“Waterbound” was written by Dirk Powell, a multi-instrumentalist deeply rooted in Appalachian music. He recorded it for his 2004 album “Time Again.”
The song belongs to the old tradition of being stranded by high water. Cut off by a flooded river, the singer is waterbound — kept from getting home — and the lyric carries the restlessness and homesickness of someone stuck where he does not want to be.
Though a recent composition, the song has the feel of an older one and has been taken up by other string bands. The version heard here is by Dirk Powell.