An Old River

It's in the music

Last week’s post introduced a song about farming and family life along the lower Grand River in Southern Ontario. The vignette the song provides of early Anglo-European and American agricultural settlers represents but a very small piece of the expansive and rich tapestry that is the Grand’s history. This post provides another piece by touching on the river itself.

The Grand River stretches about 170 miles (266 km for younger Canadians) from the Dundalk Highlands near Georgian Bay to Lake Erie. With its major tributaries, the Grand comprises the largest watershed in Southern Ontario, draining some 2400 sq.mi. (6200 sq.km.) Over its length, the river passes through an ancient gorge, by moraines, and through present day forests, farmland, towns and cities, changing in character from a fast coursing splashing stream to a wide, sometimes muddy, meandering river. Its basic bed has remained unchanged for thousands of years, although construction of power and navigational dams in the colonial period and since have widened its path in much of its lower reaches.

Beyond this very basic description, I could not do justice to the Grand’s deep influence on the fabric and course of the lives and cultures of Indigenous peoples and non-Indigenous settlers who have shared their lives with it. Not being an ethno-historian I can only say that rich stories and controversy over the long history of its use and occupation stretch back multiple generations and continue today.

Accordingly, this song focuses on something else: the river’s power. Called Old Muddy River, it begins:

I’m a lucky one ’cause I’ve got a back porch
You get there by an ancient screen door
No railing to hide the fields or river
There are cracks and creaks in the floor.
Others have rested weary bones here
Have shed boots more troubled than mine
Have lived lives beside this muddy river
Just to learn how it sweeps away time.

Video (Clip)

I have embedded a short video. It’s of the second verse. I have also included a link to the full Bandcamp track with the hope that you might want to listen to the complete version.

Writing about Old Muddy River on its release in December 2024, Elvis Ampaabeng of the UK based Musikepool blog had this to say:

Old Muddy River is perhaps the most poignant track of the EP. The river, a central symbol throughout the [complete four EP] Muddy River project, serves as both a literal and metaphorical reference. This track is steeped in imagery of life’s struggles and triumphs, with the river acting as a silent observer of the passing years. It’s a deeply reflective song that ties together the themes of the EP, offering a sense of closure, yet leaving space for ongoing reflection. … (https://www.instagram.com/musikepool/?hl=en)

Bandcamp Link

Here is the Bandcamp link to the track:

Thank you for listening. I hope that this post and song give you a bit of a break from the onslaught of crushing news. Remember that today needs you. The times need you. Keep reading your favourite Substack writers. Stay informed. Stay sane.

Owen

PS: The complete song is a track on an EP called Town Line. As with all of my songs, it’s available on Bandcamp (owenyoung.bandcamp.com). It’s also available on Spotify, Apple Music, iTunes and other streaming services. Lastly, a thank you to my good friend, musician and author Tia McGraff (tiamcgraff.com), for adding the background vocals.