Album: Daylight Again (1982)

License This Song 

Songfacts®:

• In "Delta," David Crosby explores his inner child, imagining a river delta where time stands still. The song is made up of fragments of ideas; Crosby didn't grow up near a delta - he's from Los Angeles.
• Written by David Crosby, he credits Jackson Browne with providing the motivation to complete this song. In Long Time Gone: the autobiography of David Crosby, he admits to having the attention span of a "drunken butterfly" at the time. After running some of the lyrics by Browne, Jackson pushed him to work on it and dragged him to Warren Zevon's house, where Crosby sat at a piano and wrote the song. "Jackson wouldn't let me up or let me at the pipe," said Crosby. "He just stood there, looking over my shoulder, holding me at the bench, forcing me, slowly and painfully, to give birth to the song, not the lyrical fragment or the convenient phrase. It was an act of love and great caring; he showed concern for me, for my work, for seeing me get my work done. 'Delta' was the last complete song that I wrote for years. I was the child, crazy for the deep. Without Jackson, the song would never have happened."

Comments: 5

• Rick S. from OklahomaOne of the very best songs I have ever heard. A beautiful piece of music, just beautiful.
• Ls from Wa'Delta' is probably my favorite among all of the songs Crosby ever wrote and performed. It has a quality to it that makes you see what he was trying to express with the music and lyrics, to see how our lives really are made up of dreams, circumstances, choice and chance.
• Goolsby from Mid-americaGood thing Jackson Browne and Warren Zevon forced Crosby to finish the song as it really is one of the best things he ever wrote.
• John Day from U.k.I’ve always been struck by the thought provoking phrases “the fast cunning rivers of choice and chance” are so powerful. They summarise so much of life. CSN harmonising at their beautiful best.
• Lumpy Mcphoomph from Southern NhIn 1998, as a longtime fan of Croz, and at his invitation, I traveled down to Atlanta to meet him, and enjoy a CPR concert. We chatted for about 15 mins prior to the show, and I asked him if he and the band performed 'Delta'. "You like Delta?" he asked, beaming. "Jeez, David - it's a phenomenal song, and of all your songs, one of my true favorites!"
  "We'll do it for you" he said. After a couple of great songs, David glanced down at me, sitting directly in front of the stage. "We're gonna do this next tune for a friend who traveled a long way to be here, tonight..." and with that, off they went. I was thoroughly (and I do mean "thoroughly") blown away. Now, anyone who knows anything about Croz knows he can, at times, be an egotistical jerk. He's admitted it numerous times on tape and camera. But make no mistake, he can also be very kind and generous, and for the rest of my life I'll remember his generosity to me that night.

More Songfacts:

The CaveMumford & Sons

"The Cave" by Mumford & Sons is based on the philosophy of Plato and his work called "Allegory of the Cave."

MotherDanzig

"Mother" by Danzig is about censorship, specifically the Parents Music Resource Center, which pushed record labels to put warning stickers on albums with explicit lyrics.

TendernessGeneral Public

"Tenderness" by General Public was partly inspired by the outbreak of AIDS, which at the time was thought to be contagious.

Don't Go Back To RockvilleR.E.M.

The R.E.M. song "Don't Go Back To Rockville" is about Mike Mills' girlfriend at the University of Georgia, who had to go back to Rockville, Maryland, for the summer.

(Don't Fear) The ReaperBlue Öyster Cult

Buck Dharma of Blue Oyster Cult wrote "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" after he was diagnosed with a heart condition and started thinking about his own mortality.

Shot In The DarkOzzy Osbourne

Ozzy Osbourne's "Shot In The Dark" is titled after a Pink Panther movie.

Editor's Picks

Does Jimmy Page Worship The Devil? A Look at Satanism in RockSong Writing

We ring the Hell's Bells to see what songs and rockers are sincere in their Satanism, and how much of it is an act.

Bryan AdamsSongwriter Interviews

What's the deal with "Summer of '69"? Bryan explains what the song is really about, and shares more of his songwriting insights.

Rush: Album by Album - A Conversation With Martin PopoffSong Writing

A talk with Martin Popoff about his latest book on Rush and how he assessed the thousands of albums he reviewed.

Spooner OldhamSongwriter Interviews

His keyboard work helped define the Muscle Shoals sound and make him an integral part of many Neil Young recordings. Spooner is also an accomplished songwriter, whose hits include "I'm Your Puppet" and "Cry Like A Baby."

Gary Brooker of Procol HarumSongwriter Interviews

The lead singer and pianist for Procol Harum, Gary talks about finding the musical ideas to match the words.

Who's Johnny, And Why Does He Show Up In So Many SongsSong Writing

For songwriters, Johnny represents the American man. He has been angry, cool, magic, a rebel and, of course, marching home.