Lyr Add: We Are The River

Subject: Lyr Add: We Are The River
From: open mike
Date: 27 Dec 10 - 03:43 PM

I have posted this a couple of times,
(in threads about river songs)
but it has not made it into the D,T,

(source unknown)

We are the River

We are the river,
We're gonna wash your levees down
Coming down from the Mountain
We're comin' right down thru your town
We're gonna join with the other rivers
You know, the dam don't stand a chance
Because no dam that man can build will stand
When the sea begins to dance
oh, when the sea begins to dance

We're gonna join with the fishes
and help them on their way
though the man tries to kill them
and frighten them away
From the depths up to the surface
you know the fishes can't be found
Because only water knows where the water flows
when the river's underground
when the river's underground

Maple buds are bloomin'
and the small stream trickles down
snows are a-meltin'
and the river rushes round in town
We'll have no more of your reservoirs
keepin' us from bein' free
because flood time is here my friend
and we're almost to the sea,
you know we're almost to the sea

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: We Are The River
From: Joe Offer
Date: 27 Dec 10 - 04:51 PM

Songwriter & source information? Where can we find a recording? Where did you learn it?

-Joe-

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: We Are The River
From: open mike
Date: 28 Dec 10 - 12:51 AM

oral tradition...
around the camp fire
have posted it twice
before on river song
threads...and no one
had source info....

hoping to find author
no luck yet....

anyone have any background
on this one...

i could sing it and
somehow record it
so the tune could be
made available...

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: We Are The River
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 30 Dec 10 - 10:13 PM

I found this in a PDF document called Pilgrim Warrior Songbook:


WE ARE THE RIVER
Source unknown

We are the river. We're gonna wash your levees down.
We're comin' from the mountains and we're movin' through your town.
We're gonna join with the other rivers and then we'll get our chance
'Cause no dam the man can make will stand when the sea begins to dance.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: We Are The River
From: open mike
Date: 31 Dec 10 - 01:27 AM

yes this chant is one that has been passed on by oral tradition..
sounds similar to some that Libana do..that is the only written reference i have seen to it..and still no attribution. thanks for finding that interesting collection of songs and chants.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: We Are The River
From: GUEST,open mike
Date: 08 Apr 20 - 09:17 PM

ah ha....reconnected with this song....glad i posted it
i lost volumes of songbooks, notes, instruments, recordings
and more when my house burned down in 2018 (for the second time)
great to be able to retrieve may lyrics from mudcat...hooray!!

i still have found this song no where else, and no-one has any
idea of the source...i guess it just sort of floated down the   
river one day!

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: We Are The River
From: cnd
Date: 08 Apr 20 - 10:35 PM

There's a song titled "We Are the River" printed in 1982 Winds of the People (attributed to Sing Out, though apparently published anonymously) on p. 153 according to Folk Music Index. That book, sadly, seems to be rather obscure. Here are a few libraries it is located in: link.

One of them is actually quite close to me--under normal times, I'd offer to go find it for you. I read that the authors of the songs were very studiously recorded, along with copyright information, so if someone does have that booklet, it's certainly got the answers to your questions.


I also found the following (mostly similar) version posted on a WordPress blog. I added line breaks where I felt they were applicable

We are the river and we’ll wash your levees down.
We’re coming from the mountain but we’re moving through your town.
We’re gonna join with the other rivers... then we’ll have our chance;
No dam the man can make will stand when the sea begins to dance.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: We Are The River
From: GUEST,Starship
Date: 12 Apr 20 - 01:29 PM

Refreshing so's I can find the thread more easily.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: We Are The River (Flood Time's Here)
From: GUEST,Starship
Date: 14 Apr 20 - 03:28 PM

We Are the River (Flood Time’s Here) © Rick Arnoldi, 1975 (BMI)


Who-oh-oh . . who-oh-oh. . .
CHORUS:
We are the River, and we’ll wash your levees down
We’re comin’ from the mountain, but we’re moving through yr town
We’re gonna join w/ the other rivers & then we’ll have our chance
No dam the Man can make will stand when the sea begins to dance
it goes Who-oh-ah. . . who-oh-ah . .

The fish swim with us and they help us on our way
But we keep trying to catch them or frighten them away
Plumb the depths or stir the surface, But the fishes won’t be found
Only water knows where the water goes when the river’s underground
CHORUS

Maple buds are red now, and the small streams trickle down
Brooks are running swollen, and the river’s on the rise in town
There’ll be no more of your reservoirs keeping us from moving free
Flood Time’s Here –– and we’re almost to the sea
CHORUS

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

In correspondence with Rick (after locating him via his daughter, Rebecca) he was kind enough to send the lyrics and the following: ‘Thanks for your interest in "We are the River", aka "Flood Time's Here", a song which I wrote in the early 70s and had copywritten in 1975.’ I asked Rick why he wrote the song and he replied, "We lived beside the Natchaug River in Chaplin, Connecticut from August 1967 to January 1971. In the Spring it would shake our old farmhouse. I thought about the river's power and beauty, and about the power and beauty of all the people who were trying to change the world for the better, as we were."

Thank you very much for sharing your work, Rick, and also thanks to Rebecca for making this possible.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: We Are The River
From: cnd
Date: 14 Apr 20 - 04:17 PM

Excellent searching Starship, thanks for sharing

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: We Are The River
From: GUEST,Starship
Date: 14 Apr 20 - 04:21 PM

LOL. I was just about to post to thank you cnd for getting the ball rolling. It was your link to Rebecca's FirstPress blog that opened the door. Many thanks.

Also, here is a link to the song being sung.

https://www.broadjam.com/songs/rickarnoldi/we-are-the-river-vox

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: We Are The River
From: GUEST,jerushko
Date: 14 Apr 20 - 07:20 PM

so happy to know this song is still getting heard, capturing imaginations and bringing folks together–– (around real and virtual campfires ;^) I love the R & B version, but I love the campfire (or kitchen table) version even better. An acoustic version can be heard in the soundtrack for "A Moment in Herstory," Catherine Russo's documentary about the women's movement in Boston in the 1970's. The text was included in a limited edition 1980 Passover Haggadah. it's been performed at prisoners' rights gatherings, at vigils to close leaky nukes, and on marches for climate justice. #WaterIsLife #WeAreTheRIver

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: We Are The River
From: Joe Offer
Date: 14 Apr 20 - 08:53 PM

This is what Mudcat is supposed to be all about.
-Joe-

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: We Are The River
From: GUEST,Lester
Date: 09 Apr 23 - 10:10 PM

This brings back many fond memories, of the 60's and 70's when there was hope for the future, before the white supremacists and fascist gained so my power. Maybe the hope will return...