Okkervil River: 'Down Down The Deep River,' Live On Soundcheck

Many songwriters reflect upon and romanticize times and places from their past, and often cannot let go. For Okkervil River's Will Sheff, the time is 1986, and the place is Meriden, N.H., a small town where he spent his childhood. And while he and his band have gone on to live elsewhere -- Austin, Texas or Brooklyn -- not to mention tour all over, Sheff has apparently kept Meriden close to his heart.

With Okkervil River's seventh album, The Silver Gymnasium, Sheff mines his experiences and cultural references of that time -- not only in autobiographical details about the setting, but in the musical sounds of the era. The record sets Sheff's distinctive quavering voice with elements of '80s rock he grew up on. The result is yet another ambitious high-concept Okkervil River album that allows us a glimpse into the songwriter's life.

Watch the band perform "Down Down The Deep River" in the Soundcheck studio.

[tomraus]

Love it, how did I not know about this band

[PUPPETSHOW_spinaltap]

Performance of an awesome song with production to do it justice. Well done all!

[daimonddog]

Seriously one of my fav song specially the synthesizer part the vibes no words to describe simply amazing 👍👍

[michaelwtapp]

this song reminded me of the war on drugs but these guys were ahead of the curve!

[yesmichaels]

thanks for your great music. God bless you all. highest esteem and regards to you all

[briannoles]

Love this song guy's keep on playing.

[pottermk]

Absolutely stunning. So sad that I have to miss their show next weekend. :-(

[TheInvisibledeejay]

Love love love then I learned Lou Reed was a fan RIP dear soul

[clayyayy]

Okkervil River songs seem to always find a way to hit close to home, somehow.

[bestplans]

I can't believe these guys don't have at least 1k Likes.

[Wolfhoundersful]

Spit into the center of your home town
There is leaves in the street and there are friends around you now
All the days of your life in a line
All the way that it seemed by '89

But it's not all right
It's not even close to all right

Down a hall in your house, down a road in December
(Down, down, down the deep river, down, down, down the deep river)
Down a hall in your house, down a road in December
(Down, down, down the deep river, down, down, down the deep river)

We lie awake at night in a tent and I say
"Tell me about your uncle and his friend
Cause they seem like very bad men
Well, we wanna keep away from them."
Bend in the road back there, we saw the place they go
Tell me about the greatest show or the greatest movie you know
Or the greatest song that you taped from off the radio
You're gonna play it again and again, it cuts off at the ending, though
Tell me I'm always gonna be your best friend
Now you said it one time, why don't you say it again?
All the way down the line to where the telephone ends
Come on and shout it on down the wire

But it's not all right
Not even close to all right

Down a hall in your house, down a road in December
(Down, down, down the deep river, down, down, down the deep river)
Down a hall in your house, down a road in December
(Down, down, down the deep river, down, down, down the deep river)

And as the rescue party, the volunteer team
Ah, they're just kids of eighteen, and it's the worst thing they've seen
And they're standing all around that tree
And I'm so sorry that I can't stop crying

(Oh, I know.)

Shivering from the late fall cold
I felt like a solid ghost
I ran and then I couldn't slow
My father found me though, my father took me home
He said, "Oh, son, I saw you get knocked down
And I ran out. I bet your head was spinning
With that bright pain you stunned
When you've only just begun to be only just beginning."
Tossed in the viper pit, all those feelings and fears
And all that difficult shit in all those tender years
There was something in the air, something gathered in the air
Something singing in the wind
Oh, I'll be your fighter and you'll be my mirror
And you'll be all right because I'll be right here
Oh kid, now I'm not going anywhere
I swear I'll try to not be going anywhere

Though it's not all right. It's so far from all right
We'll make it into a choice somehow
I don't know, but you'll have a choice somehow

Down a hall in your house, down a road in December
(Down, down, down the deep river, down, down, down the deep river)
We can never go back; we can only remember
(Down, down, down the deep river, down, down, down the deep river)

Maybe they told you about the summer sky
Maybe said there's a great gold spirit in the summer sky
All your friends all your best, best friends
Are gonna gather around your bed at night

Well that'll make it all right because it is still so far from all right
Oh, kid, I know

Down a hall in your house, down a road in December
(Down, down, down the deep river, down, down, down the deep river)
Up the stairs four flights up; can you feel my heart shiver?
(Down, down, down the deep river, down, down, down the deep river)
Waking in the dawn with that dream getting dimmer and dimmer
(Down, down, down the deep river, down, down, down the deep river)
I said, "Are we going down, are we going down, are we going down the deep river? Oh, down the deep river?"
(Down, down, down the deep river, down, down, down the deep river)
Down down, down down, down the deep river. Down, down the deep river
(Down, down, down the deep river, down, down, down the deep river)
Why don't you, why don't you say you still see it, say you remember?
(Down, down, down the deep river, down, down, down the deep river)
Are we going down, are we going down, are we going down, are we going down, are we going down?
(Down, down, down the deep river, down, down, down the deep river)
Are we going down, are we going down, are we going down, are we going down, are we going down the deep river?
(Down, down, down the deep river, down, down, down the deep river)
Because I know it's scary, baby
(Down, down, down the deep river, down, down, down the deep river)

[rjplamf]

like what they did with Roky Erickson so I figured I would check one of there tunes out. has a very '80's feel to it.