Rush is considered a gifted musician and performer whose shows offer a musical celebration. His distinctive guitar style, wry humor and warm, expressive voice have made him both a legend and a lure to audiences around the world. His shows are filled with the rib-aching laughter of terrific story-telling, the sweet melancholy of ballads and the passion of gritty blues.
Rush's impact on the American music scene has been profound. He helped shape the folk revival in the '60s and the renaissance of the '80s and '90s, his music having left its stamp on generations of artists. James Taylor told Rolling Stone, "Tom was not only one of my early heroes, but also one of my main influences." Country music star Garth Brooks has credited Rush with being one of his top five musical influences. Rush has long championed emerging artists. His early recordings introduced the world to the work of Joni Mitchell, Jackson Browne and James Taylor, and in more recent years his Club 47 concerts have brought artists such as Nanci Griffith and Shawn Colvin to wider audiences when they were just beginning to build their own reputations.
Rush began his musical career in the early '60s playing the Boston-area clubs while a Harvard student. The Club 47 was the flagship of the coffee house fleet, and he was soon holding down a weekly spot there, learning from the legendary artists who came to play, honing his skills and growing into his talent. He had released two albums by the time he graduated.
Rush displayed then, as he does today, an uncanny knack for finding wonderful songs, and writing his own - many of which have become classics re-interpreted by new generations. (It is testimony to the universality of his appeal that his songs have been folk hits, country hits, heavy metal and rap hits.) Signed by Elektra in 1965, Rush made three albums for them, culminating in The Circle Game, which, according to Rolling Stone, ushered in the singer/songwriter era.
In the early '70s, folk turned to folk-rock, and Rush, ever adaptable, saw more room to stretch out. Recording now for Columbia, he toured tirelessly with a five man band, playing concerts across the country. Endless promotional tours, interviews, television appearances, and recording sessions added up to five very successful but exhausting years, after which Tom decided to take a break and "recharge" his creative side at his New Hampshire farm.
Rush returned with a splash in 1981, selling out Boston's prestigious Symphony Hall in advance. Time off had not only rekindled Rush's love of music, it had re-ignited music audiences' love of Rush's music.
He instinctively knew that his listeners were interested in both the old and the new, and set out to create a musical forum - like the Club 47 of the early '60s - to allow established artists and newcomers to share the same stage. In 1982, he tried it out at Symphony Hall. The show was such a hit it became an annual event, growing to fill two, then three nights, and the Club 47 series was born. Crafting concerts that combined well known artists such as Bonnie Raitt or Emmylou Harris with (then) unknowns like Alison Krauss or Mark O' Connor, Rush took the show on the road. From the '80s to the present day, Club 47 events have filled the nation's finest halls to rave reviews, and have been broadcast as national specials on PBS and NPR.
In 1999, Columbia/Legacy released a Tom Rush retrospective album that covered his recorded musical history from 1962 to the present, including tracks recorded for Columbia, Elektra, Prestige and his independent years. Entitled "The Very Best of Tom Rush: No Regrets", the 17-track compilation includes as a bonus a brand new Tom Rush composition, "River Song," which features vocal contributions from Grammy winners Shawn Colvin and Marc Cohn.
A live CD, "Trolling for Owls" released in 2003 and published by Tom's NIGHTLIGHT RECORDINGS, captures a complete performance and includes, for the first time, some of the spoken stories that have endeared him to audiences.
In 2018, at age 79, he released the album "Voices".
River Song
Tom Rush Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The angels know my past
I roll around this big wide world
To find a love to last
I'm weary from my wandering
Lord I'm wounded in a war
I'll lay me low where the willows grow
Listen to that river song
River runs by my door
River runs so sweet
Might never roam no more
Might never roam no more
I've seen the stars falling on the mountains
I've seen the moon rising from the sea
I never ever saw a sight so sweet
As that woman in my arms asleep
They say that honey heals the body
They say that music can soothe the soul
I've learned the heart has reasons
That reason can not know
River runs by my window
River runs by my door
River runs so sweet
Might never roam no more
Might never roam no more
I don't know where that river roams
But she goes around the bend
Just might roll around the great wide world
Come on home again
River runs by my window
River runs by my door
River runs so sweet
Might never roam no more
Might never roam no more
"River Song" by Tom Rush is a song about a tired traveler who is searching for a love that will last. The first verse describes the singer's state - the gypsies here imply the future, while the angels symbolize the past. The person is wandering around the world, seeking true love, but is wounded in a war, metaphorically speaking. Here, war is a symbol of the internal conflict within the person caused by the pursuit of the ideal love. However, the singer is undeterred and finds a place to rest when "the willows grow." He listens to the soothing sound of the river, which serves as a balm to his soul. The chorus takes over, and the river is personified, becoming a character in the song. The river runs by the window and the door of his abode, and this peaceful sight and sound make him realize that he might not roam anymore - he might have found the love he was looking for.
The second verse starts with the first-person point of view of the singer, and he talks about the various things he has seen. He mentions stars falling on mountains, the moon rising from the sea, and how sweet it was to hold the woman in his arms. The next two lines talk about the healing powers of honey and music for the body and soul, respectively. The last line of the second verse brings in the recurring theme - the heart's reasons, which reason can't know. The chorus follows and reaffirms the singer's intention to stay where he is, with a hopeful note that the river might roll around the world and come back to him someday.
Line by Line Meaning
The gypsies know my future
My future is unpredictable and unknown, but the gypsies seem to know what's in store for me.
The angels know my past
My past is something I can't escape, and the angels know all of it.
I roll around this big wide world
To find a love to last
I'm constantly searching the world to find a love that will be with me forever.
I'm weary from my wandering
Lord I'm wounded in a war
I'll lay me low where the willows grow
Listen to that river song
I'm tired from all my travels, both physically and emotionally. I need to rest where the willows grow and listen to the calming sound of the river.
River runs by my window
River runs by my door
River runs so sweet
Might never roam no more
Might never roam no more
The river is a comforting constant in my life, and it's possible that I will never leave its side.
I've seen the stars falling on the mountains
I've seen the moon rising from the sea
I never ever saw a sight so sweet
As that woman in my arms asleep
I've witnessed extraordinary natural phenomena, but none of them compare to the simple beauty of the woman I love sleeping in my arms.
They say that honey heals the body
They say that music can soothe the soul
I've learned the heart has reasons
That reason can not know
There are certain remedies for physical and emotional pain, but the heart has its own reasons that can't be explained or rationalized.
I don't know where that river roams
But she goes around the bend
Just might roll around the great wide world
Come on home again
I don't know where the river takes me, but I might travel the world and then return to its banks, my true home.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: TOM RUSH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind