The vocal sections are taken at a slow tempo. 'Down by the River' begins with electric guitars followed by bass guitar and snare drum before the vocals begin. According to Young, the local sheriff comes to the man's house and arrests him a few hours later. It's a plea, a desperate cry.' Later, when introducing the song in New Orleans on September 27, 1984, Young said that the song depicts a man 'who had a lot of trouble controlling himself' who catches his woman cheating on him, then meets her down by the river and shoots her.

It's about blowing your thing with a chick. In an interview with Robert Greenfield in 1970, a year after the song was released, Young claimed that 'there's no real murder in it. Young himself has provided multiple explanations for the lyrics. The lyrics tell the story of someone who killed his lover by shooting her after feeling unable to continue from the emotional highs of their relationship. Young explained the context of the story in the liner notes of his 1977 anthology album Decade, stating that he wrote 'Down by the River,' ' Cinnamon Girl' and ' Cowgirl in the Sand' while delirious in bed in Topanga Canyon with a 103 ☏ (39 ☌) fever. It was first released on his 1969 album with Crazy Horse, Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere. ' Down by the River' is a song composed by Neil Young. Neil Young and Crazy Horse singles chronology

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