You Will Ride With Me Tonight

Album: In The Time Of Gods (2012)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Dar Williams' ninth studio album, In the Time of Gods, has a theme of Greek mythology running through it. The Chappaqua, New York native got the idea whilst driving on an isolated highway, on a trip from New York to Ontario. "I thought, 'I want to write a biker song!,'" she recalled with a laugh. "And then my second thought was, 'I want to write an epic biker song.' The Greek messenger of the dead is named Hermes, and I want to write about him - the god of travelers and thieves.

    I had this picture of Hermes starting to take a silver-haired woman down to her death, as she's asked him to do, and instead he seduces her, saying 'I love people like you who are experienced and worldly,'" she added. "And then I thought, why don't I really freak out my record company and make a whole album about Greek mythology? So I decided to look at each of the gods of the Parthenon and see if their stories sprang to life for me or not." This was the first song Williams penned after coming up with the concept.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Emmylou Harris

Emmylou HarrisSongwriter Interviews

She thinks of herself as a "song interpreter," but back in the '80s another country star convinced Emmylou to take a crack at songwriting.

Wherefore Art Thou Romeo Lyric

Wherefore Art Thou Romeo LyricMusic Quiz

In this quiz, spot the artist who put Romeo into a song lyric.

James Williamson of Iggy & the Stooges

James Williamson of Iggy & the StoogesSongwriter Interviews

The Stooges guitarist (and producer of the Kill City album) talks about those early recordings and what really happened with David Bowie.

Scott Gorham of Thin Lizzy and Black Star Riders

Scott Gorham of Thin Lizzy and Black Star RidersSongwriter Interviews

Writing with Phil Lynott, Scott saw their ill-fated frontman move to a darker place in his life and lyrics.

Shawn Mullins

Shawn MullinsSongwriter Interviews

"Lullaby" singer Shawn Mullins on "Beautiful Wreck," beating the Devil, and his writing credit on the Zac Brown Band song "Toes."

Jonathan Edwards - "Sunshine"

Jonathan Edwards - "Sunshine"They're Playing My Song

"How much does it cost? I'll buy it?" Another songwriter told Jonathan to change these lyrics. Good thing he ignored this advice.