By the Bend of the River

By The Bend of the River is een combinatie van een Ierse folksong en een murder ballad, en laat daarmee weer een ander hoekje van de inspiratiebronnen van Live Poets Society zien. In dit lied komen – bewust gekozen – alle clichés uit de folk voorbij, van kiezelstranden en dennenbossen tot vermeend overspel en roodharige deernen.

De instrumentenkeuze is ook direct voortgekomen uit de folk, met een hoofdrol voor de low whistle. Het lied bouwt zich op als een kroegjam, waarbij steeds meer instrumenten aansluiten.

Luister dit nummer op Spotify of Youtube:

Words & music by JeeWee Donkers & Peter Holen

By the bend of the river
Is where I first saw my love
Her feet wet on the grey pebbled shore.
I was struck by the wind
in her silky red hair
And I knew I would love her forevermore.

By the bend of the river
Is where I asked my love
To be mine, on the grey pebbled shore.
Come with me on my travels
Throughout sinuous pine forests
And love me forever more.

By the bend of the river
Is where I went with my love
Hand in hand on the grey pebbled shore.
I was struck by the thought
That maybe one day
She might step in through another man’s door

No soul was ever told
What the future might hold
So I took destiny into my own hands

By the bend of the river
I took her young life
Laid her down on the grey pebbled beach
I could not live with the thought

That one ill-fated day
She’d be out of my burning love’s reach.

By the bend of the river
I watched the fiery red sky
As the sun dawned on the grey pebbled shore
I saw the wind take her soul
From her silty red hair
To paint her picture forever and more.

JeeWee Donkers: vocal, guitars & mandolin
Peter Holen: flute & low whistle
Ronald Voskens: percussion