Beyond the River Bend - Lyrics - Hazel Dickens

Hazel Jane Dickens was an American bluegrass singer, songwriter, double bassist and guitarist. Her music was characterized not only by her high, lonesome singing style, but also by her provocative pro-union, feminist songs. Cultural blogger John Pietaro noted that "Dickens didnât just sing the anthems of labor, she lived them and her place on many a picket line, staring down gunfire and goon squads, embedded her into the cause." The New York Times extolled her as "a clarion-voiced advocate for coal miners and working people and a pioneer among women in bluegrass music." With Alice Gerrard, Dickens was one of the first women to record a bluegrass album.

There's a path that leads back through my memories And how often I've walked it these days Where I find sweet piece among the flowers On the grassy banks beyond the river bend But it's only a memory Yes it's only a memory my friend Yes it's only a memory I can never go back home again Down by the river Down by the old river bend Down by the river The sweet fragrance of flowers Oh it seems life troubles and trials Get harder and harder to mend Oh how sweet it would be to sit down On the grassy banks beyond the river bend But it's only a memory Yes it's only a memory my friend Yes it's only a memory I can never go back home again Down by the river Down by the old river bend Down by the river The sweet fragrance of flowers