One way to think about a classic, lyric short story is to map it like a song, ‘The River’ models that kind of structure perfectly — basically, a linear narrative that keeps doubling back to a real place at a different time, telling a character’s story through that central image. There’s an epiphany in there too. People always stress cutting back and paring down, but rhythm, pace and repetition are just as important. You can hear that in the music; in a story on the page, you control those elements through words alone. The version of ‘The River’ on the Live 1975-85 album is prefaced by a spoken monologue that’s another masterclass in storytelling, delivering an ironic twist in the final sentence.
First included in The River, Columbia Records 1980. Listen to it here
A Personal Anthology 