River To Wash Me Clean

Grimy delta blues and soul, female vocals with rasp and grit, Slide guitar growls over a swampy, behind-the-beat rhythm section; crooked organ swirls in and out, Verses stay sparse and smoky; chorus hits with stacked call-and-response harmonies and a heavier groove, Roomy, live-feeling mix, little polish, all dirt and sweat, delta blues, female vocals, soul

[Verse 1] Mud up to my knees Dress torn at the seams Cross hangin’ sideways Tongue heavy with schemes Bottle in the briars Ash burned to the glass Breath smells like trouble Heart tied to the past [Chorus] Take me down to the river To wash this sin off o’ me Let that brown water shiver ’Round everything I can’t set free Hold my head under Whisper If there’s mercy Let it be Take me down to the river To wash this sin off o’ me [Verse 2] Mama wrote me letters Ink bled like a wound Said “Girl You play with fire You breathe your own doom” Man with a gold tooth Taught me how to lie Now his name tastes bitter Like rust in my mouth at night [Chorus] [Bridge] [low vocal register] I’ve stolen I’ve cheated Left good love in the rain But I’m tired of my shadow Draggin’ chains Draggin’ shame [full voice Ad-libs] So if that water’s poison Or if it cuts clean through I’ll wade in I’ll wade deeper ’Til I’m someone new [Chorus]

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