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Neil Young — Down By The River
Album: Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere
Avg rating:
8

Your rating:
Total ratings: 3603









Released: 1969
Length: 9:10
Plays (last 30 days): 0
Be on my side, I'll be on your side, baby
There is no reason for you to hide
It's so hard for me, staying here all alone
When you could be taking me for a ride

Yeah
She could drag me over the rainbow
And send me away

Down by the river
I shot my baby
Down by the river

Dead, ooh, ooh
Shot her dead, ooh

You take my hand, I'll take your hand
Together, we may get away
This much madness is too much sorrow
It's impossible to make it today

Ooh, yeah
She could drag me over the rainbow
And send me away

Down by the river
I shot my baby
Down by the river

Dead, dead, ooh, ooh, shot her dead
Shot her dead

Be on my side, I'll be on your side
There is no reason for you to hide
It's so hard for me, staying here all alone
When you could be taking me for a ride

Ooh, yeah
She could drag me over the rainbow
And send me away, yeah

Down by the river
I shot my baby
Down by the river

Down by the river
I shot my baby
Down by the river

Down by the river
I shot my baby
Down by the river
Comments (340)add comment
Godlike
its very hard for me to rate a song a 10, except for this one.
 bc wrote:

Why do these things always happen down by the river?


The river is always changing but the violence is always the same
 SchrodingersCat wrote:


Check out Where the Wild Roses Grow by Nick Cave.  Maybe you'll like that better.


Murder Ballads.... one of my favourite genres, and Nick Cave's album titled with that.. an excellent compilation yes! (Crow Jane.. Stagger Lee ... SO GOOD)
i remember a long time ago someone told me this was a story about how he had to shoot his beloved and very, very old horse to put it out of its misery.

of course, since then, i have read that this is NOT at all true  and had read further claims of the story behind this song that make sense, too.
With a nice pair of Sennheiser headphones this goes from 9>>>10!
I can clear a room with this  9 minute version.  Kids these days.  When they bugger off it's just me, Neil and Crazy Horse.  The rhythm section and vocals coming down the middle, Danny on the left speaker, Neil on the right.  Just like it was 50 years ago on the old stereo in the smoky basement.
 bc wrote:

Why do these things always happen down by the river?


Always?   As opposed to, instead of, in addition to...? 
 ExpatLarry wrote:

For me this is Neil at his weird-style anti guitar hero best. He just turns it up and plays the shit out of it. YOU may not like what comes out, but it is raw and real and in my worthless opinion, pretty great.


One of Neil's best three-note guitar solos!
For me this is Neil at his weird-style anti guitar hero best. He just turns it up and plays the shit out of it. YOU may not like what comes out, but it is raw and real and in my worthless opinion, pretty great.
This song is just too short!
 bc wrote:

Why do these things always happen down by the river?



Moisture.
 coloradojohn wrote:

Probably the BEST song to jam to with HeadPhones on and turned to 11...somewhere in there, the barriers melt and the two hemispheres of the brain cross-fire in synch and when the spine-shiver signals from the body trigger proprioception in the cerebellum, that tingle of endorphin release comes and I know I have arrived to where Neil and Crazy wanted to put me to receive their peculiar brand of shaman-type insight, and man, it is ALL a matter of vibration and all a vibration of matter, and, true, there is this illusion that everything actually exists, but there is also this eternal and infinite plasma dance going on that is beyond mere perception and Neil knows it and shows it and has always taken it up and shared it out so well...




and I thought it just me who came up with postulations like this. 

Neil for leader of the human condition!
 rbrise wrote:


American or Canadian...national treasure?


Yes
Perfect in every way-sounds intoxicating on vinyl
 freddyfender wrote:

Way to go Neil, telling Spotify to f-off regarding that dim-witted, meat-headed, roid-raging Joe Rogan!




Actually, it's Young doing the raging as though he's on 'roids, not Rogan... in case you weren't paying attention.
 tm wrote:

Hey Jelani - fuck off you Rogan loving POS.




That's very liberal(party of tolerance) of you. Cheers!
 kingart wrote:

Beethoven played guitar ... ? Might you mean Camper Van Beethoven? 



 Johnny-smooth wrote:

One of my fav NY songs/pieces. Such emotion in that guitar - reminds me of Beethoven.


Beethoven played guitar ... ? Might you mean Camper Van Beethoven? 
 todbothom wrote:

As a guitarist, no one sounds like Neil Young. His style is unique just like a few other greats. Another national treasure.



American or Canadian...national treasure?
 newbolddrive wrote:

I spent hours listening to this song while studying for my high school exams in the 80's. I'd cue up Decade on my parents' turntable and just play and flip, play and flip, for hours.  


I spent hours listening to this song while studying for my high school exams in the 80's 70's. I'd cue up Decade this album on my parents' turntable and just play and flip, play and flip, for hours.

Probably didn't do the flip/flip/flip part, but your point is well made.
great stereo
Hey Jelani - fuck off you Rogan loving POS.
Could have been a pilot episode of Twin Peaks if JD Sallinger had written the script.
 jbuhl wrote:

Up rating cause Rogan is a POS.



Rogan is a POS, only if  you are something worse.
 sanmiamcairo wrote:

Down rating this song because of Young's Joe Rogan drama.




Giving you ten thumbs up on that!
Thank you Neil.....A fine Canadian Lad.
 mgtom wrote:

I like Neil's voice so much better these days.
Perhaps I've grown accustomed to it.
Perhaps I just appreciate it more.
Perhaps I've heard Bob Dylan sing too much.



Bob Dylan is NOT his voice!
 sanmiamcairo wrote:

Down rating this song because of Young's Joe Rogan drama.


Up rating cause Rogan is a POS.
 mrarchitekt wrote:
i really like it, but a three minute shortage wouldnt hurt

Here I'm asking for a three minute (or more) overage.  
Down rating this song because of Young's Joe Rogan drama.
i really like it, but a three minute shortage wouldnt hurt
One of my fav NY songs/pieces. Such emotion in that guitar - reminds me of Beethoven.
I'm showing my support for Neil Young's principled stand against Spotify (which I myself have binned off) by awarding him 10 automatically.  Joni Mitchell always gets a 10 on artistic merit anyway.
I've never been a fan of Mr Young, but hearing him describe Joe Rogan as a "sentient tub of whey powder" has given me an appreciation for his talent.
I spent hours listening to this song while studying for my high school exams in the 80's. I'd cue up Decade on my parents' turntable and just play and flip, play and flip, for hours.  
Way to go Neil, telling Spotify to f-off regarding that dim-witted, meat-headed, roid-raging Joe Rogan!
Unmistakeable!
Unmistakably awful, that is.
Any time I hear a track by this man, exclusively, I am compelled to turn RP OFF
I do very much like the jam in the middle. Just spectacular.
jump in the river Neil. 
I saw Neil Young at an outdoor concert a year after this record came out.
The dog on the cover was sitting on the stage!
Made me happy
stop! just stop the whiney noise of Niel Young!! please ... 

I won't DV but put him in the bin with Bob Dylan ...
God I love this guys guitar playing. He does what too many other people are afraid to do, be himself. 
 ziggytrix wrote:

"You'll have plenty of time to shoot your old lady... when you're living in a van down by the river!"

- Matt Foley, motivational speaker



Too funny!
 todbothom wrote:

As a guitarist, no one sounds like Neil Young. His style is unique just like a few other greats. Another national treasure.



Yes, for both the USA and Canada!
"You'll have plenty of time to shoot your old lady... when you're living in a van down by the river!"

- Matt Foley, motivational speaker
I was pleasantly surprised to see the high ratings. I mean, this song was so simple I used to play it. But of course, not like this. 

Clean production, unpretentious, I don't know what it is, but it does work. 
 Ando wrote:


My new porn name.



I prefer master debater.
 coloradojohn wrote:

Probably the BEST song to jam to with HeadPhones on and turned to 11...somewhere in there, the barriers melt and the two hemispheres of the brain cross-fire in synch and when the spine-shiver signals from the body trigger proprioception in the cerebellum, that tingle of endorphin release comes and I know I have arrived to where Neil and Crazy wanted to put me to receive their peculiar brand of shaman-type insight, and man, it is ALL a matter of vibration and all a vibration of matter, and, true, there is this illusion that everything actually exists, but there is also this eternal and infinite plasma dance going on that is beyond mere perception and Neil knows it and shows it and has always taken it up and shared it out so well...



and the prize for the longest sentence goes to...
go cat go

you see...neil is a crazy cat
 dwlangham wrote:

I'm growing cool toward songs about shooting women. 



Check out Where the Wild Roses Grow by Nick Cave.  Maybe you'll like that better.
 dwlangham wrote:

I'm growing cool toward songs about shooting women. 



Two songs I like but make me cringe-- 

This song and "Bigmouth Strikes Again" by The Smiths
I'm growing cool toward songs about shooting women. 
 idiot_wind wrote:

master piece



My new porn name.
master piece
 nomnol wrote:
My favourite Neil Young song. It just is. 10
 
It is my favorite NY+CH song for sure. A 10! But makes you wonder, if NY didn't have a creative outlet for his prodigious talent, what he'd be doing with that gun on a regular basis. I mean, look at that face! 
Oh, my God. ---- What kind of wonderful, awesome, crazy music is this? --- Is there still something like that today? Say?
 wildmanfromSB wrote:

this and Southern Man 

 
As a guitarist, no one sounds like Neil Young. His style is unique just like a few other greats. Another national treasure.
This album turned my head around age 18...thank you Neil
 jnhashmi wrote:
What in the world is this song about? The first verse, bridge, and chorus don't fit together.
 Always had a thought the guy wanted another woman to believe in him...and get him out of a jam until she figured out he was a f'g lunatic. Then another trip to a river....
 MrStatenIsle wrote:
Hey Neil, where you goin' with that gun in your hand?
 
I almost made a similar comment about the Little Green Cars tune...one of the things I like about RP
What in the world is this song about? The first verse, bridge, and chorus don't fit together.
Oh it was this song that elevated Neil Young from pop to deep musical artist in my book! One of my most fav songs. Just soooo good. Boy. He’s got a thing with women.... like song man needs a maid.
 thewiseking wrote:
Perhaps the most iconic bad guitar solo of all time
 
How I imagine it would sound if someone had a petit mal seizure while holding an electric guitar.
 thewiseking wrote:
Perhaps the most iconic bad guitar solo of all time
 
Define bad, define iconic, define guitar solo. Define yourself.  
 ScottishWillie wrote:

I have always rather liked the separate instruments in L & R channels. It used to happen in the early days of stereo before the rules were so rigid. I’m kinda sorry it doesn't seem to happen any more. 


 
I agree.
My Love Took Me Down to the River (Little Green CArs) to Down By the River (Neil Young)
Crime solved.
Perhaps the most iconic bad guitar solo of all time
It’s a big 10 🎸😊
Anyone had a listen at the new  (old) release? Homegrown? Classic Neil apparently. Looking forward to giving it a listen this weekend. 
This whole album is amazing.
I think all the musicians playing should get a gold star for that one!
Today Bill talked about how much he dislikes the storyline of the song, but also how much he loves the song anyway. Which is just exactly how I feel every time I hear the song. Thanks for the validation, Bill!!
 Matt_Maurer wrote:
Young's apparent 'vulnerable' vocals and depth of observation give him unique status as a core talent of those born in the 50's to the 70's. Creatively crafted and well versed.
 
I totally agree. I used to despair that today seemed bereft of poet-warriors like Dylan, Young, Springsteen, Johnny Cash, Cockburn , U2 (I apologize for my massive omissions on this list) appeared to be the last of our poet-leaders. But perhaps the Old Testament had it down already "there is nothing new under the sun". Are there  new sentiments, expressions or observations that can't be found already noted in text or in voice? Today's poets can only fill the ever-smaller gaps instead of pioneering new territory? 
 nomnol wrote:
My favourite Neil Young song. It just is. 10
 
this and Southern Man 

Young's apparent 'vulnerable' vocals and depth of observation give him unique status as a core talent of those born in the 50's to the 70's. Creatively crafted and well versed.
 philbertr wrote:
Could you get away with those lyrics today...domestic violence awareness and all?
 

Awareness? Yes, there's more awareness.  Enough awareness to  make domestic violence disappear? No.  Every day news articles or situations when a dumb ass slaps or shoots his wife or the kids.  How does NOT singing about it in 2020 somehow show progress over the era of a song in 1970? 

And Neil, btw, is now an American citizen. Or, as he says, a Canarican. 


https://tinyurl.com/v7qgtr6
What a whiny, draggy voice!
Could you get away with those lyrics today...domestic violence awareness and all?
 coloradojohn wrote:
Probably the BEST song to jam to with HeadPhones on and turned to 11...somewhere in there, the barriers melt and the two hemispheres of the brain cross-fire in synch and when the spine-shiver signals from the body trigger proprioception in the cerebellum, that tingle of endorphin release comes and I know I have arrived to where Neil and Crazy wanted to put me to receive their peculiar brand of shaman-type insight, and man, it is ALL a matter of vibration and all a vibration of matter, and, true, there is this illusion that everything actually exists, but there is also this eternal and infinite plasma dance going on that is beyond mere perception and Neil knows it and shows it and has always taken it up and shared it out so well...
 
WOW!  Talk about a understanding of reality - you got it!!!
coloradojohn wrote:
Probably the BEST song to jam to with HeadPhones on and turned to 11...somewhere in there, the barriers melt and the two hemispheres of the brain cross-fire in synch and when the spine-shiver signals from the body trigger proprioception in the cerebellum, that tingle of endorphin release comes and I know I have arrived to where Neil and Crazy wanted to put me to receive their peculiar brand of shaman-type insight, and man, it is ALL a matter of vibration and all a vibration of matter, and, true, there is this illusion that everything actually exists, but there is also this eternal and infinite plasma dance going on that is beyond mere perception and Neil knows it and shows it and has always taken it up and shared it out so well...

That's why Zuma was such a big hit for me and then when he toured it...... Another plane. and the dreams ({#Drunk} ) were out there
Probably hadn't heard this in decades - loved it then, love it even more now - transcendent.
 bc wrote:
Why do these things always happen down by the river?
 
Not sure, but roads and parking lots "down by the river" always give me the willies.  
 ziakut wrote:
I'm a NY fan...but this guitar solo is grating on my nerves. Ugh.
 

Some contradiction here? 
Why do these things always happen down by the river?
gah!  make it stop... thank goodness we have skip track now.  so.SICK.of NY.
 unclehud wrote:
Oh how I love this song!  And yet, it provides a prime example of Neil's "one-note guitar solos".  

Maybe that's why I love it so?  The simple hammering that is considered a Neil Young solo.  Maybe.  Maybe it's the quiet bass groove that changes ever so slightly, but is hypnotically clear and unwavering ... 
.
.
.

..... and Everybody Knows This is Nowhere.
 
Not only does it play with the bass line, but it also interacts greatly with the variations that the rhythm guitars are throwing down.  And yes, it famously starts out with that one note, but it quickly moves into greatness.

I agree with the other commenter that said this is best enjoyed on cranked headphones.


This is one of those songs that stops me in my tracks of whatever I'm doing and forces me to just listen.


BCarn wrote:Over rated whiner.


 
On_The_Beach wrote:

Don't be so hard on yourself.
You can't help it if your taste in music sucks.
 

LOL....my taste is AWESOME! But hey, if you like whiners, your option.
NY is a whiner.
but why did he shoot his baby?
Hey Neil, where you goin' with that gun in your hand?
huh?  all  I can say is this jams!
 
coloradojohn wrote:
Probably the BEST song to jam to with HeadPhones on and turned to 11...somewhere in there, the barriers melt and the two hemispheres of the brain cross-fire in synch and when the spine-shiver signals from the body trigger proprioception in the cerebellum, that tingle of endorphin release comes and I know I have arrived to where Neil and Crazy wanted to put me to receive their peculiar brand of shaman-type insight, and man, it is ALL a matter of vibration and all a vibration of matter, and, true, there is this illusion that everything actually exists, but there is also this eternal and infinite plasma dance going on that is beyond mere perception and Neil knows it and shows it and has always taken it up and shared it out so well...
 

 coloradojohn wrote:
Probably the BEST song to jam to with HeadPhones on and turned to 11...somewhere in there, the barriers melt and the two hemispheres of the brain cross-fire in synch and when the spine-shiver signals from the body trigger proprioception in the cerebellum, that tingle of endorphin release comes and I know I have arrived to where Neil and Crazy wanted to put me to receive their peculiar brand of shaman-type insight, and man, it is ALL a matter of vibration and all a vibration of matter, and, true, there is this illusion that everything actually exists, but there is also this eternal and infinite plasma dance going on that is beyond mere perception and Neil knows it and shows it and has always taken it up and shared it out so well...
 

THAT's a great sentence that might never be approved in writing class .
He made CSN a better foursome.
I'm a NY fan...but this guitar solo is grating on my nerves. Ugh.
{#Devil_pimp}zesty! hittin his stride in this era love it
I like Neil's voice so much better these days.
Perhaps I've grown accustomed to it.
Perhaps I just appreciate it more.
Perhaps I've heard Bob Dylan sing too much.
 narainmg wrote:
Guys, I know you love Neil Young so it breaks my heart to say this - he is a *horrible* singer.... but yeah I love him too. 

 
This is a debate that will have no end and has been going on since NY became a thing. The same can be said for his guitar playing. Love him too--at least this period of his career. 
 Rockit9 wrote:

Why... have you never bin dragged over the rainbow?
 
😎
 Prius wrote:
Good music but the lyrics are dreadful.
 
Why... have you never bin dragged over the rainbow?
now this is neil young! 10  awesome follow up to self title album.  
As a teenager this music fit the bill   it suited me well.  I marveled at the stereo separation coming from my system
 drictor wrote:

Yes, that.  This is one of those songs that stops me in my tracks every time.  Seems so simple on the surface but it just sucks you in and holds you there.  And it helps if you were kind of raised on it.

 
I couldn't say I was, but rest assured, it doesn't unhelp me. Loved this song right from the start when I first heard it, well into my thirties, if my memory doesn't fail me.
Good music but the lyrics are dreadful.
McKendree Spring did a really cool version of this song. 
To me  7 - Quite Likeable    almost 8
This my idea of a 'feelgood' song. I'm such a total fan even of the light and colors of that cover pic. Kudos to my older brother for being the reason I heard music from those years at the age of ten.
First thing I think of when I see the words Down by the River
On_The_Beach wrote:
https://i.makeagif.com/media/9-13-2015/hKTbGL.gif
(Sorry, couldn't resist. Arguably Farley's best bit.)

 


Poor choice, on the day.
 Stephen_Phillips wrote:
So many things happened "down by the river" that they inspired so many songs of that title.

Those rivers have a lot to answer for! 

 
Psalm 137 is one of the oldest songs about being "down by the river".
Obviously not a song about gun control.
 Stephen_Phillips wrote:
So many things happened "down by the river" that they inspired so many songs of that title.

Those rivers have a lot to answer for! 

 
Well the river reflects time: past, present and future, and all are one at the same time.
In a recent BBC Radio 4 interview, Noel Gallagher was asked "do you consider yourself a good singer" paraphrasing his reply, he said, yes, in the same way that Neil Young is the best singer of a Neil Young song, I am the best singer of my songs. Very insightful in my opinion. 
So many things happened "down by the river" that they inspired so many songs of that title.

Those rivers have a lot to answer for! 
 ico wrote:
bass line stolen from Donovan - Season of the Witch 1966 :)

 
No; it's similar (especially the tempo), but it's not the same bass line - this one has more notes and variations for one thing.  Both songs have I - IV progressions in the verses, though this one is in a minor key; there are only so many bass notes to play between two chords.  Learn to play an instrument or learn some scales before you recklessly accuse musicians of "stealing".
This is so good to my ears.  I love the simplicity and rawness of Crazy Horse in the background.  I was fortunate to see Neil and Crazy Horse a few years back play one of their last concerts.  Long live Rock and Roll.  
bass line stolen from Donovan - Season of the Witch 1966 :)
I taught myself to study for high school exams by listening to Decade over and over and over again in my parent's living room. I'd load both LPs in their record player and just keep flipping them over and over for hours. Boy does this take me back.
 narainmg wrote:
Guys, I know you love Neil Young so it breaks my heart to say this - he is a *horrible* singer.... but yeah I love him too. 

 
That's funny, since Neil has been nominated for the Juno Awards Male Vocalist of the Year 12 times between 1979-1997.

Let's stop peddling the silly memes.