DOWN BY THE RIVERSIDE — Music Themes

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RIVER — Ibeyi Lisa-Kaindé — Naomi Diaz
3min. 46sec.

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DEEEP RIVER BLUES — Doc Watson
2min. 38sec.

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LISA OF THE LIGHT chose DOWN BY THE RIVERSIDE as the Music Theme for this week
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GON’ LAY DOWN MY BURDEN, DOWN BY THE RIVERSIDE  — The Carper Family — Red Tail Ring — The Foggy Hogtown — Bluegrass Jamboree
4min.

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The Wonderful Willow has chosen the Music Theme for next week.  It  is THE EIGHTIES!  Hmmm, it was an era, but were you even born yet?  Do you remember life before birth?  What do THE EIGHTIES! signify to you?

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Kuwômôyush k’hpáyash — Joanne Shenandoah
Peace and Power
3min. 28 sec.

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When I was a child, no matter how far away we traveled, my Mother would always gather us children and return to Prairie Creek to renew herself.

Prairie Creek was a deep slow-moving black water river filled with alligators and sometimes choked with invasive hyacinths, gorgeous with their purple blooms and glossy green leaves. Prairie Creek was always changing, always beautiful, much like my Mother.

Mother loved this ancient river, not to swim in, not even to trail hands in, and never to get too close to the banks.  In those days alligators particularly liked dogs and children for snacks.  Alligators, over sixty years ago, were also bigger than they are now.  Mother loved Prarie Creek, partly because the river was dangerous, with its water moccasins and gar fish and alligators, and alligator snappers (turtles), but also there were good eating fish, beautiful birds, wonderful plants and trees.

After good rains the water was clear and we could see the waving grasses and sandy bottom. During drier times the water was a deep dark red with tannic acid.  Mother took us children in the row-boat, when we were small, and would drift and fish.  Or more usually she would row up river and drift back.   She loved that it was soothing, but also that she had to stay alert.

Sometimes Mother would  go alone at night to gig frogs, particularly dangerous as alligators, and most other predators, do most of their hunting at night, too.  The next day she would fry frogs legs.  I could never eat them as they looked too much like Little People, to me.
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RIVER DANCE — Departum — Lisa Gerrard , Marcello De Francisci
4min.

Angie Fotopoulou
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Perhaps Prairie Creek renewed us children as well as Mother?
CHILDREN OF THE RIVER — Secret Garden
3min. 58sec.

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For my Mother the times she seemed most happy were in Grandfather’s row boat on Prairie Creek or sitting by a small fire at Little Bear Lake.   These few moments, of her too short life, were when I was allowed to see her True Self.
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BOAT ON THE RIVER — Styx
3min. 14sec.

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I was qualified as a Life Saver, just before I turned twelve, yet I longed not to save my own life, but to stay forever beneath the deep water where no one could find me. I wanted to sleep forever with my green eyes eternally open watching green water flow, never again closed and vulnerable; my long hair tangled with water grasses, holding me, keeping me invisible, unreachable. Safe.
OPHELIA —Kula Shaker
3min. 09sec.

“…I will lay beside the river now,
Forever and a night
Forever and a night…”
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I was taught as a child, when we lived “Out West” that if I should become lost, to go downhill until I found water, then to keep following the current down hill. I was not told that it is possible to be lost on the RIVER as well. Nor was I told that a RIVER might be more than a RIVER.
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LOST ON THE RIVER –The New Basement Tapes — Rhiannon Giddens — Bob Dillon, Rhiannon Giddens, Marcus Mumford
3min. 48sec.

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Much of the water in the world is now contaminated, not only with natural parasites and toxins, but also with human introduced chemical run-off and tailings from man-made industrial enterprises including factory farms, mining projects, radioactive waste and petro-chemicals and coal industry wastes, as well as with human bodily effluvia, medical waste, and even kitchen and household wastes of seven plus billion people.  In some monstrous cases the water has been deliberately poisoned.
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DIRTY FILTHY SOUTH — Rising Apalachia — Leah Song — Chloe Smith — Scott McKibben Photography
3min. 43sec.

This song and video offer a lyrical analysis of our southern regions and the onslaught of environmental abuses laid onto sacred lands. The lyrics touch on the Gulf coast oil spill, Mountain top removal, and fracking, and beg the question WHY is this south is so “filthy Dirty”. This video is filmed in Lake Verett, LA, thanks to Eye of the Crow videography, and was designed in conjunction with the Gulf Restoration Network at http://www.heathygulf.org. Thank you to everyone who takes the time to learn about land restoration, and preservation.   Rising Appalachia
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In the end, not my Mother, not her dreams, not her memories, not even her beloved sanctuary BESIDE THE RIVER survived.  Beautiful Prairie Creek is no longer pristine, it has been dammed and some areas are permanently flooded.  There are subdivisions with paved streets, street lights,  and two car garages, all THINGS Mother aspired to possess.  She achieved that aspiration, for a while, but it was as sweet as bitter ashes.
BITTER ASHES — Blood of Angels — Nox Arcana — Michelle Belanger
3min. 48 sec.

Standing here stripped of everything
I have lost my faith it’s all bitter ashes
Standing here as the waters rise
All my memories swirling down the gutter
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TO BE WASHED IN THE RIVER IS A SYMBOLIC CLEANSING OF THE SOUL
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“Won’t do me no good washin’ in the river …”
BARTON HOLLOW — Civil Wars — Joy Williams — John Paul White
4min. 14sec.

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The RIVERSIDE has been built up with civilization and the rivers themselves savaged by humans, even as we humans savage ourselves.
BOAT TRIP TO NEW ORLEANS — Twelve Years A Slave (OST) — Hans Zimmer
5min. 15sec.

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WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING DOWN BY THE RIVERSIDE?
LISA OF THE LIGHT:  Music Theme – Down By The Riverside
JOHNNY: 
MAGICAL MADDIE:    ♪”Down by the riverside” – Music Themes  
ANTANYA OF THE FOG:
WONDERFUL WILLOW:
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Now I shall pass over the RIVERSIDE out into the deep RIVER and
JOURNEY AWAY  —  Whale Rider (OST) — Lisa Gerrard
3min. 35sec.

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51 comments on “DOWN BY THE RIVERSIDE — Music Themes

  1. Lisa says:

    Barton Hollow is one of my favorite songs ever by the way.

    Liked by 1 person

  2. willowdot21 says:

    Wonderful as ever !

    Liked by 2 people

    • Thank you Willow. xxx

      Liked by 1 person

    • Oh my goodness …. the shoulder pads!! 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

      • willowdot21 says:

        Yes 80s/ 90s fashion !!!

        Liked by 1 person

        • Big telephones with the antennae. Funny how some details are like a time-machines. Typewriter keys tapping, and the carriage bell, word processors, food packaging. fender lines and chrome on cars , men’s hairstyles, lapels and tie width, facial hair … of course technology, and furniture …

          Like

          • willowdot21 says:

            It is endless! maybe a future theme? xx

            Liked by 1 person

          • Do you want to choose a theme? It is my turn, so this would be a good time for you to take a turn, if you want, and I’ll have a go next week. Otherwise it will be another four weeks. ??? I will be back later tonight or in the morning .. XXX

            Like

          • willowdot21 says:

            Are you sure you don’t mind, I know I can’t always deliver but it would be fun! If it is really okay lets go for the 80’s . Thanks Bear. Which day is it for next Thursday? xxxxx

            Liked by 1 person

          • Thursday arrives on the same day every week. 🙂 Sorry, I couldn’t resist. ❤

            I'll edit my announcement blog post now … then I gotta go get the official word and pamphlets to man an agent orange information table at a veteran's something or other, in March. I'll know more later. Me! Ha! I marched in the Moratorium in Washington D.C. I was gassed. I protested other places too. But also, I have read more about Agent Orange generated prostate cancer than most proctologists … and the relationship of glyphosate to dioxins.

            Anyway, 80s it is. I wonder if I can find episodes of THAT EIGHTIES SHOW???

            Liked by 1 person

          • willowdot21 says:

            Bear isn’t it strange how we white wash our memories? I had forgotten all that. No to mention Mrs Thatcher the milk snatcher or the miners strike, endless power cuts!!

            Liked by 1 person

          • Argentina still wants the Falklands.

            Liked by 1 person

          • willowdot21 says:

            And the Spanish want Gibraltar! The Falklands was our first really televized war and it was so scary. xxx

            Liked by 1 person

      • 1EarthUnited says:

        LOL, shoulder pads are making a comeback, i kid u not! 😀

        Liked by 1 person

        • Perhaps stuff could be smuggled in them? And they can protect collar bones from seat belts… Other wise, the exaggerated Samurai-raincoat look is not so great for my type. George Jetson I am not 🙂 and I have Velcro fastened pads around my seat belts. I guess someone with bony shoulders could use them when burping a baby? 🙂

          Liked by 2 people

          • 1EarthUnited says:

            Hey i’m not too proud to admit that i use them from time to time, haha. 😮
            With my scrawny shoulders i need all the help i can get, otherwise clothes just doesn’t hang right. In the eighties women in executive positions needed broad shoulders to square off with men, also gives the suit or dress a strong tapered look. oh well…. 😀

            120743425

            Liked by 1 person

          • I wrote a reply, twice, and lost ’em both. The jist of was thatif your clothing is cut to ehance your particular shape and your particular attitude, then you will not need padding to make it fit properly or hang nicely. Coats and Jackets do sometimes need some padding so that they can fit over other bulky layers, keep you warm, and still allow you to move easily. All that exaggerated padding is just a sales gimmick. It takes a great deal of skill to wear whatever your told to wear, and make it look good, just because it is on you. Traditionally your body type is called Wisteria, in Japan. You should wear smooth flowing elegant clothing without geegaws. At other times comfortable and soft should be the main descriptors. That is for your personal wardrobe to be pleasant for you to wear. For your work … well that is a to make the clothing look good, not make you feel or look good. Big difference. If you feel HUNGRY and scrawny … EAT. If you think of yourself as scrawny, then probably someone was unkind at some point, or perhaps it was me saying “boney” shoulders could use pads to burp the baby. In reality I used folded blankets .. cause babies do bang their little faces on collar bones. Even fat people’s. I should not have said boney, and I am sorry. I meant to be mocking the pad fad, not you (or anyone except maybe the industry)

            Thank you for all that you have done.

            At no time in history, not even in the eighties did it enhance a woman’s power to have pretend broad shoulders. If you KNOW you are right, and have all your facts, you’ve done all the homework, and you know what you are doing, then shoulder pads are irrelevant.

            Like

          • 1EarthUnited says:

            In the 80’s the reality was gender bias, sexual discrimination and the proverbial glass ceiling for women. If shoulder pads and masculine tailored “power suits” were necessary to gain self confidence and to exert authority, then so be it. Real power is based on merit, deservedly so, but superficial appearances do play a role in the power game. Yes it’s an illusion, but i’ve seen it time and again. i.e. Taller people advance faster in their careers, are perceived to be more authoritative and trustworthy. Well dressed people are taken more seriously… etc. Life isn’t logical or fair, but times are changing, as our collective consciousness rises above cultural ignorance.
            I do realize fashion is all about perception and not rooted in reality. According to western physiology, i’m an ectomorph, lean body type with narrow shoulders. I eat all the time, and exercise with weights to tone my arms, but that’s not going to help me fill out. It’s just the way i’m built, which is fine. Shoulder pads under blouses do enhance my proportion so i choose to wear them on occasion for aesthetics.
            Hey no worries, i understand u’r context, and i agree. Shoulder pads became a fad once women started wearing them indiscriminately because everyone else was wearing. Of course they’re gonna look ridiculous on a person who is already full figured or broad shouldered, i can’t imagine what Carly Simon was thinking, she looked matronly, and not flattering at all lol.
            I’m all for comfort in my everyday wear, clothing accessories should compliment one’s figure, serve a specific purpose, not to overwhelm a person’s appearance in the name of fashion.
            Thanks for sharing your insights Bear. 🙂

            Liked by 1 person

          • Thank you Magical Maddie

            Like

  3. O Brother,Where Art Thou? (OST) — Three Sirens — Go to Sleep Little Baby!”

    Liked by 1 person

  4. Lisa says:

    One time I was riding in the boat and swinging my feet in the water. I looked down just in time to see an open gar mouth headed straight for my feet. I pulled them in the boat just in time. It was rather careless of me. Then this one time, a moccasin fell in the boat out of the trees. Luckily, my uncle Marc was with me. I learned to look up after that. As much peace as we get by the riverside we must never let our guard down either. I get so careless sometimes. I love this theme you made. It makes me feel at home.

    Liked by 2 people

  5. […]  Please visit:   Bear     Lisa     Johnny     Antanya     […]

    Liked by 1 person

    • The Wonderful Willow has chosen the Music Theme for next week. It is THE EIGHTIES! Hmmm, it was an era, but were you even born yet? Do you remember life before birth? What do THE EIGHTIES! signify to you?

      Like

      • 1EarthUnited says:

        Oh fun! I’m a late 80’s baby, so karaoke’in kitchy MTV songs oozing w/ cheeeze should be a blast! 😀 Was there another decade with more sentimental love songs? ♥

        Liked by 1 person

        • Oh my. Do you think your parents will let you into their keepsakes?

          I don’t remember love songs from that decade, I do remember some lyrics from one song my husband sang … before I divorced him. “Here’s my wife, she’s so mean, she washes my shoes in the washing machine. She has long, long hair, all down her back. Too bad she don’t have none on her head ….”

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          • 1EarthUnited says:

            my parents were not big fans of the eighties, i “discovered” 80’s music at karaoke bars and clubs, they always feature sappy 80’s love songs for some reason. It kinda grows on you. 🙂
            Never heard of that particular song u’r ex sang, perhaps he made it up to annoy you. No wonder you divorced him, not a very nice man. Do you have any fond memories from that time?

            Liked by 1 person

          • It really was a funny song, originally it was The Mother-In-Law song, and he sang it before we married, too. Doc Watson’s lyrics in Deep River Blues: “My old gal she’s a good ole gal, she walks like a water fowl” … he almost said “looks like a water fowl” Yes, I have some fond memories, too. Those time I allowed myself to go ahead and enjoy. The other stuff I decided to put aside until I had time to work through it all. I was very busy most of the time. My husband was as nice as he could be and be stuck with someone he didn’t love. That is difficult for anyone. That doesn’t make his bad behavior more palatable, just understandable.

            Liked by 1 person

          • 1EarthUnited says:

            You are a lovely, strong, sensitive soul, everyone deserves unconditional love. Too bad, he probably did the best he could, just didn’t have “it” within him to grow that love.

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          • His thought? “I have so much love, that there is plenty for everybody.” My thought = “Philanderer” he called it “Generosity”. Not everyone has the same ideas about everything. I wonder what it would be called if I had behaved that way? Fair Enterprise Agreement? 😀 No matter. That was not my style. Seemed tacky to me, besides I learned to prefer time alone, or only with children.

            I learned lots of other things, too, that I would not otherwise have learned, not all of them pleasant … including that I have the potential to be cruel. Not pleasant to acknowledge, but it’s important to know. Whether it is deemed deserved or not is irrelevant. I divorced because I did not want that quality to be nurtured in myself. I no longer cared if divorce would hurt him. I no longer cared if he was healthy or happy or anything. His well being became a matter of indifference. It doesn’t take strength of character to be cruel and harsh, merely inclination.

            You are very kind, Magical Maddie. He THOUGHT he loved me. He probably did love the best he could or perhaps I am, as both of my husbands say, just too hard to please? I do expect a lot from people, and I seldom forgive if forgiveness is not sincerely begged for … even then it slides over into the Matter of Indifference category, especially if I don’t believe that the offensive acts or attitude are terminated and most probaboly are going to be repeated. I withdraw utterly. Interaction becomes the barest minimum possible.

            One time, towards the end, the X said “What do you do in our marriage the is special?” Skipping over the obvious I went to “I am always considerate of and polite to you.” He got a look of utter disgust on his faced and said “POLITE? THAT is not special. You are polite to everybody.” Not mentioning what HE did with everybody, I said, “But YOU are not considerate and polite to me … so I do think it is special. I always take what you and the boys need and want into first consideration.” He said, “That’s what I mean … you consider what the boys need equal with what I want.” I impolitely made a very rude gesture… fist goes up, slap the bicep. hahahahaha <<<< evil laughter. "No!". I said, "You are mistaken. NEED always comes before WANT." No more considerate polite for him.

            I suppose I should censor what I say more, he isn't able to defend himself here. And no blog is, big enough to present a complete picture. Besides no one else can ever know what goes on between two other people. Ever. Not even in a fiction novel. And it would probably hurt my husband now, for me to dwell on the X too much … or perhaps he is relieved I don't tell stories on him? Hahahaha <<< evil laughter. Glen Close doesn't have anything on me when it comes to evil laughter 😀

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