Is the song “Down by the River” by Neil Young about murder?

July 1, 2024

Is the song “Down by the River” by Neil Young about femicide?

(Source: Far Out/Tidal)

Mon, July 1, 2024, 8:15 p.m., UK

“Down by the River” was one of the first songs Neil Young released as a solo artist, and the last single of his early golden period to fail to chart. While it’s impossible to decipher exactly why it failed to gain traction upon release, one possible reason is the subject matter the song addressed in its lyrics, which proved to be a hindrance to its commercial success.

Drawing on the American folk and blues tradition of the murder ballad, the track is about an angry lover who feels betrayed by his “baby” and so “shoots” her at the river of the title. Reminiscent of the early 1960s classic “Hey Joe,” most famously covered by Jimi Hendrix in 1966, this narrative describes the merciless murder of a woman who has been unfaithful to the male protagonist.

The brutal macho nature of these two songs is difficult to reconcile with the obviously progressive image of their artists or the masterful musicianship they embody. “Down on the River” features a full ensemble performance with the band Crazy Horse and one of Young’s rawest and most brilliant guitar solos.

Young played down the notion at the time of its release that his single depicted an act of femicide. “It’s not about a real murder,” he told journalist Robert Greenfield, claiming instead that the piece was an allegorical cry for help. But the lyrics themselves are clear. In the simplest terms, a woman is killed by a gunshot.

So does Young’s denial still stand?

The song’s author later admitted that its meaning is exactly what it sounded like when he introduced it at a 1984 performance in New Orleans. “I want to sing you a song about a guy who had a lot of trouble controlling himself,” Young began. “He let the dark side shine through a little too brightly.”

He then painted a vivid picture of the place where the murder took place in his song. “One afternoon he took a little walk through a field and through a wood until he could hear the water running along there.”

Then Young went on to do the deed himself. “He met his wife down there. And he told her she had cheated on him too many times. And he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small revolver. Said, ‘Honey, I hate to do this, but you’ve pushed me too far.'”

It is important to recognize that Young introduces the story of the song in the third person, prefacing his introduction with a negative commentary on his protagonist’s emotional state, and stays somewhat aloof from the fictional man’s actions.

Yet his insistence on telling the story of femicide in such a detached way, and in some ways glorifying the song as dramatic fiction, does not reflect particularly well on Young.

He is far from the only modern male artist to indulge in the fantasy of femicide. Yet in Neil Young’s case, the subject matter and his treatment of it seem particularly out of character for someone who normally behaves gracefully.