“Down by the Riverside” (also known as “Ain’t Gonna Study War No More” and “Gonna lay down my burden”) is a traditional African American spiritual. Its roots date to before the American Civil War, though it was first published in 1918. Commonly sung as a protest song in the civil rights movement, the peace movement, the antinuclear movement, socialist and labor movements, and many others.
Our first arrangement of this song was for our first gig in January 2020, when we protested fossil fuel financiers with Extinction Rebellion Los Angeles at Chase Bank in Hollywood.