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27 Dec 10 - 03:43 PM (#3062117) Subject: Lyr Add: We Are The River From: open mike 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 |
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27 Dec 10 - 04:51 PM (#3062168) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: We Are The River From: Joe Offer Songwriter & source information? Where can we find a recording? Where did you learn it? -Joe- |
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28 Dec 10 - 12:51 AM (#3062352) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: We Are The River From: open mike 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... |
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30 Dec 10 - 10:13 PM (#3064217) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: We Are The River From: Jim Dixon 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. |
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31 Dec 10 - 01:27 AM (#3064268) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: We Are The River From: open mike 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. |
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08 Apr 20 - 09:17 PM (#4044761) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: We Are The River From: GUEST,open mike 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! |
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08 Apr 20 - 10:35 PM (#4044770) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: We Are The River From: cnd 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. |
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12 Apr 20 - 01:29 PM (#4045636) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: We Are The River From: GUEST,Starship Refreshing so's I can find the thread more easily. |
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14 Apr 20 - 03:28 PM (#4046098) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: We Are The River (Flood Time's Here) From: GUEST,Starship 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. |
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14 Apr 20 - 04:17 PM (#4046114) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: We Are The River From: cnd Excellent searching Starship, thanks for sharing |
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14 Apr 20 - 04:21 PM (#4046115) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: We Are The River From: GUEST,Starship 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 |
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14 Apr 20 - 07:20 PM (#4046142) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: We Are The River From: GUEST,jerushko 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 |
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14 Apr 20 - 08:53 PM (#4046152) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: We Are The River From: Joe Offer This is what Mudcat is supposed to be all about. -Joe- |
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09 Apr 23 - 10:10 PM (#4169583) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: We Are The River From: GUEST,Lester 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... |