Black Label Society - In This River - Meaning of the song
Zakk Wylde wrote this song a few months before his good friend, Darrell "Dimebag" Abbott, was shot and killed by a deranged fan named Nathan Gale when Abbott was performing with his band Damage Plan. Wylde subsequently dedicated the song to Abbott; a fitting tribute as the song deals with death. Zakk Wylde says:
"Abbott was one of my favorite songwriters and guitarists. I always tell everybody what Dime's legacy is. Tony Iommi created that whole genre of music, then Dime and the guys took the Sabbath thing and added gasoline. He added nitrous to it and created his own new thing." In the 2004 Guitar World readers' poll, Abbott was named "Most Valuable Metal Guitarist," with Wylde coming in second.
After the death of Dimebag Darrell, Zakk Wylde commissioned a video for this song in tribute to his fallen friend. Directed by Eric Zimmerman, the video shows Dime and Zakk as children, with both of them going into a river, but only Wylde coming out. Footage of Dimebag performing was also incorporated into the clip.
In This River - Lyrics
I've been around this world
Yet I see no end
All shall fade to black again and again
This storm that's broken me
My only friend
[Chorus:]
In this river all shall fade to black
In this river ain't no coming back
In this river all shall fade to black
Ain't no coming back
Withdrawn I step away
Just to find myself
The door is closed again
The only one left
This storm that's broken me
My only friend
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