Caroline Lavelle is a classically trained singer-songwriter and cello playe… Read Full Bio ↴Caroline Lavelle is a classically trained singer-songwriter and cello player. Hailing from the UK, she has made three recordings: Spirit (1995), Brilliant Midnight (2001) and A Distant Bell (2004).

Her sound ranges from traditional folk ballads of the british isles to acoustic and electronica, from the musings of long lost love and insomnia to the poetry of Brian Patten and armenian war poet Siamant'o. Organic and electronic music usually blend in her albums in a distinctive, eclectic sound.

Caroline recently founded her personal label Ringing Tree, under which her latest album and a new arrangement of her second album (including three bonus tracks) called Brilliant Midnight 2.0 were produced.

Next to being a solo-artist Caroline played the cello on tours and/or albums by Loreena McKennitt, Radiohead, The Chieftains, to name a few. She also performed as a vocalist on the albums of Hector Zazou (The Freeze, Lies Will Flow), BT (The Great Escape), Art of Trance (Breathe), and others.

She currently lives and works in the south of England and works on a forthcoming album.

Banks Of The Nile
Caroline Lavelle Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Oh hark, the drums do beat my love
I can no longer stay
The bugle horns are sounding clear
And I must march away
We are ordered down to Portsmouth
And it's many's the weary mile
To join the British army, along the banks of the Nile
Oh Willie, dearest Willie

Don't leave me here to mourn
Don't make me curse and rue the day
That ever I was born
For the parting of our love
Would be like parting with my life
So stay at home my dearest love
And I will be your wife
Oh Nancy, darling Nancy
Sure that would never do
The government has ordered
And we are bound to go
The government has ordered
And the queen she gives command
And I am bound on oath, my love
To serve in a foreign land
Oh, then I'll cut off my long hair
And I'll go along with you
I'll dress myself in uniform & I'll see egypt too
I'll march beneath your banner
While fortune she do smile
And we'll comfort one another
Along the banks of the nile
But your waist it is too slender
Your fingers they're too small
The cruel sun of egypt your rosy cheeks would spoil
Well the cannons they do rattle
And the bullets they do fly
And the silver trumpets sound so loud
To hide the dismal cries
Oh, then cursed be those cruel wars
Since ever they began
For they have robbed our country of many's the handsome man
They have robbed us of our sweethearts
While their bodies they feed the lions

On the dry & sandy deserts
Which are the banks of the nile

Overall Meaning

The song "Banks of the Nile" by Carolive Lavelle tells the story of a couple, Willie and Nancy, who are forced to part ways because Willie is being called to join the British army, bound to serve in a foreign land. Nancy pleads with him not to go, saying that the parting of their love would be like parting with her life. However, Willie, bound by his oath, cannot stay. Nancy then decides to cut off her hair, dress in uniform, and accompany Willie to Egypt. They plan to march together and comfort one another along the banks of the Nile.

The song reflects the tragedy of war and how it affects individuals and relationships. The imagery used in the lyrics, such as the drums beating, the bugles sounding, and the cannons rattling, creates a sense of dread and impending doom. It highlights how war forces individuals to make sacrifices and leaves behind a trail of destruction. The song also touches on gender roles, with Nancy deciding to dress in uniform and accompany Willie on his journey. It challenges traditional gender expectations and portrays a strong-willed woman who is ready to fight and march to battle.

Line by Line Meaning

Oh hark, the drums do beat my love
I hear the drums beating, my love

I can no longer stay
I must leave you

The bugle horns are sounding clear
I hear the bugle horns clearly

And I must march away
I have to go for the march

We are ordered down to Portsmouth
We are ordered to go to Portsmouth

And it's many's the weary mile
It's a long and tiring journey

To join the British army, along the banks of the Nile
We have to join the British army located by the banks of the Nile

Oh Willie, dearest Willie
My dearest Willie

Don't leave me here to mourn
Don't abandon me and make me grieve

Don't make me curse and rue the day
Don't make me regret or curse the day

That ever I was born
That I ever came into existence

For the parting of our love
Leaving each other

Would be like parting with my life
Would be like losing my life

So stay at home my dearest love
Stay at home my love

And I will be your wife
I will marry you

Oh Nancy, darling Nancy
My dear Nancy

Sure that would never do
That's not acceptable

The government has ordered
The government has commanded

And we are bound to go
We have to go

And the queen she gives command
The queen has issued orders

And I am bound on oath, my love
I have taken an oath to serve

To serve in a foreign land
To serve in a land that is not my own

Oh, then I'll cut off my long hair
I'll cut my hair

And I'll go along with you
I'll come with you

I'll dress myself in uniform & I'll see egypt too
I'll wear the uniform and come to Egypt with you

I'll march beneath your banner
I'll march under your flag

While fortune she do smile
While fortune favors us

And we'll comfort one another
We will console each other

Along the banks of the nile
By the banks of the Nile

But your waist it is too slender
Your waist is too small

Your fingers they're too small
Your fingers are too thin

The cruel sun of egypt your rosy cheeks would spoil
The harsh sun in Egypt would damage your beautiful face

Well the cannons they do rattle
The cannons make a loud noise

And the bullets they do fly
Bullets are flying

And the silver trumpets sound so loud
The silver trumpets are sounding loudly

To hide the dismal cries
To conceal the sad screams

Oh, then cursed be those cruel wars
Cursed be the cruel wars

Since ever they began
From the time they began

For they have robbed our country of many's the handsome man
They have taken away many brave men from our country

They have robbed us of our sweethearts
They have taken away our loved ones

While their bodies they feed the lions
Their bodies are left for the lions to feed on

On the dry & sandy deserts
On the dry and sandy areas

Which are the banks of the nile
By the banks of the Nile

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: HEATHER WOOD, PETER BELLAMY, ROYSTON WOOD

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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