Boyd Rice and Friends is the name of a neofolk 'supergroup' around NON lead… Read Full Bio ↴Boyd Rice and Friends is the name of a neofolk 'supergroup' around NON leader Boyd Rice (this project's only static member). Other members have included: Douglas Pearce (aka Douglas P., of Death In June), Albin Martinek (aka Albin Julius and La Maison Moderne, of Der Blutharsch), Michael Moynihan (aka Coup De Grace, of Blood Axis), Rose McDowall (of Coil, Current 93 and Sorrow), Robert Ferbrache (of Blood Axis) and Tony Wakeford (of Sol Invictus and Death In June).

Another project, Boyd Rice & Fiends, has also included: Rice, Pearce, Martinek, Moynihan and McDowall.

Sites: Discogs

The Reign Song
Boyd Rice and Friends Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

On a grey, rainy day when the small streams turn into engorged torrents, as you hear footsteps behind you, do you ever wonder, is it your past catching up with you? Will these rains cleanse you and wash away your transgressions? Or, will a drowning world reach out to take you in its embrace? Even vagrant thoughts originate someplace and such fears aren't without basis. After all, the guilty know well who they are. They know what they've done. And so do we. Sleep with one eye open. The rain may fall sooner than you think.

Overall Meaning

The Reign Song by Boyd Rice and Friends is a dark and introspective song that speaks to the fears of guilt and the consequences of one's actions. The opening lines speak of a grey and rainy day, setting the stage for a melancholy and foreboding atmosphere. The songwriter asks a rhetorical question, asking whether we have ever felt the footsteps of our past catching up with us.

The lyrics suggest that the rain may be a metaphor for a cleansing process, washing away our past transgressions. However, this cleansing could also lead to a drowning, as the weight of one's guilt pulls them down. The songwriter warns that even vague thoughts have a source, and that fear of retribution is not unfounded. The guilty know their actions and must live with the consequences.

Line by Line Meaning

On a grey, rainy day when the small streams turn into engorged torrents,
During a dismal and wet day when insignificant streams transform into swollen rivers,

as you hear footsteps behind you, do you ever wonder,
As you perceive footsteps trailing you, do you ever contemplate,

is it your past catching up with you?
whether or not your past misdeeds are catching up with you?

Will these rains cleanse you and wash away your transgressions?
Will the rainfall cleanse your being and absolve you of your wrongdoings?

Or, will a drowning world reach out to take you in its embrace?
Alternatively, will the submerging world engulf you in its embrace?

Even vagrant thoughts originate someplace and such fears aren't without basis.
Even wandering thoughts spawn from an origin; hence, such apprehensions aren't baseless.

After all, the guilty know well who they are. They know what they've done. And so do we.
Ultimately, the culpable recognize their misdeeds thoroughly. Consequently, we also know their faults.

Sleep with one eye open.
Sleep with vigilance and wariness.

The rain may fall sooner than you think.
The rain could fall quicker than anticipated.

Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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