Well written, well performed. Great trip of a song.

Written for songwriting contest, w/theme the Santa Fe River in n. Florida. Translations..."Timucuan": native people in n FL at time of Spanish Conquest.  "Cracker Cowboys": colloquial name for cattlemen who herded wild cattle north during the Civil War.  "O'leno town": ghost town on the Santa Fe, a swinging bridge built in the 1930's is still there.  

Roll On, River   c. 2023 by Mike Manetz

V. 1
The river was Timucuan,
Before the comin' of the white-man's gun.
'Neath the giant cypress trees,
They fished the river wild and free.
Spanish priests came one day,
Taught the natives how to pray,
Named the river Santa Fe,
River watched them fade away.

Chorus
Roll on, river,
On and on forever,
She'll be rollin' on when we're all passed and gone.
Through centuries of hopes and dreams,
Conquistadors, fools and thieves,
Roll on, river,
Roll on,
River, roll on...

V2
Cracker cowboys took control,
After driving out the Seminole.
Their cattle on the muddy banks,
Would feed the hungry rebel ranks.
Black man runnin' to be free, 
Down the Santa Fe on to the sea.
Midnight paddle down to where,
A Yankee gunboat's waitin' there.

Chorus

V 3  
Lovers at O'Leno town,
On a swingin' bridge they're lookin' down,
River rushes there below,
Like a thousand years ago.
Their kids will play computer games,
They'll forget the history and the names,
But the river holds the memories,
Of all she touches, all she sees...

Chorus




Their kids will play computer games,
They'll forget the history and the names,
Of all of those who came before,
Guess it doesn't matter anymore...

Centuries of hopes and dreams,
Conquistadors, fools and thieves,
All they left is all but washed away,
Their kids will play computer games,
And forget the history and the names,
of all of those who came before,
They don't care much for that anymore...

Roll On, River

Songwriter : Bobby Hebb \ ISWC : T-070.244.064-9
Publishers : Notable Music CO Inc - Portable Music Company Inc - Campell connelly France
Released : June 1966
______________________________________________________________________________________________

Family reunion in summer 2011

Cindy (my niece) has a very particular tone of voice. I love it !

Vocals : Cindy and Anh
Arrangement (Synth & Brass) : Phong 
Guitar : Jean

Sunny - Cover (Bobby Hebb)

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Have a cigar on us, while you're rollin' high..

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I can hear you looking at me.
You’ve got to plant a pretty penny to grow a money tree.
You can taste victory but still not see
that a winner is a loser if it’s not for free - is this thing broken?

Judge a book by its cover, read it in reverse,
starting at the end just means the last comes first.
Turning water into wine won’t quench your thirst.
There’s not a lot of laughs in the back of a hearse - is this thing broken?

If I could walk a mile in someone else’s shoes,
get out of the red and stop singing the blues.
If I could stop time and make a wish come true
I could fly the sky and swim the air with you.

A sight for sore eyes is a scene to behold.
You’ll never find your fortune digging for gold.
You can’t buy love if your soul’s been sold.
You’re only as lonely as the person you hold.

Rich man, poor man, beggar man, thief.
It’s not what’s on your skin it’s what’s underneath.
A word to the wise keeps the sentence brief.
If it’s written in stone it’s full of grief - is this thing broken?

A week’s worth of worry’s not a day too long.
No good being a singer if you don’t have a song.
It’s pointless pointing out the point that’s wrong.
If you want to see truth don’t look at The Sun.

There’s a silence so loud you hear every sound.
You can’t get lost if you’ve never been found.
If I had a penny for every pound
there’d be enough cash to turn the whole world round.

Between the future and past you’re gonna get drawn
into a battle of presents that leaves you torn.
It’s a death wish wishing that you’d never been born.
If your life’s a bed of roses you’re gonna get thorned.

Rabbits caught in headlights shouldn’t drive cars.
You shouldn’t serve doubles in a singles bar.
Women firefighters shouldn’t burn their bras.
Don’t shoot for the moon if you can only see stars - is this thing broken?

False prophets won’t put you on the straight and narrow.
Money can’t buy you love but it can buy you sorrow.
It’s better to lend than it is to borrow.
There’s no guarantee you’ll even see tomorrow.

On my map all the roads lead South.
If you’ve got good teeth you better watch your mouth.
It’s hard to rhyme the next line so it’s thereabouts.
Better not get hung up if things aren’t exactly as you’d like them to be.
And you’d like them to be just fine - oh wouldn’t you.

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Only very slightly evil hippy of the old tradition.
1 guy, strat, Yamaha acoustic. iPad. substances.
I’m no Conway Twitty. 😕
Listening pleasure proportionate to cannabis intake.

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