Sounds ..vocal.. really good! 🌍☮︎👍

very cool sound Mike. Love the melody and lyrics.Very well done :)

Great song, Mike.  I recall the "Banks of the old Santa Fe" song.  You've got a great way of looking at something and seeing the history of it!

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

I write simple songs, mostly in a country/folk vein. All recordings posted here were done at home with minimal production on my little Tascam Pocket Studio. No great commercial intent here, just a love for the writing process and the hope that one day I will pen one really good one.  Thanks for taking the time to listen!

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