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Down by the Riverside
Words & Music:
TraditionalI'm gonna lay down my burden, down by the riverside,
Down by the riverside, down by the riverside
I'm gonna lay down my burden, down by the riverside,
I'm gonna study war no more
I ain't a gonna study war no more, I ain't a gonna study war no more
I ain't a gonna study war no more, I ain't a gonna study war no more
I ain't a gonna study war no more, I ain't a gonna study war no more
Well, I'm gonna put on my long white robe, (Where?) down by the riverside (Oh)
Down by the riverside, down by the riverside
I'm gonna put on my long white robe, (Where?) down by the riverside
I'm gonna study war no more
I ain't a gonna study war no more, I ain't a gonna study war no more
I ain't a gonna study war no more, I ain't a gonna study war no more
I ain't a gonna study war no more, I ain't a gonna study war no more
Well, I'm gonna lay down my sword and shield, (Where?) down by the riverside
Down by the riverside, down by the riverside
I'm gonna lay down my sword and shield, (A-ha) down by the riverside
I'm gonna study war no more
I ain't a gonna study war no more, I ain't a gonna study war no more
I ain't a gonna study war no more, I ain't a gonna study war no more
I ain't a gonna study war no more, I ain't a gonna study war no more Recorded:
1956/12/04, first released on
The Million Dollar QuartetReactions
Ok, these reaction must concern the Million Dollar Q. version. I like that one, loose and full of life.
Again a drum intro, but this time to no effect. In the end the song kinda breaks loose a bit with all the horns. The Million Dollar Q. version is superior.
A huge disappointment to me. A medley of "When The Saints Go Marching In" and "Down By The Riverside" sounds like a great GREAT idea, especially to a New Orleans guy like myself, and having heard Elvis sing both on the Million Dollar Quartet recording only made it seem even a better possibility. But overall, the "Frankie and Johnny" recording of this is pretty dull, with almost no trace of any soul or gospel. When you hear the "Trouble With Girls" recording of "Swing Down Sweet Chariot", you can see that it was possible to do a great version of a gospel standard even in a bad Elvis movie. It really is a shame and a more obvious missed opportunity to have created the go-to version of a standard (Living in N.O. I hear both these tracks--not Elvis's version of course--pretty constantly.)
Great song. There's again not much to say about the performance
Available Alternate Versions