He'll be flied away
From those choices that they took
Naked and caught on the Isle de la Cite
Roll of home may be

There's over eleven since she's been
For machine and a feeling I still care
Faulting to mention forms in flight
Fabulous in dream of eve

Flaying on the ground and your infant lives
From out of the bayous
Seen the way is corporeal
The little pants into nowheres

Through Paris breaks soul
From out of the bayous
From must have beige
So we didn't while we seized

Until the fog made me run through that hectic glare
Love won't be forged
And was a fog, was them that cherished
Road, river and rail

"So embarrassed, I'm not sure at all", lies mother's daughter
Truth is she found love
Truth is she found love
Truth is she found love

Road, river and rail

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Cocteau Twins' "Road River and Rail" may seem cryptic at first glance, with disjointed sentences and fragmented phrases. However, upon closer examination, the lines unfurl into an intricate and emotive tale of difficult choices, reckoning with love, and the power of transportation to connect and divide. The first stanza paints a picture of a person who has been "flied away" from a life defined by choices they did not make. They may be stranded on the Isle de la Cite, an island in the Seine River in Paris, naked and exposed. They long for home, though it is unclear what that means for them.

The second and third stanzas are more abstract, with references to machines, flights, and dreams. The listener is invited to speculate on the significance of these phrases in relation to the subject's state of mind. However, the imagery becomes more concrete in the fourth stanza, where the listener is transported to the Louisiana bayous. Grounded in this physical location, the subject experiences a moment of clarity, and a realization that love may not be easy to attain, but is worth striving for. However, the fog eventually returns, obscuring the path ahead.

Line by Line Meaning

He'll be flied away
He will be carried away

From those choices that they took
Away from the choices that they made

Naked and caught on the Isle de la Cite
Exposed and trapped on the Isle de la Cite

Roll of home may be
The journey back home might be easy

There's over eleven since she's been
It's been over eleven months since she visited

For machine and a feeling I still care
Despite relying on technology, I still have feelings

Faulting to mention forms in flight
Neglecting to talk about the changes in flight

Fabulous in dream of eve
Wonderful in the dream of the evening

Flaying on the ground and your infant lives
Lying on the ground with your young life

From out of the bayous
From the swamps

Seen the way is corporeal
Acknowledge that the path is real

The little pants into nowheres
The small breaths disappear into nothingness

Through Paris breaks soul
Traveling through Paris can be soul-draining

From out of the bayous
From the swamps

From must have beige
From what must have been a beige color

So we didn't while we seized
We didn't notice while we were taking hold

Until the fog made me run through that hectic glare
I didn't realize until the fog forced me to run through the chaos

Love won't be forged
Love cannot be forced

And was a fog, was them that cherished
The fog represented the memories that were cherished

Road, river and rail
Modes of transportation

"So embarrassed, I'm not sure at all", lies mother's daughter
"I'm so embarrassed, I don't know what to say", lies the mother's daughter

Truth is she found love
In reality, she found love

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: SIMON PHILIP RAYMONDE, ELIZABETH FRASER, ROBIN A. GUTHRIE

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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