Bay’s music career was taking off and he spent a lot of time away from home, touring. He felt anxious about being away from his friends and family. This anxiety was clarified in a single moment—he was headlining his first show in London, hoping he’d get to spend time with his friends and family. When the show ended and everyone had gone home, he was alone again, and poured his feelings into this song.
This song earned Bay one of three Grammy nominations in 2016, for Best Rock Song.
Hold Back The River
James Bay Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But life got in between
Tried to square not being there
By saying that I should have been
Hold back the river, let me look in your eyes
Hold back the river, so I
Can stop for a minute and see where you hide
Once upon a different life
We rode our bikes into the sky
But now we crawl against the tide
Those distant days are flashing by
Hold back the river, let me look in your eyes
Hold back the river, so I
Can stop for a minute and be by your side
Hold back the river, hold back
Hold back the river, let me look in your eyes
Hold back the river, so I
Can stop for a minute and see where you hide
Hold back the river, hold back
Oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh-oh
Lonely water, lonely water, won't you let us wander?
Let us hold each other
Lonely water, lonely water, won't you let us wander?
Let us hold each other
Hold back the river, let me look in your eyes
Hold back the river, so I
Can stop for a minute and be by your side
Hold back the river, hold back
Hold back the river, let me look in your eyes
Hold back the river, so I
Can stop for a minute and be by your side
Hold back the river, hold
Lonely water, lonely water, won't you let us wander?
Let us hold each other
Lonely water, lonely water, won't you let us wander?
Let us hold each other
In the song “Hold Back The River,” James Bay sings about a relationship that has been challenged by time and distance. The singer attempts to reconcile his absence by admitting his mistake in not being there and trying to hold onto a love that has slowly drifted away. He asks for the river to be held back and for his lover's eyes to be shown to him so that he can stop for a minute and see where she is hiding. He reminisces on a past where he and his lover "rode their bikes into the sky," but now they are "crawling against the tide."
The song’s lyrics also contain imagery of "lonely water" that "won't let them wander." This imagery represents the obstacles that have kept the singer and his lover apart. However, instead of giving up, the singer asks for them to hold onto each other and fight against the current. The song implies that despite the distance and the challenges, the singer still holds onto hope that they will be able to hold each other once again.
Overall, "Hold Back The River" is a powerful song that touches on themes of love, distance, and the desire to hold onto something that is slowly slipping away.
Line by Line Meaning
Tried to keep you close to me
I attempted to maintain the close relationship we had before
But life got in between
But various changes in our respective lives have caused us to grow apart
Tried to square not being there
I attempted to justify my lack of presence
By saying that I should have been
By admitting that I should have been there for you
Hold back the river, let me look in your eyes
I wish to take a break from life's currents and admire the beauty that lies within you
Hold back the river, so I
Can stop for a minute and see where you hide
If you give me a moment, I can observe the things you keep hidden from others
Once upon a different life
Back when things were different
We rode our bikes into the sky
We had the freedom to do as we pleased
But now we crawl against the tide
But now we are struggling against our current situations
Those distant days are flashing by
Those carefree days of the past are quickly becoming nothing but memories
Oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh-oh
Musical interlude
Lonely water, lonely water, won't you let us wander?
Let us hold each other
Lonely water, lonely water, won't you let us wander?
Let us hold each other
Addressing the metaphorical 'lonely water' (perhaps the uncertainty of the future), the singer pleads to be allowed to wander with their loved one and embrace them
Hold back the river, so I
Can stop for a minute and be by your side
If you allow me to pause the chaos of life, I can be with you for a brief moment
Hold back the river, hold back
Please, let me have this moment of peace
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Iain Denis Archer, James Michael Bay
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@luisguillermo6216
Tried to keep you close to me
But life got in between
Tried to square not being there
But think that I should have been
Hold back the river, let me look in your eyes
Hold back the river, so I
Can stop for a minute and see where you hide
Hold back the river, hold back
Once upon a different life
We rode our bikes into the sky
But now we crawl against the tide
Those distant days are flashing by
Hold back the river, let me look in your eyes
Hold back the river, so I
Can stop for a minute and be by your side
Hold back the river, hold back
Hold back the river, let me look in your eyes
Hold back the river, so I
Can stop for a minute and see where you hide
Hold back the river, hold back
Hold oho, oho
Oho, oho
Lonely water, lonely water, won't you let us wander
Let us hold each other
Lonely water, lonely water, won't you let us wander
Let us hold each other
Hold back the river, let me look in your eyes
Hold back the river, so I
Can stop for a minute and be by your side
Hold back the river, hold back
Hold back the river, let me look in your eyes
Hold back the river, so I
Can stop for a minute and be by your side
Hold back the river, hold
Lonely water, lonely water, won't you let us wander
Let us hold each other
Lonely water, lonely water, won't you let us wander
Let us hold each other
@parikshitghimire3317
lyrics
Tried to keep you close to me
But life got in between
Tried to square not being there
But think that I should have been
Hold back the river, let me look in your eyes
Hold back the river, so I
Can stop for a minute and see where you hide
Hold back the river, hold back
Once upon a different life
We rode our bikes into the sky
But now we crawl against the tide
Those distant days are flashing by
Hold back the river, let me look in your eyes
Hold back the river, so I
Can stop for a minute and be by your side
Hold back the river, hold back
Hold back the river, let me look in your eyes
Hold back the river, so I
Can stop for a minute and see where you hide
Hold back the river, hold back
Hold oho, oho
Oho, oho
Lonely water, lonely water, won't you let us wander
Let us hold each other
Lonely water, lonely water, won't you let us wander
Let us hold each other
Hold back the river, let me look in your eyes
Hold back the river, so I
Can stop for a minute and be by your side
Hold back the river, hold back
Hold back the river, let me look in your eyes
Hold back the river, so I
Can stop for a minute and be by your side
Hold back the river, hold
Lonely water, lonely water, won't you let us wander
Let us hold each other
Lonely water, lonely water, won't you let us wander
Let us hold each other
@melodymoss2460
I lost my dad 2 months ago. I'm in the end of my senior year of high school. I'm 17 and I never excepted to lose my dad. I thought Senior Year was the the last year to be a kid while you still are discovering who you want to become. I had a very close relationship with my dad, and I never expected him to die. He was diagnosed February 2018 with stage 4 esophageal cancer. It was hard seeing him for 10 months going from better to worse, not knowing how to help him. There would be times he would shows signs of recovery and then he showed signs of no recovery. I'm going through a lot of depression right now and I'm just missing my dad a lot. I came across this song on my Pandora and I completely related to the lyrics right away. The line "Trying to keep you close to me while life got in between" makes me think that I had no control over my dad's fate. It was God's plan for my dad and I know I will see him again. Maybe not in this life, but in the next.
@amivan4636
melody moss hey I’m sorry to hear that I can’t even imagine what I will when mine dies but I do know that it will get better and I know you’ve probably heard that a lot but still it’s true and I’m positive that you’re dad is really proud of you and would want you to spend your time as happily as you can because we don’t know how much we all have but we should spend it not missing the people we’ve lost but planning for the next time we see them so we have happy and good memories to share with them as they smile at all our stories so you should start planning the memories you’ll share instead of missing them and I hope it helps and I know that we’ll never truly get over them but at least we won’t have to tell them all we ever did was miss them because if we did they wouldn’t want us to spend it that way the would want us to be happy so I send my best wishes for the life of happy memories ahead and the stories you’ll share with your father the next time you meet
@paellatrisha619
Stay Strong you can and will get through this with God and your dad by your side! My dad has blood cancer with no cure and it’s scary not knowing how long he has left to live. Hope can be the greatest comfort in times like these when you’ve lost some one completely or to a debilitating illness. Stay strong I will be praying for you! Lots of warm hugs xx
@antonischristopoulos7808
Respect
@MsSouthCarolina86
I understand your pain.. I lost my dad my senior year also.. It is a hard thing to go through during that time.. He is watching over u and will always be there.. Just remember all he taught u and do your best.
@complexteo-iwnl3321
enjoy evey moment try not to thing about it greetings from greece
@petercleeland6478
My daughter fought leukaemia for two years. She was in a very dark place as I was. Her resilience was amazing. I listened to this song over and over again getting inspiration for the fight. Courtney is now 12 months in remission. James Bay's brilliance bought me hope and joy at a time where it was so hard to find. Thanks James.
@johnc8779
Is right lad
@rockyreynolds4027
Thank you for sharing that God bless you and your family
@najmi2245
Bless you and your daughter always