Riverside
Written by Dewey Bunnell, ©1971
Found on America, Heard, Highway, and The Grand Cayman Concert.

Living on the riverside taking it all in my stride
Living on the riverside, I'm taking life like a big long ride
You stay on your side and I'll stay on mine
You take what you want and I'll take the sunshine

Dit dit dit dit do ...
Ah--, ah--

I said the world don't owe me no living
I said the world don't owe me no living
I said the world don't owe me no living
I said the world don't owe me no living

When performing this song live, Dewey has inserted the following lines:

I won't take you anywhere you don't want to go
I won't tell you anything you don't want to know

Highway Highlight (from the box set booklet) America's eponymous debut album displayed a bright sonic sheen that made it a landmark acoustic-rock recording for its time. The tracks still retain their vigo and freshness today. Bunnell's "Riverside," the album's lead tune, is a good case in point--the interplay of the guitars and harmonies on this track soar and sparkle. "I think that song was two songs I'd stuck together," Dewey says. "I was trying to say, 'Hey, I don't want you to give me anything for nothing, and I'm not going to bother you, so don't bother me.' It's the song that, even to this day, we open the set with onstage." That's Beckley taking the acoustic solo on the track.