Rivers of My Fathers
Encyclopedia
"Rivers of My Fathers" is a song by American soul
musician and poet Gil Scott-Heron
and musician Brian Jackson. It was written and composed by Scott-Heron and Jackson for their first collaborative album, Winter in America
(1974). The song was recorded on October 15, 1973 at D&B Sound Studio in Silver Spring, Maryland
and produced by Scott-Heron and Jackson with assistance from engineer
Jose Williams. The song exhibits musical styles such as jazz
and the blues, and its Afrocentric lyrics contain references to African-American cultural roots and slavery. While it was never released as a single
, "Rivers of My Fathers" has earned some critical recognition for its instrumentation and lyrical theme of cultural significance. It has also been noted by writers and music critics as one of Gil Scott-Heron's best compositions.
song, performed with a jazz
-based arrangement
spanning over eight minutes; the longest track issued on Winter in America. Recorded on October 15, 1973 at D&B Sound Studio in Silver Spring, Maryland
, the session for the song, as well as Winter, featured a scaled-down lineup of Gil Scott-Heron and Brian Jackson, with drummer Bob Adams and bassist Danny Bowens, as well as a limited personnel for production. With Scott-Heron, Jackson and audio engineer Jose Williams heading production, these circumstances provided an effective forum for a reliance on strong African and R&B influences during the conception of "Rivers of My Fathers". Scott-Heron and Jackson were credited as Perpis-Fall Music, Inc.
. The song opens with swing-styled rim shots by Bob Adams and blues
y, minor chord
s and somber playing by Brian Jackson on a Fender Rhodes piano. The opening instrumentation continues into the first two minutes, before Scott-Heron enters with vocals. Usually a spoken word
performer, Scott-Heron's baritone
voice accompanies and adds weight to the dark groove by vocalizing poetry, providing the lyrical subject matter to the composition.
motif
, a common metaphor in African-American culture, which evokes feelings of home and freedom, to represent faith amid the frustrations of a modern black man. As a metaphor, water was also used to hold the promise of freedom; runaway slave
s used the river
s during slavery in the United States both as markers of direction and as a method of disguising their scent from hound dog
s.
As the opening verse and chorus suggest, "Looking for a way out of this confusion/I'm looking for a sign, carry me home/Let me lay down by a stream and let me be miles from everything/Rivers of my fathers, could you carry me home." In his interpretation of Scott-Heron's lyrics, music writer and author Mtume ya Salaam explained "Gil sings of 'looking for a way out' out of the cold, hard city; he wants to 'lay down by a stream' that is 'miles away from everything.' But he’s too far away from home, there is no way out—instead of warm, open fields and flowing waters, there is only brick, asphalt and mortar." Following several vocal deliveries of whole chorus
es, the narrator pleads to the "river" to take him home, which is revealed at closing seconds of the song as Scott-Heron silently says "Africa
".
, as their themes both adhere to ancestral and cultural identity. Writer Mtume ya Salaam has also made this comparison, as he later stated in an article for the website Kalamu:
In addition to its recognition for the literary allusion to Songs of Solomon, "Rivers of My Fathers" has been recognized by critics and music writers as one of Winter in America' s best recordings, as well as one of Gil Scott-Heron's best compositions.
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
musician and poet Gil Scott-Heron
Gil Scott-Heron
Gilbert "Gil" Scott-Heron was an American soul and jazz poet, musician, and author known primarily for his work as a spoken word performer in the 1970s and '80s...
and musician Brian Jackson. It was written and composed by Scott-Heron and Jackson for their first collaborative album, Winter in America
Winter in America
Winter in America is a studio album by American recording artist Gil Scott-Heron and musician Brian Jackson, released in May 1974 on Strata-East Records. Recording sessions for the album took place during September to October 1973 at D&B Sound Studio in Silver Spring, Maryland...
(1974). The song was recorded on October 15, 1973 at D&B Sound Studio in Silver Spring, Maryland
Silver Spring, Maryland
Silver Spring is an unincorporated area and census-designated place in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. It had a population of 71,452 at the 2010 census, making it the fourth most populous place in Maryland, after Baltimore, Columbia, and Germantown.The urbanized, oldest, and...
and produced by Scott-Heron and Jackson with assistance from engineer
Audio engineering
An audio engineer, also called audio technician, audio technologist or sound technician, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. The field draws on many artistic and vocational areas, including...
Jose Williams. The song exhibits musical styles such as jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
and the blues, and its Afrocentric lyrics contain references to African-American cultural roots and slavery. While it was never released as a single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
, "Rivers of My Fathers" has earned some critical recognition for its instrumentation and lyrical theme of cultural significance. It has also been noted by writers and music critics as one of Gil Scott-Heron's best compositions.
Musical style
"Rivers of My Fathers" is a soulSoul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
song, performed with a jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
-based arrangement
Arrangement
The American Federation of Musicians defines arranging as "the art of preparing and adapting an already written composition for presentation in other than its original form. An arrangement may include reharmonization, paraphrasing, and/or development of a composition, so that it fully represents...
spanning over eight minutes; the longest track issued on Winter in America. Recorded on October 15, 1973 at D&B Sound Studio in Silver Spring, Maryland
Silver Spring, Maryland
Silver Spring is an unincorporated area and census-designated place in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. It had a population of 71,452 at the 2010 census, making it the fourth most populous place in Maryland, after Baltimore, Columbia, and Germantown.The urbanized, oldest, and...
, the session for the song, as well as Winter, featured a scaled-down lineup of Gil Scott-Heron and Brian Jackson, with drummer Bob Adams and bassist Danny Bowens, as well as a limited personnel for production. With Scott-Heron, Jackson and audio engineer Jose Williams heading production, these circumstances provided an effective forum for a reliance on strong African and R&B influences during the conception of "Rivers of My Fathers". Scott-Heron and Jackson were credited as Perpis-Fall Music, Inc.
Perpis-Fall Music, Inc.
Perpis-Fall Music, Inc. or Perpis-Fall Music is a pseudonym and production credit for the musical partnership of:*Gil Scott-Heron, a soul poet/musician and hip hop pioneer, and*Brian Jackson, a keyboardist and neo soul pioneer...
. The song opens with swing-styled rim shots by Bob Adams and blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
y, minor chord
Chord (music)
A chord in music is any harmonic set of two–three or more notes that is heard as if sounding simultaneously. These need not actually be played together: arpeggios and broken chords may for many practical and theoretical purposes be understood as chords...
s and somber playing by Brian Jackson on a Fender Rhodes piano. The opening instrumentation continues into the first two minutes, before Scott-Heron enters with vocals. Usually a spoken word
Spoken word
Spoken word is a form of poetry that often uses alliterated prose or verse and occasionally uses metered verse to express social commentary. Traditionally it is in the first person, is from the poet’s point of view and is themed in current events....
performer, Scott-Heron's baritone
Baritone
Baritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or...
voice accompanies and adds weight to the dark groove by vocalizing poetry, providing the lyrical subject matter to the composition.
Lyrical theme
Similar to the lyrical themes predominant on Winter in America, Scott-Heron's lyrics are Afrocentric and focus on cultural identity through the use of metaphor. Illustrating the significance of ancestry and cultural roots, "Rivers of My Fathers" features the waterWater
Water is a chemical substance with the chemical formula H2O. A water molecule contains one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms connected by covalent bonds. Water is a liquid at ambient conditions, but it often co-exists on Earth with its solid state, ice, and gaseous state . Water also exists in a...
motif
Motif (narrative)
In narrative, a motif is any recurring element that has symbolic significance in a story. Through its repetition, a motif can help produce other narrative aspects such as theme or mood....
, a common metaphor in African-American culture, which evokes feelings of home and freedom, to represent faith amid the frustrations of a modern black man. As a metaphor, water was also used to hold the promise of freedom; runaway slave
Fugitive slave
In the history of slavery in the United States, "fugitive slaves" were slaves who had escaped from their master to travel to a place where slavery was banned or illegal. Many went to northern territories including Pennsylvania and Massachusetts until the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 was passed...
s used the river
River
A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...
s during slavery in the United States both as markers of direction and as a method of disguising their scent from hound dog
Hound dog
Hound dog may refer to:* Hound, a type of dog that assists hunters by tracking or chasing prey* Hound Dog, a Classic Japanese Rock band. They were active since the early 80’s...
s.
As the opening verse and chorus suggest, "Looking for a way out of this confusion/I'm looking for a sign, carry me home/Let me lay down by a stream and let me be miles from everything/Rivers of my fathers, could you carry me home." In his interpretation of Scott-Heron's lyrics, music writer and author Mtume ya Salaam explained "Gil sings of 'looking for a way out' out of the cold, hard city; he wants to 'lay down by a stream' that is 'miles away from everything.' But he’s too far away from home, there is no way out—instead of warm, open fields and flowing waters, there is only brick, asphalt and mortar." Following several vocal deliveries of whole chorus
Refrain
A refrain is the line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse; the "chorus" of a song...
es, the narrator pleads to the "river" to take him home, which is revealed at closing seconds of the song as Scott-Heron silently says "Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
".
Interpretation
Due to its lyrical content, critics and music writers have made interpretations and comparisons of the song to Toni Morrison's 1977 novel Song of SolomonSong of Solomon (novel)
Song of Solomon is a 1977 novel by American author Toni Morrison. It follows the life of Macon "Milkman" Dead III, an African-American male living in Michigan, from birth to adulthood....
, as their themes both adhere to ancestral and cultural identity. Writer Mtume ya Salaam has also made this comparison, as he later stated in an article for the website Kalamu:
In addition to its recognition for the literary allusion to Songs of Solomon, "Rivers of My Fathers" has been recognized by critics and music writers as one of Winter in America
Personnel
Credits adapted from album liner notes.- Gil Scott-HeronGil Scott-HeronGilbert "Gil" Scott-Heron was an American soul and jazz poet, musician, and author known primarily for his work as a spoken word performer in the 1970s and '80s...
– vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
, producerRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music... - Brian Jackson – rhodes pianoRhodes pianoThe Rhodes piano is an electro-mechanical piano, invented by Harold Rhodes during the fifties and later manufactured in a number of models, first in collaboration with Fender and after 1965 by CBS....
- Danny Bowens – fender bassFender Jazz BassThe Jazz Bass was the second model of electric bass created by Leo Fender. The bass is distinct from the Precision Bass in that its tone is brighter and richer in the midrange and treble with less emphasis on the fundamental harmonic...
- Bob Adams – drums (traps)
- Jose Williams – engineer, production assistance
External links
- Rivers of My Fathers at YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....