"A Part of the River" tells the story of a man telling his lover that it's not going to be an easy road if she stays with him. "And cruel, cruel as I am / I know there's nothing to rely upon / But the weight of your hand" - it's a pained love. And he'll eventually come back to her, but "it won't be an easy ride / if you try and stay with me / I'm a part of the river / that flows away from the sea" - but he may leave again. Their relationship is like the waves rushing in and out with the tides. With the melody, Petty adds to the simplicity of his guitar and vocals with some backing strings to provide some additional depth.
"Diamond in the Sand" features Petty alone with a guitar and is beautiful in its simplicity, telling the story of a man and woman trying to find a perfect relationship - like trying to find a "diamond in the sand". Love is hard to find and in the end, he comes to realize that he has what he's been searching for. "And it occurs to me that we're wasting our time / I can't believe what I hold in my hands / Why am I trying to find a diamond in the sand?" He'd already found his diamond in the sand.
If you, like me, are a folk junkie, I think you'll find The Sea, The Sea by Solomon's Seal much to your liking. You can take a listen to some of the tracks at Petty's website - SolomonsSealMusic.com. But be sure to support this great artist by picking up the album while you're there.
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