Delta by Crosby, Stills & Nash

Album: Daylight Again (1982)

License This Song

artistfacts

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.

see more comments

More Songfacts:

Come Out And PlayThe Offspring

The line, "Gotta keep 'em separated" in "Come Out And Play" by The Offspring came to lead singer Dexter Holland when he was a medical student and needed to keep bacteria samples away from each other.

LandslideFleetwood Mac

Stevie Nicks wrote "Landslide" before she joined Fleetwood Mac. She was considering going back to school when she and her boyfriend Lindsey Buckingham were asked to join the group.

Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)Eurythmics

The Eurythmics' "Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)" came top of a 2013 Spotify poll to find out which songs music fans most commonly hear people singing incorrectly. Many believe Annie Lennox is singing: "Sweet dreams are made of cheese, who am I to disagree?"

Don't Cry For Me ArgentinaJulie Covington

Featured in the 1978 musical Evita, "Don't Cry For Me Argentina" became the biggest selling UK hit by a female vocalist (Julie Covington).

Rap GodEminem

Eminem spits a total of 1,560 words on "Rap God," earning him an entry in the 2015 Guinness Book of Records for "most words in a hit single."

Light My FireThe Doors

"Light My Fire" was the first song Doors guitarist Robby Krieger wrote. Looking for a universal theme, he decided to write about one of the four elements (air, earth, water, fire).