Five Leaves Left Tabs:
- River Man »
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#This file is the author's own work and represents their interpretation of the #
#song. You may only use this file for private study, scholarship, or research. #
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The River Man - Nick Drake
contributed by members of the Nick Drake Mailing List
Steve Dondershine
Harlan Thompson
Bike
Mike Healey
capo 3 - 5/4 time
INTRO: starts with 4 measures of A/E
A/E
- - - - - - - - - -|- - - - - - - - - -|- - - - - - - - - -|- - - - - - - - - -
- 2 - - 2 2 - - 2 -|- 2 - - 2 2 - - 2 -|- 2 - - 2 2 - - 2 -|- 2 - - 2 2 - - 2 -
- 2 - - 2 2 - - 2 -|- 2 - - 2 2 - - 2 -|- 2 - - 2 2 - - 2 -|- 2 - - 2 2 - - 2 -
- 2 - - 2 2 - - 2 -|- 2 - - 2 2 - - 2 -|- 2 - - 2 2 - - 2 -|- 2 - - 2 2 - - 2 -
- - - - - - - - - -|- - - - - - - - - -|- - - - - - - - - -|- - - - - - - - - -
0 - - 0 - - 0 0 - -|0 - - 0 - - 0 0 - -|0 - - 0 - - 0 0 - -|0 - - 0 - - 0 0 - -
1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 5 & 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 5 & 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 5 & 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 5 &
VERSES: note where the words come in
Am/E Gm
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- 1 - - 1 1 - - 1 -|- 1 - - 1 1 - - 1 -|- 3 - - 3 3 - - 3 -|- 3 - - 3 3 - - 3 -
- 2 - - 2 2 - - 2 -|- 2 - - 2 2 - - 2 -|- 3 - - 5 5 - - 5 -|- 3 - - 5 5 - - 5 -
- 2 - - 2 2 - - 2 -|- 2 - - 2 2 - - 2 -|- 5 - - 5 5 - - 5 -|- 5 - - 5 5 - - 5 -
- - - - - - - - - -|- - - - - - - - - -|- - - - - - - - - -|- - - - - - - - - -
0 - - 0 - - 0 0 - -|0 - - 0 - - 0 0 - -|3 - - 3 - - 3 3 - -|3 - - 3 - - 3 3 - -
1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 5 & 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 5 & 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 5 & 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 5 &
Bet-ty came on by her way Said she had a word to say
Said she hadn't heard the news Hadn't had the time to choose
Gonna see the riverman Gonna tell him all I can
If he tells me all he knows 'Bout the way his river flows
Betty said she prayed today For the sky to blow away
For when she thought of summer rain Calling for her mind again
Gonna see the riverman Gonna tell him all I can
If he tells me all he knows 'Bout the way his river flows
F A/E
- - - - - - - - - -|- - - - - - - - - -|- - - - - - - - - -|- - - - - - - - - -
- 1 - - 1 1 - - 1 -|- 1 - - 1 1 - - 1 -|- 2 - - 2 2 - - 2 -|- 2 - - 2 2 - - 2 -
- 2 - - 2 2 - - 2 -|- 2 - - 2 2 - - 2 -|- 2 - - 2 2 - - 2 -|- 2 - - 2 2 - - 2 -
- 3 - - 3 3 - - 3 -|- 3 - - 3 3 - - 3 -|- 2 - - 2 2 - - 2 -|- 2 - - 2 2 - - 2 -
- - - - - - - - - -|- - - - - - - - - -|- - - - - - - - - -|- - - - - - - - - -
1 - - 1 - - 1 1 - -|1 - - 1 - - 1 1 - -|0 - - 0 - - 0 0 - -|0 - - 0 - - 0 0 - -
1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 5 & 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 5 & 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 5 & 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 5 &
'bout things today and fallen leaves
A way to lose what she believes
About the plan for lilac time
And all night shows in summertime
Or maybe stay, she wasn't sure
She lost the pain, and stayed for more
About the ban on feeling free
I don't suppose it's meant for me
At the end:
A/E A(dim5)/E
- - - - - - - - - -|- - - - - - - - - -|- - - - - - - - - -|- 0 - - 0 0 - - 0 -|
- 2 - - 2 2 - - 2 -|- 2 - - 2 2 - - 2 -|- 4 - - 4 4 - - 4 -|- 4 - - 4 4 - - 4 -|
- 2 - - 2 2 - - 2 -|- 2 - - 2 2 - - 2 -|- 2 - - 2 2 - - 2 -|- 2 - - 2 2 - - 2 -|
- 2 - - 2 2 - - 2 -|- 2 - - 2 2 - - 2 -|- 2 - - 2 2 - - 2 -|- - - - 2 2 - - 2 -|
- - - - - - - - - -|- - - - - - - - - -|- - - - - - - - - -|0 - - 0 - - 0 0 - -|
0 - - 0 - - 0 0 - -|0 - - 0 - - 0 0 - -|0 - - 0 - - 0 0 - -|- - - - - - - - - -|
1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 5 & 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 5 & 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 5 & 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 5 &
Oh how they come and go
Oh how they come and go
Notes: The last chord (Adim5/E) is also used at the end of verses 4 and 8
Use both forms but not necessarily in that order
-- steved@ti.com |"Chaco Chickens:
| Real People, Real Food" - X-Files
http://www.guitarmasta.net/n/nick_drake/.html
Tab Discussion, Comments, and Critiques
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No Picture
Jacob Lead Player |
#1 by Jacob Julian at Sep 27, 2007 at 9:25 PM EST |
| how can no one have commented on this song yet? its fantastic. music like this is amazing. i like a wide range of stuff from emo to heavy metal to classic rock but today i haven't been able to stop listening to nick drake. i think its the christmas season...pisses me off... | |
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Drake Average |
#2 by Drake Bergman at Sep 28, 2007 at 2:14 AM EST |
| I guess I can't be sure, but to me it makes a lot of sense that this song is about death or Thanatos or dwelling on mortality... River Man is the legendary guide on the River Styx who carries souls who have just entered the underworld into Hades. It's pretty eerie coming from Nick Drake when you know that he did, in fact, kill himself, and you consider that this song may have been written during a time of rumination about where his own soul would go after death. Gonna see the river man Gonna to tell him all I can About the ban On feeling free "the ban on feeling free"? well, everyone would commit suicide if we thought it was OK - if it wasn't sinful, or if our soul would simply melt away into heaven, right? It's like the famous Shakespearean soliloquay about "To Be or Not To Be," where Hamlet considers suicide if it weren't for the mystery of "What dreams may come" - what follows death? and could it be worse than life? Perhaps also borrowed from Shakespeare is this idea of "lilac time," which sounds like a reference to Ophelia, who killed herself in a fit of madness. If he tells me all he knows About the way his river flows I don't suppose It's meant for me I dunno if this was indeed a specific intent of the song, but it runs chills down my spine. I listen to this song and think of my own mortality. Ironic, too, about the song, is that it is so beautiful and light, like his syrupy voice, that you can't even be sure it does exist :). | |
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*Lee Average |
#3 by *Lee * at Oct 2, 2007 at 6:36 AM EST |
| Fairly sure he's referring to a lost love. The third stanza intrigued me, so i went and did some research. Das Dreimäderlhaus, an opera with music composed by Franz Schubert, about the composers life, debuting way back in 1916, was later rewritten for UK audiences and renamed 'Lilac time.' "Schubert writes a beautiful love song to his beloved Mitzi. But he gets his best friend Baron Schober to sing it to her, and she falls in love with him instead of poor Franz, who has to find consolation in their happiness - and in his music." How Nick Drake is that? Similar in tone to Hanging on a Star, the theme of unrequited love comes up fairly often in Drake's music. Betty comes by to talk of 'fallen leaves', lost opportunites, past actions that can't be recounted. Fallen leaves could also refer to Autumn, he then goes on to write about summer in a more nostalgic sense. The riverman could obviously refer to the passage of time. I think he's writing about a love that has been lost somewhere between summer and autumn. "Oh how they come and go." Beautiful song. | |
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Toni Average |
#4 by Toni at Oct 3, 2007 at 10:59 PM EST |
| it really is such a shame he killed himself. (though his parents saying it was an accidently overdose) the music is so beautiful in this song, the violins, and the simple acoustic guitar. his music will always make me so excited | |
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Subhash Average |
#5 by Subhash Shady at Oct 10, 2007 at 3:31 AM EST |
| I think part of the reason why this song remains so timeless is that we don't know what it is about. And do we want to know? For me the haunting sound of this song; and the Nick Drake's eerie tone as he sings of the 'River Man', is enough to make this the truely incredible song it is. The song is mysterious, vague and unclear, much like Nick Drake. A remarkable song, brilliant! | |
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Maggotkill Average |
#6 by Maggotkill at Oct 11, 2007 at 2:47 PM EST |
| I read Hermann Hesse's Siddhartha before I heard this song and I'm always reminded of the river man in the story. Great book, great song. | |
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Damien Wanna Be |
#7 by Damien Pritchard at Oct 17, 2007 at 7:07 AM EST |
| such a gorgeous song. nick's telling us a tale, interweaving his haunting and mythical chant with the subdued confidence of a young and misunderstood artist fighting to break free. for me, this song may be Drake at his artistic apex. | |
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