"Rivers of My Fathers" is a song by American recording artist Gil Scott-Heron and musician Brian Jackson. It was written and composed by Scott-Heron and Jackson for their first collaborative album, Winter in America (1974). The song was recorded on October 15, 1973 at D&B Sound Studio in Silver Spring, Maryland and produced by Scott-Heron and Jackson with assistance from engineer Jose Williams.
"Rivers of My Fathers" is a soul song with a jazz arrangement and bluesy, minor chords piano by Jackson. Scott-Heron's Afrocentric lyrics make references to African-American cultural roots and slavery. Although it was not released as a single, the song was recognized by writers for its instrumentation and theme of cultural significance, and regarded as one of Scott-Heron's best compositions.
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Famous quotes containing the words rivers of, rivers and/or fathers:
“We are asking the nations of Europe between whom rivers of blood have flowed to forget the feuds of a thousand years.”
—Winston Churchill (1874–1965)
“It is easier to move rivers and mountains than to change a person’s basic nature.”
—Chinese proverb.
“The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge.”
—Bible: Hebrew Ezekiel, 18:2.
Proverbial reproach by God, concerning the land of Israel. The same image is used in Jeremiah 31:29.