A song about taking your river of surviving back to the ocean of being.
lyrics
My River
My river’s going back to the ocean, no more bruising on the shore.
The soul’s progression set in motion, yearning at its core.
Fragile river, picking through stone.
Water under water, undertow, over bone.
Cleaned of the word, emptied of light;
Word’s not a net now, the word is the flight.
Kingdom crowned by the ocean,
In its realm, one mother tongue.
Fear, remorse, devotion;
In its sway are one.
Everything turns, change and desire
Everything burning—the secret life of fire.
Take it all, all down to the ocean,
Eternal silence, still and deep.
Rise and fall, eternal motion,
Eternal lung swells and heaves—
Death so slow it looks like life,
So slow it looks like terrific speed.
Form from the search for form,
So full it looks empty.
Rise and swell, heart crest like a humpback whale
Huge and unknown. Be huge and unknown.
The ocean remembers me.
credits
from Dead Reckoning,
released January 15, 2023
Jason Moran, piano; Tony Scherr, bass; Stéphane San Juan, drums, Agustin Uriburu, cello; Tomoko Omura, violin, viola.
The stripped-down approach (mostly piano/organ, bass, drums) favoured here puts the spotlight squarely on Brown's soulful, meditative lyrics and vocals, which are frequently augmented by the sublime Kate Fenner. The arrangements are no slouch either, with perfect flourishes of horns, harmonica and guitar that add to the overall warm folk-soul vibe.
Right on target, so direct, this album feels as natural as the changing seasons and weaves a spell that lingers long after listening. Mike Garrett
As a lifelong fan of psyche, I was delighted to have found this, stunned that I'd missed them for three decades and devastated by the news of Dallas' passing. Makes many of the album's lyrics even more poignant. I hear echoes of the Chocolate Watch Band, Long Ryders and both the pop and country sides of the Byrds. Stunning, and a contender for my album of the year. Iain H