Water Water Everywhere Top Ten: Crossing Muddy Waters (#3)

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Concert time! I'm off to Cincinnati to see Marshall Crenshaw tonight, my second time this year, fifth time overall, and first time without the Bottle Rockets. Los Straitjackets (a great surf instrumental band) is backing him this time. That should be a lot of fun. Before I take off, though, here's another song from my list of favorite songs that have "water" in the title. #3: Crossing Muddy Waters - John Hiatt Sometimes the only way to exorcise a demon from the past is to talk about it. John Hiatt has been happily married for 30 years (and made this mushy comment a few years ago that every love song he writes is inspired by his wife...awww, ain't that sweet), but there was a time when things were so idyllic. While he was making Warming Up to the Ice Age his wife committed suicide, leaving Hiatt, who was trying to get sober, to promote an album and raise a baby, alone and broken-hearted. That's what this song is about. But the great thing about Hiatt (and all songwriters who do this) is that you don't necessarily have to know the backstory to appreciate this song. And man, do I appreciate this song. There are a handful of songs that I distinctly remember what I was doing when I first heard them, and this is one of them. I was so amazed I literally stopped what I was doing and sat, staring at the speakers as if it were Hiatt's face, totally engulfed in the song. It had that kind of impact. It still does. Crossing Muddy Waters Written by John Hiatt Recorded by John Hiatt From Crossing Muddy Waters, 2000 Baby's gone and I don't know why: