Little river by Malcolm Lucard

Every city or town has a ‘Little River’ or two, a neglected creek that runs through the heart of town that brings a strip of green, a touch of wild, between the rows of houses and cul de sacs. It’s usually polluted by parking lot run-off and the roots and shrubs are clogged with plastic bags and other trash.

This new release is my homage to one such urban creek, Shooks Run, in downtown Colorado Springs. I fell in love with this lovely, neglected and abused little creek when I lived in the nearby Shooks Run neighborhood. It was one of my favorite hangouts and places to explore with my kids when they were small. We’d find old bottles and pick up trash and climb around on the gnarly old cottonwoods and elms.

The guitar part for the song comes from the very first composition I ever wrote on guitar. It was probably influenced by songs I was listening to at the time, like Jorma Kaukonen’s Embryonic Journey. 40 years later I realized that lyrics I had been working on called ‘little river’ fit the meter and vibe of the song perfectly. At least I think so. I hope you like it too.

Tracklist

1.	Little river	3:25

Lyrics

Little river

Little river running
through the heart of town
skippin’ through the backstreets
slippin’ underground

No one knows
she comes from the hills
never changing course
never sittin’ still

I run with her
through the tunnel of trees
lying naked between
the litter and the leaves.

Closest thing
this town has to wild,
far as I know she's
nobody’s child, but time’s

Down with the coyotes,
the beer cans and the bums,
down past the gutters
from which all life comes

There’s a little river running
through the heart of town
skippin’ through the backstreets
slippin’ underground

She comes from the hills
nobody knows.
Try not to get mad at all
the trash they throw.

One of these days
if I had my way,
the heavens would open
and she’d carry us all away

Now I don’t know
but i’m pretty sure
she don’t look like much but
she’s going somewhere
Scrawny little thing
but she’s going somewhere.
Heading outon them plains
she’s going somewhere.
They sure treat her mean
cuz they know she’s going somewhere
gotta keep her clean
She’s going somewhere
Yeah she’s goin’ somewhere
She’s goin’ somewhere
She’s goin’ somewhere
She’s goin’ somewhere

Credits

released January 25, 2023
Malcolm Lucard: vocals, acoustic guitar, sound recordingsVartan Baronian: cello
Gideon Lucard: vocals
Diego Gadenz: vocals, percussion, berimbau

Produced by Malcolm Lucard and Diego Gadenz. Recorded at Les Studios des Paquis in Geneva, Switzerland and at Estudio Planeta Musical in Porto Alegre, Brazil. Engineered by Gabriel Do Val in Geneva and Diego Gadenz in Brazil. Mixed at Estudio Planeta Musical and mastered by Marcos Abreu, Porto Alegre, Brazil.

Cover art by Gideon Lucard and Malcolm Lucard

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