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
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, yeah
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
Dead, dead, ooh ooh
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
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
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, yeah
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
Dead, dead, ooh ooh
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
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"she could drag me
over the rainbow,
send me away
Down by the river
I shot my baby
Down by the river,
Dead, oh, shot her dead."
Neil Young introducing the song "Down By The River":
I'd like to sing you a song about a guy who had a lot of trouble controlling himself. He let the dark side side come thru a little too bright.
One afternoon he took a little stroll down thru a field and thru a forest, 'til he could hear the water running along there. And he met his woman down there. And he told her she'd been cheatin' on him one too many times. And he reached down in his pocket and he pulled a little revolver out. Said "honey I hate to do this but you pushed me too far".
By the time he got back to town he knew he had to answer to somebody pretty quick. He went back to his house and he sat down on his front porch. About two hours later the sheriff's car pulled up out front. It started sinkin' in on him what he'd done. The sheriff walked up the sidewalk, he said "come with me son, I want to ask you a few questions".
As he heard the jail door shut behind him he sat down on a little wooden bench. And he looked out of the door - thru those bars - at this kind of wimpy looking sheriff out there. He started getting mad again and he realized what he had done.
There wasn't nothing he could do about it now though. He just sat down and put his head down and he started thinking to himself "I'm all by myself here, there's nobody on my side....."
thrasherswheat.org/fot/…
When he shoot his baby it means he says goodbye to her (in his head) and the fact that he shoots her is a metaphor. It means that he is over her.
In music it is(was) all about metaphors
The song i prefer to associate with it is Running Dry, rather than Cinnamon Girl or Losing End
This is possibly the best rock song ever written. I :ballsack: NY & Crazy Horse.
Also if you really like this song, you should check out the Buddy Miles version from the album "them changes" he breaks it down and puts the perfect feeling to the song.
Besides, I hear he wrote this song in a state of delirium, along with Cowgirl in the Sand (which while may not be too relevant, I found interesting). I don't think he always has to be portraying one message. I also don't think this particular song is about drugs. But hey, that's just my personal opinion.
My first impression was that this is literally about a disturbed man who committed murder. The stanzas are his thoughts before the murder, the chorus being the repetition of a confession to himself. For those interested in this particular interpretation, listen to Possum Kingdom by the Toadies and you will find a similar story being told.