We knew a girl, knew her very well
She was so pretty, she cast a spell
On the whole town, and we all cried
When we found out that she died
She lived downcreek from our family
In an A-Frame cabin that was low key
It wasn’t much to look at, I’ve seen inside
When they had us over for chicken-fried
Downcreek wasn’t fancy
It was a simple way to be
They’d hang up their laundry
And often made sweet sun tea
But what I loved most about it
Was it felt like home to me
Lots of kick the can
And hide ‘n go seek
With that little girl we knew downcreek
Her father worked mostly at night
Tending bar ‘n mornings he’d write
I never saw him much, he was a busy man
But when I did, he was workin’ on his van
Her Mom cleaned ‘n kept the house neat
We loved her cookies, they were a treat
Had a garden with tomatoes n berries
She ‘n Mama would sit ‘n shoot the breeze
Downcreek wasn’t fancy
It was a simple way to be
They’d hang up their laundry
And often made sweet sun tea
But what I loved most about it
Was it felt like home to me
Lots of kick the can
And hide ‘n go seek
With that little girl we knew downcreek
We heard the news she had been missing
They saw her last at the General Store
She was with someone she called Uncle
But no one there had seen him before
We all searched for her night ‘n day
So much sadness in our mining town
Her body was found further downcreek
The police knew she didn’t drown
Downcreek wasn’t fancy
It was a simple place to be
But then a gruesome mystery
Made it a part of our history
And when I see it now
I remember everything
The horrific crime scene
That melancholy week
involving that little girl we knew downcreek.
2017
Lyric Notes: So, this one was actually inspired by a title of a book. It had the word “downriver” and I thought, wow, that would be a great title. But I saw there were other songs with that title and I thought, what about downcreek? That was the genesis of this little song. Inspired by LaPorte, CA (the small mining town where my Grandparents lived) this was just an idea that I had about a girl that went missing and was a friend of the character. I am drawn to tell these little tragedies sometimes and rather than push them away, I let them write themselves.