Musical Mondays—Down by the Riverside

I've never been one to listen to overtly religious music, and I've certainly never sought it out.

A while back, a guy in our Berkeley office who wrote and edited a music magazine was cleaning out his office and put USPS buckets full of CDs in the hallway for the taking. We're taking about 30 USPS buckets. Full to the brim.

Turns out he had a friend who was in one of those music clubs, and his friend would record every single CD he got for his music magazine friend. Every. Single. CD. For years. Even after the music magazine friend asked him to stop.

Repeatedly.

Anyhow, it was huge boon for us in the office. A lot of us would take home 20 or so CDs, copy them to iTunes, then bring them back to the office, and take another 20. Eventually someone got tired of looking at the CDs piled in the hallway, but I ended up getting a lot of great music (and a lot or crap, to be sure) I never would have found otherwise. And I didn't even make through two full buckets.

One of the gems I did rip was The Gospel of the Blues. I find the songs at turns relaxing and uplifting. Anyhow, seemed appropriate for our post-Easter Monday.

Down by the Riverside
Sister Rosetta Tharpe and the Sam Price Trio

I feel so bad in the morning
I feel so bad in the middle of the day
I feel so bad in the evening
that's why i'm going to the river, to wash my sins away

I'm gonna lay down my heavy load, down by the riverside,
Down by the riverside, down by the riverside
I'm gonna lay down my heavy load, down by the riverside,
I'm gonna study war no more

I ain't a gonna study war no more,
I ain't a gonna study war no more
I ain't a gonna study war no more,
I ain't a gonna study war no more
I ain't a gonna study war no more,
I ain't a gonna study war no more

Well, I'm gonna put on my long white robe,
(Where?) down by the riverside (Oh)
Down by the riverside, down by the riverside
I'm gonna put on my long white robe,
(Where?) down by the riverside
I'm gonna study war no more

I ain't a gonna study war no more,
I ain't a gonna study war no more
I ain't a gonna study war no more,
I ain't a gonna study war no more
I ain't a gonna study war no more,
I ain't a gonna study war no more

Well, I'm gonna lay down my sword and shield,
(Where?) down by the riverside
Down by the riverside, down by the riverside
I'm gonna lay down my sword and shield,
(A-ha) down by the riverside
I'm gonna study war no more

I ain't a gonna study war no more,
I ain't a gonna study war no more
I ain't a gonna study war no more,
I ain't a gonna study war no more
I ain't a gonna study war no more,
I ain't a gonna study war no more