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:

Blinded By The LightBruce Springsteen

Bruce Springsteen wrote "Blinded By The Light," which was a #1 hit for Manfred Mann's Earth Band. The "Madman Drummers" line is a reference to Springsteen's first E-Street drummer, Vinnie "Mad dog" Lopez.

Free BirdLynyrd Skynyrd

The opening lines to "Free Bird," "If I leave here tomorrow, would you still remember me?" came from the girlfriend of Lynyrd Skynyrd guitarist Allen Collins, who asked him that question during an argument.

Girl, You'll Be A Woman SoonNeil Diamond

Neil Diamond got a big boost in 1994 when Urge Overkill's cover of his song 'Girl, You'll Be A Woman Soon" was used in the movie Pulp Fiction. His catalog sales ramped up, and suddenly he was cool.

Lifestyles Of The Rich And FamousGood Charlotte

The first Good Charlotte hit, "Lifestyles Of The Rich And Famous," is a send-up of celebrity culture, but the group's leaders, Joel and Benji Madden, both married celebrities: Nicole Richie and Cameron Diaz, respectively.