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The Spirituals
Faith & Inspiration · Classic

Down by the Riverside

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Use the arrow keys to move between letters. Press Enter or Space on the first letter of a word, then again on the last letter. Press Escape to cancel.

A few of the words

SHORE
The river's shore is the spiritual's central image, the place where weary travelers finally arrive and set every burden down.Find this word in the grid to read its note.
SWORD
"I'm gonna lay down my sword and shield" is the spiritual's most iconic line, the act of setting down a weapon beside the river is the heart of its peace message.Find this word in the grid to read its note.
STARRY
The spiritual also promises a "starry crown," a detail that paints the reward of peace in the night sky's own light.Find this word in the grid to read its note.
STUDY
"Gonna study war no more" may echo the prophet Isaiah's vision of nations beating swords into plowshares, one of scripture's oldest hopes for lasting peace.Find this word in the grid to read its note.

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Down by the Riverside word search

Down by the Riverside: a free large-print word search

Down by the Riverside, a free, large-print word search woven from the great peace spiritual: flowing water, a laid-down sword, and a soul at rest.

About Down by the Riverside

Few songs carry the longing for peace as purely as "Down by the Riverside." Rooted in African American spiritual tradition, it envisions a river's edge where every burden, sword, shield, and the weariness of war, is finally set down. The promise at its heart is simple and ancient: still water, rest, and the chance to study war no more.

How to play

  1. 1
    Find a word.Tap its first letter, then tap along to its last. The trail fills in and finishes itself when it spells a word. Or press the first letter and drag.
  2. 2
    Words run in straight lines.Across and down, and on the harder difficulties diagonally and backwards.
  3. 3
    It marks itself.Each word you find takes on its own soft colour on the grid and is crossed off the list.
  4. 4
    Choose a difficulty.Relaxed, Classic or Challenging set those directions and how much the word list helps, never the grid size. Tap the A buttons at the top to enlarge the letters, or pinch the grid.
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