We’ve updated our Terms of Use to reflect our new entity name and address. You can review the changes here.
We’ve updated our Terms of Use. You can review the changes here.

Dark River

from Wisdom of the Heart by Ritz & Wesson

/

  • Streaming + Download

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    Purchasable with gift card

      £1 GBP  or more

     

  • Buy the Full Digital Album

  • Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    Comes in a lovely fold-out lyrics crystal case, with artwork by Claudia Myatt and photography by Zoran Matic

    Includes unlimited streaming of Wisdom of the Heart via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 5 days
    Purchasable with gift card

      £10 GBP or more 

     

about

Bryan started this song and Nigel helped complete it. It's all about his childhood playing by the River Thames (known as the Dark River due to its muddy flow) and it traces the changes and the gradual gentrification of the riverside since the 1940s to date. As a note the children on the ferry are my cousin Gill Partridge, who became a BBC producer, Janet Street-Porter, the famous TV celebrity, my brother John and I.

lyrics

Dark River (Ritz/Wesson)

Childhood days by your waterside
To my eyes you were so dark and wide
We combed for treasures at low tide
Baiting eels in the creeks where they hide
Since ancient times, the river winds each day
Dark River made me stay

From Putney Bridge to Richmond Town
The river path was all our own
Me and Gill and John and Jan
Eel Pie Island and the Ferry Man
All the friends I made then played their part
Dark River’s in my heart

You move so slow yet run so deep
I’ll never know the secrets you keep
You ebb and flow past London streets

Dark River Dark River Dark River

Fulham lads and Wandsworth boys
Their riverbank was strewn with toys
Abandoned boats where we’d play
Beneath the bridges we’d find our way
In post-war times, the wastelands, and the grime
Dark River was still mine.

Dark River Dark River Dark River

I can feel the tears that you weep
Dark River never sleeps

Now the towers of stone and glass
The riverside divides by class
No more boys and girls at play
On riverbanks on sunny days
In their place the soul-less concrete cells
Dark River’s loss foretells

credits

from Wisdom of the Heart, released November 8, 2022
Lead Guitar by Seb Wesson

license

all rights reserved

tags

about

Ritz & Wesson image

Ritz & Wesson Saint Leonards, UK

Nigel Wesson has been a constant singer and performer since 1966 and he completed over 400 Saturday evening performances at Bunjies the famous venue on London’s folk scene. Bryan’s songs Museum and Roundabout were recommended to Island Music by Muff Winwood and he has worked with the renowned folk music producer Bill Leader of Topic. Nigel and Bryan teamed up again in 2012 - making 3 albums ... more

contact / help

Contact Ritz & Wesson

Streaming and
Download help

Report this track or account

If you like Ritz & Wesson, you may also like:

Bandcamp Daily  your guide to the world of Bandcamp

On Bandcamp Radio

Saxophonist Isaiah Collier chats about his new LP and the influence of Pharoah Sanders.
listen now