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The Way the River Goes

by Dan Weber

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  • Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    Signed CD by the Artist (or denote 'Unsigned' if you prefer).

    Comes with a Custom 20 Page Insert/Booklet (we had to BEG the CD manufacturer to do this!) with Photos, Stories behind the Songs and the making of the CD.

    From Dan:

    "Everything that possibly could go wrong while making the 'The Way the River Goes' seemed to happen. It started way back in 2017, when I drove up to Oysterville, WA and holed up in a cabin near the Pacific Ocean to polish 20 new songs I felt were close to ready. When I went to start recording, the studio I was working with packed up moved all the way to Truth or Consequences, NM. So I put the project on hold for a bit and in a wave of creativity, wrote a dozen more songs. I finally got down to New Mexico in early 2020 with 30 plus songs to record and we finished it 2 days before the Covid-19 pandemic was declared on March 11th. The world came to a screeching halt.

    Then after 23 years of marriage, I got divorced and moved from the Pacific NW to Texas, and tried to start over. Looking back, nearly all of the songs on 'The Way the River Goes' are about 'Leaving' or 'Moving towards' someplace or someone. There's a lot of truth and foreshadowing in that. I eventually whittled it down to 14 songs---the ones I couldn't shake and can't stop singing. I found them along rivers of water and asphalt, the current carrying the sediment of my life downstream to a confluence that was years in the making. I hope you agree that it was worth the wait!"

    Includes unlimited streaming of The Way the River Goes via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
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  • Streaming + Download

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

    Includes the song, 'Ever Since Columbine', Dan's timely song about gun violence that was the Winner of the prestigious Woody Guthrie songwriting contest in 2019!
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  • Full Digital Discography

    Get all 3 Dan Weber releases available on Bandcamp and save 35%.

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of The Way the River Goes, What I'm Lookin' For, and Ash and Bone. , and , .

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1.
The Way the River Goes Dan Weber © 2021 Highway 142 Music (ASCAP) There’s a rope swing tied to a Sycamore tree At the rivers edge just Bill and me Billy waits till I yell ‘The coast is clear’ That’s just The Way the River Goes ‘round here Me and Bill grew up the best of friends We knew every inch of that river bend If there’s buried treasure, we put it there That’s just The Way the River Goes ‘round here Chorus That’s just The Way the River Goes That’s just The Way the River Goes ‘Round here Had my first kiss down on that riverbank From a sophomore named, Nora Jane She’s got four kids now, that's what you hear That’s just The Way the River Goes ‘round here Everybody knows her brother Steve He got eighteen months for selling weed Guess it was a pretty good crop last year That’s just The Way the River Goes ‘round here Repeat Chorus River jumped its banks, in 2001 The old-timers say, "we were due that flood" Now the mud is gone, but not the fear That’s just The Way the River Goes ‘round here It's been 30 years since I’ve been gone I said ‘Hey Bill, why’d you stay so long?’ Billy laughs and hands me another beer That’s just The Way the River Goes ‘round here Repeat Chorus
2.
While You were Sleeping Dan Weber © 2021 Highway 142 Music (ASCAP) While You were Sleeping, a train pulled into town The cars were loaded down, with North Dakota crude And graffiti on the side, a black river passing by It took a while, While You were Sleeping While You were Sleeping, the crossing gates dropped And then rang out like church bells, urging me to stop Warning of the thunder, soon be coming down the tracks It held me back, While You were Sleeping While You were Sleeping, the rumble of the wheels The colors and the couplers, a moving wall of steel And how will you feel, when that train and I are gone And I've moved on, While You were Sleeping While You were Sleeping, the train shook to a halt So I could read the graffiti, every tag and every scrawl And don’t it make you wonder, where that train has been And where it got the ink on its skin, While You were Sleeping While You were Sleeping, its heart lurched back to life The diesel smoke coughing from the engine on the right And it pushed and pushed some more, then throttled into gear And woke the cars back up, so suddenly it cleared With the arms of the gates, saluting to the sky And I can still recall those names on the boxcars But I cannot tell you why...While You were Sleeping While You were Sleeping---left a note to say goodbye While You were Sleeping---couldn't bear to see you cry While You were Sleeping---I hope you know that I tried While You were Sleeping, that train, pulled out of town
3.
Ever Since Columbine Dan Weber © 2021 Highway 142 Music (ASCAP) Last week it was in Kansas, today was Michigan Can we just start over, but where do we begin? I’ve been lookin’ hard for answers, that got lost along the way Did you hear there was another, shooting today? This time it was a father, they said he loved his kids But like always the neighbors can’t believe what he did Last time it was a teenage boy, who said he’d make those bullies pay Did you hear there was another, shooting today? Chorus Ever since Columbine, it seems to happen, all the time And no one knows what to do, while it gets closer to me and you From Fort Hood to Sandy Hook, and Las Vegas now It’s a killing field of front page news, we’ve grown immune to somehow And the families left behind, you know they’ll never be the same Did you hear there was another, shooting today? Repeat Chorus Some say the solution, is we should all pack a gun But even I know 15 people, that should never own one Not in grocery stores and theaters, and places we go to pray Did you hear there was another, shooting today? From Charleston to Chattanooga, and up to Virginia Tech From El Paso to Orlando, and whichever one comes next If there’s a moral to the story, God help us find a way Did you hear there was another, shooting today? Repeat Chorus And the names keep on changing, but the story stays the same Did you hear there was, another, shooting today? Did you hear there was another, shooting today? ‘Cause Ever since Columbine, it seems to happen, all the time
4.
Goodbye New Orleans Dan Weber © 2021 Highway 142 Music (ASCAP) The balconies are all empty now, Bourbon Street’s lost its rush Even the drunks are fast asleep, maybe the Quarter’s lost its touch The river keeps on rising; higher than it seems So goodbye, Goodbye New Orleans All the chapels to the past, they rise in to the air The Cathedral spires, the Superdome, the old wrought iron stairs But everything that you can climb, someday washes out to sea So goodbye, yeah Goodbye New Orleans Norfolk Southern, that big black horse, stumbles at the gate Blows her horn at the ship canal, so you know she’s been runnin’ late Through the Lower 9th Ward, with its vacant lots picked clean So goodbye, yeah Goodbye New Orleans Goodbye, oh goodbye... After all those sleepless nights, rainfall on the roof I finally learned, that love was, letting go of you I used to trust my instincts, that's why it's so hard to leave So goodbye, yeah Goodbye New Orleans Confederate ghosts are all gathered at the St. Louis Hotel They stand upon that auction block; with souls they cannot sell While Old Man River just keeps on rising, like shackles on their feet So goodbye, yeah Goodbye New Orleans (x3)
5.
Farewell Maggie Valley Dan Weber © 2021 Highway 142 Music (ASCAP) I spent one last night in Asheville, and the only reason why Was to stay see some old friends; maybe drink myself dry I said goodbye to Tom and Kristen, and Louise down at the bar The walk back home that night, never felt so far Chorus Farewell Maggie Valley, farewell, your tall white pines Farewell Maggie Valley, I'm good as gone this time I'm only taking what I can fit, in the bed of my Ranger truck The rest all went to Goodwill, good riddance it's just stuff On the kitchen table you'll find, my forwarding address I'll miss this town a little, I'll miss you more than I'll confess Chorus Farewell Maggie Valley, farewell, your tall white pines Farewell Maggie Valley, I'm good as gone this time Bridge: Some nights I wake up thinkin', we gave up too soon And I lay awake for hours, not knowin' what to do 'Cause I loved you to pieces, but the pieces fell apart They never tell you that, at the start It's gonna take a little while, to find my feet again All those easy answers, ain't so easy in the end They say this valley is haunted, by the ones who came before Yeah, we've all got our ghosts, but I don't need mine anymore Chorus Farewell Maggie Valley, farewell, your tall white pines Farewell Maggie Valley, I'm good as gone this time Farewell Maggie Valley, farewell, your tall white pines Farewell Maggie Valley, I'm good as gone this time I'm good as gone this time, I'm good as gone this time
6.
Whatcha Gonna Do? Dan Weber © 2021 Highway 142 Music (ASCAP) I guess I'm not young anymore, that happened fast, where's the door? Somebody show me, the way out 'Cause I need some air, I need a drink, I'd like a kiss, whatever you think I just need some help, right now 'Cause there's no doubt I'm the kinda guy, who gets depressed, I'll tell you why Sometimes, the rain just gets me down Chorus Whatcha Gonna Do when the rain comes down? Whatcha Gonna Do if I stay around? Maybe cry, or just laugh? I don't care what people say I'm gonna love you anyway! Now Whatcha Gonna Do, about that? They say "look before you leap", but I'm so ready to fly 'Cause I want more, than just, gettin' by Not politics or religion, those are just opinions I want the thing, that really, gets me high And that's you right here this morning, and you late last night Come on darlin', give it one more try Repeat Chorus Now maybe it won't work out right But I don't wanna hear that tonight, not tonight Repeat Chorus
7.
Never 03:41
Never Dan Weber © 2021 Highway 142 Music (ASCAP) September came on a Monday, by Friday fall arrived Storm tore through the valley, it's a wonder no one died On Saturday the chainsaws sang, their ragged symphony On Sunday morning we gave thanks, down on our knees Chorus So I called to say I miss you, leave a key out by the door And to tell you that I'm not, saying 'Never' anymore I cancelled the paper months ago, 'cause I couldn't take the news But it still comes every day, what am I supposed to do? And I read the 'Obits' section, frankly I don't know why They're strangers one and all to me, but some mornings I cry Repeat Chorus But 'Never' is like 'Forever', twin stars in the sky Ah, but even stars fall, heaven knows why And I tried to say I'm sorry, for keeping us apart But I've never been so scared, or reckless with my heart I like to walk out in the rain, when everything's washed clean 'Cause that's when I feel you, closest to me And I sometimes talk to myself, in this big house all alone I don't know why I told you that, I just wanted you to know Repeat Chorus
8.
Ghosts of Wichita Dan Weber © 2021 Highway 142 Music (ASCAP) You take all the money, the bank has got your name You take the mattress too, or I’ll have it hauled away And don’t forget the memories, if there’s something left I’ll go back to Kansas, let the wind do the rest I’ll throw your ring, from a bridge, high above the Arkansas And raise a glass, to the Ghosts of Wichita We tried a trial separation, at least we took a stab It was a circus from the get-go, but what choice did I have? But go on believing everything would be alright While you kept insisting grey was really white It left us like two gunfighters, waiting for the draw At high noon, with the Ghosts of Wichita To hear you tell the story now, it rings like a grudge That you’ve been nursing, to feed to the judge Who said the past was always prologue, his gavel was the law When he gave you half of the Ghosts of Wichita Now your car is in the driveway, looks like you’re packed to go But you checked out on me, months and months ago The black locust in the front yard is swaying in the wind These floorboards are creaking; they know where we’ve been These walls have seen us dance, they know all our flaws Barefoot, with the Ghosts of Wichita Repeat 1st Verse
9.
Somewhere Down the Line Dan Weber © 2021 Highway 142 Music (ASCAP) Route #4 took a turn for the South, just as the day ran out I could feel it in my knees and in my back As far as I can see, that wheel was steering me Some hands you play, some you lay face flat Chorus It's easy gettin' lost, that river ain't hard to cross But comin' back, that'll get you every time Come the mornin' I'll be gone And since goodbye is just too long I'll see you maybe, Somewhere Down the Line Well I've paid my dues in ice machines, and motels that still use keys And credit cards I left in bars, I did not mean to leave I used to count the days, that I was gone from you But numbers never tell you, what you want them too Repeat Chorus But Somewhere Down the Line, it could turn on a dime Regrets are never gonna be, far behind Always thinking there's gonna be more time Somewhere Down the Line Repeat Chorus
10.
Surrender 03:55
Surrender Dan Weber © 2021 Highway 142 Music (ASCAP) Surrender everything that’s past, let the night go free at last Remember every die that’s cast, gets cast aside Then gets thrown upon the pile, of broken wings and crooked miles October geese, the rank and file, go South again I could hold you, like their song, holds the wind You know Surrender’s nothing new, and before the season's through Something borrowed, something blue, made me see That the long nights apart, hadn't poisoned your heart Like a stolen work of art, returned to me Won’t you hang your star, on my Christmas tree? Then come dance the floor with me, Surrender to eventually Wear that dress, just for me, tonight And feel the white oak ‘neath your feet, till Surrender is complete Lay me in my bed of leaves, piled high Then I'll sweep you, like a waltz, in three-quarter time Chorus If you just Surrender...to me Just Surrender...hmmm-mmm. Just Surrender And let this Surrender be your last, let the past just be the past Don’t think twice, don’t look back, we’re almost there I will fix your broken wings, with paper mache and string The first sign of Spring, in the air We can go back North, or anywhere Repeat Chorus Surrender everything that’s past, let the night go free at last Remember every die that’s cast, gets cast aside
11.
You Make Me Wanna Dance Dan Weber © 2021 Highway 142 Music (ASCAP) & Lynn McCracken © Be My Firefly Publishing (ASCAP) Her name was Sandy Davis, it was the Homecoming Dance She was pretty as a sunset, didn't think I had a chance Her friend gave me her number, but I was terrified to ask I even called her house one time, and hung up on her Dad One day in English class, Sandy handed me a note "Sadie Hawkins dance this Friday, do you wanna go?" She knew all the steps, and I didn't have a clue But when she grabbed me by the hand, that's when I knew Chorus You Make Me Wanna Dance, dance, dance, sweep you 'cross the floor You make me wanna Jitterbug, though no one Jitterbugs no more I want to waltz you across Texas, like old Ernest Tubb You Make Me Wanna Dance, dance, dance, fall in love Next weekend at the movies, we barely watched the show We were sitting in the way back, when the lights turned down low I knew it's now or never, as I leaned in for a kiss She said no one's ever, made me feel like this Repeat Chorus She taught me a lesson, about taking a chance You may not be ready, when fate takes your hand Repeat Chorus
12.
Last Night 04:31
Last Night Dan Weber © 2021 Highway 142 Music (ASCAP) When I woke up this morning, washed the sleep out of my head I tried hard to remember, all the things Last Night said It was a gathering of tribes, musicians and the like And friends from far away, we hadn’t seen in a while So it was welcoming and friendly; smoke got passed around When the beer ran out, wine showed up, and no one turned it down So we got drunk and we were foolish, it got a little out of hand Last Night a chair that used to sit, now only can stand In the kitchen comrades gathered, in the backyard they smoked Down the hallway, I only caught the punch line to a joke Where some girl apologized, for spilling her wine And someone played DJ, but why’s it always a guy? Soon the intimate and amorous, paired up and left A couple made out on the couch, where someone else slept And that brunette with the smile, that I was desperate to know Last Night she left with someone else, and that’s just the way it goes Chorus Last Night. Last Night, Hmm-mmn, Hmm-mmn Some 'Goodbyes' were short and sweet, some lingered on the porch Where old friends agreed not to be, strangers anymore And some we’d lose touch with, we might never see again That’s why these nights are precious, this unlikely band of friends G And the party died down, just a few of us left But we were too buzzed to drive, and we were too dumb to quit But we were stoic and we were strong, so we vowed to soldier on Last Night we made a pact, to stay awake until the dawn Repeat Chorus We spent those hours telling stories, till a tangled web was spun And we could not believe that we’d survived, the crazy things we’d done We solved all the world’s problems, yeah, ‘cause we were young and wise We spiked our whiskey with coffee, waited for the sun to rise Exhausted and wired, hung over but inspired Something without a name we knew, had transpired Yeah, 'cause we were Kings, and we were Queens, at the breaking of the day Last Night there was poetry, in all we had to say Repeat Chorus
13.
Sun's Gonna Shine when I’m Gone Dan Weber © 2021 Highway 142 Music (ASCAP) I was a child, that was long ago Long before the world taught me, what I’d need to know And what I didn’t learn, I’ll just leave it all behind For somebody else to find Soon I grew into a man; wanderlust took hold of me I rode the Greyhound bus, saw a little of the country But those old men tellin’ stories, that’s the part that I liked best But even old hounds, could use a little rest Chorus And the Sun's Gonna Shine when I’m Gone Yeah, the Sun's Gonna Shine when I’m Gone There’ll be daffodil and clover, when the long winter’s over The Sun’s Gonna Shine when I’m Gone There ain’t no future in the future; even the truth is in the past The present’s here and now, but I don’t think it’ll last Besides no one lives forever, said the sapling to the tree But know you'll always be lookin’ down on me Repeat Chorus Oh Lord have mercy on me, I’ve been wicked in my ways They say there’s 7 deadly sins, I think I’ve found an 8th So tell all the one's you love, that you hate to leave behind Just you wait, 'cause that sun's gonna shine Repeat Chorus
14.
Call it a Night Dan Weber © 2021 Highway 142 Music (ASCAP) Oh the bartender’s yelling ‘Last Call’ again I think she means it, this time She’s been on her feet, all night long Just watching her, is makin’ me tired Chorus And I’m holdin’ on, to one song at a time Just tryin’ to play it right Then I’m 200 miles, down the road So I think we should Call it a Night Oh the crowd came and went, paychecks got spent The drinks, ebbed and flowed Some listened a while, some didn’t and left A few even, laughed at my jokes And the guy in the corner, who stayed all night Hey ‘Thanks’ for making the show Sometimes there's just one, but one is enough Hell, it's better than singing alone Repeat Chorus And I think it's some kind of trick How the night goes by so quick Well it’s been a good ride, but I must confide Some nights I think I should quit See the guy working sound, $20 bucks says He plays guitar better than me That he’s lived in a van; and he’s been in 6 bands So he’s paid that price, to be free And he knows what it’s like, to be stranger each night And how lonely that can be Tonight for next to nothing, he made me sound like something So I’d like to tip my hat to thee Repeat Chorus

about

The Way the River Goes

"Rivers aren't walls; they don't divide, they connect.
They cut across state and county lines, city limits and
reservation boundaries, regardless of political demarcations
or jurisdictions...Rivers were the original blue highways."

- John Hildebrand 'Long Way Around' (2019)


~ Elevation (Elev.) ~

1. Height above a given level, especially sea level.
2. The ability of a dancer to attain height in jumps.


I first began work on 'The Way the River Goes', in January 2017, when I drove up to Oysterville, WA (Elev. 13') with my friend Jen Hajj. Thanks to the generosity of Bill and Sue Svendsen and the Long Beach Peninsula Acoustic Music Foundation, we holed up in a tranquil cabin near the Pacific Ocean to polish and sharpen roughly 20 new songs I felt were close to ready. Shortly thereafter, when I was preparing to start recording, my studio engineer and producer extraordinaire, Rob "Berto" Stroup, moved out of the area to a small town just off Interstate 25 along the Rio Grande River in the New Mexican desert. So I put the project on hold for a bit and figured maybe it was a sign that I should try to write one more song, one that would really stand out, and 'complete' the record.

That song never came. Well not exactly...

In the meantime a brand new song came from a drive between shows through the Great Smokey Mountains of North Carolina. Another came on a tour from Texas to Minnesota up the Mississippi River (and back) on a rainy May afternoon in the Flint Hills of Kansas. Then another in Kansas nearby on the banks of the Walnut River. Two new songs sprang forth like spring creeks from small towns in Vermont, and yet another came suddenly one warm Louisiana night, near Old Man River himself, on an old wrought-iron balcony in the storied French Quarter. Then one final song snuck in when I was least expecting it---at a wintertime co-write at a retreat in California.

Now I had over 30 songs but that one song I was trying to write, still somehow eluded me.

I did however have a song called 'Ever Since Columbine' that was sparked by the proliferation of mass shootings in America and the raw, incredible sadness that began anew with each senseless tragedy. I played it live because it felt cathartic to sing it, but balked at recording it on the grounds that I didn't want to somehow profit from those same tragedies. I felt pretty strongly about that, so I dug my heels in, for the better part of 4 years.

Then one weekend in August 2019, I went backpacking in the Ochoco Mountains in central Oregon and got lost in the beauty and rhythms of the wilderness. Going way back to my days as a National Park Service Ranger, I always feel at home and so peaceful sleeping under the stars---something so magical about it. Then on the way home after a great trip, my phone buzzed with the news of the twin mass shootings in El Paso, TX (Elev. 3,740') and Dayton, OH. I went to college in Dayton (Elev. 738') and spent a fair number of nights near where that shooting took place. That really hit home. It felt personal this time. So then and there I finally decided to record 'Ever Since Columbine', to convey how sad, frustrated and angry it makes me feel to wake up to another senseless mass shooting, and that grim reminder of how frail and fleeting life is.

So there was the one last song I'd been looking for, and it was right under my nose the whole time.

By then over 2 years had gone by and that batch of new songs had been showing up to the proverbial party for a while. Like the "gathering of tribes, musicians and the like, and friends from far away, we hadn't seen in a while" in my song 'Last Night', which tells the tale of an epic party that eventually ended despite our attempts to make it last forever. It was the kind of party where I knew everyone, so the details are indelibly etched in my mind like ancient petroglyphs carved into red sandstone cliffs. However, some 30 years later, a few of the memories have faded with age, but those friends and that night are still unforgettable.

So after starting with 30 plus songs, I eventually whittled it down to 14. These are my favorites, the ones I couldn't shake and can't stop singing, the ones I keep going back to, including one that was written nearly a decade ago. I found them along rivers of water and asphalt, in mountain valley tributaries and meandering back road streams. Along riffles and rapids, the current carrying the sediment of songs downstream and like the party in 'Last Night', the songs came together from many different places, a confluence that was years in the making.

I hope you agree that it was worth the wait.

Peace!
dan

2/29/2020 ~ Leap Day!

Truth or Consequences, NM (Elev. 4,260')

credits

released January 28, 2022

Dan Weber: Acoustic Guitar, Vocals

Truth or Consequences Rhythm Section:
Rob 'Berto' Stroup: Drums & Percussion, Bass (Tracks 12 & 14), Organ, Electric Guitar, Harmony Vocals
Michael Henchman: 5 String Electric Bass

Socially Distant Portland Players:
Paul Brainard: Electric Guitar, Pedal Steel
Kathryn Claire: Fiddle
Jenny Conlee-Drizos: Accordion
Tim Connell: Mandolin
Tony Furtado: Banjo, Dojo
David Lipkind: Harmonica

© &  Daniel Weber 2021 Highway142 Music (ASCAP)
All Rights Reserved.

Produced, Engineered & Mixed by Rob 'Berto' Stroup with assistance from Mo Cravenock @ Taproot Studio, Truth or Consequences, NM / www.blameberto.com

Mastered by Ed Brooks @ Resonant Mastering, Seattle, WA. / www.resonantmastering.com

Dan Weber is an officially Sponsored Artist with Crossrock Cases and tours with his 1967 Gibson B-25 acoustic guitar in an 'Air Carbon' 6000 Series Crossrock case. / www.crossrockcase.com

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Dan Weber Richardson, Texas

Dan Weber is an Award Winning songwriter who's been described as "reminiscent of early John Prine."

In 2019, Dan was the winner of the prestigious Woody Guthrie songwriting contest and in 2021 he was named a rare 4 time finalist in the legendary Kerrville ‘New Folk’ songwriting competition.

In 2022, he released 'The Way the River Goes', his best work yet. Dan currently lives near Dallas, Texas.
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