerst ontmoet daar bij de waterkant
I first met you by the riverside
daar bij de waterkant
by the riverside
daar bij de waterkant
by the riverside
daar bij de waterkant
by the riverside
2maal
twice
Ik vroeg of jij me kussen wou, daar bij de waterkant
I asked if you wanted to kiss me, by the riverside
daar bij de waterkant
by the riverside
daar bij de waterkant
by the riverside
Je kreeg een kleurtje en zei nee, hoe komt u op 't idee
You blushed and said no, why would you think that?
u bent beslist abuis, maar na verloop van nog geen jaar
you are definitely mistaken, but after less than a year
werden wij een paar, stonden wij samen op de stoep van het stadhuis
we became a couple, standing together on the steps of the city hall
Writer(s): Stephen Peyton
Contributed by Alexis B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.