Anger entered popular music at the age of 21 as a founding member of The David Grisman Quintet. With the jazz-oriented Turtle Island String Quartet that he co-founded in 1985, Anger developed and popularized new techniques for playing contemporary music styles on string instruments. The virtuosic "Chambergrass" groups Darol Anger's Republic Of Strings, Psychograss, and the long-lived Anger-Marshall Duo feature his compositions and arrangements. His Grammy-nomimated folk-jazz group Montreux was the original musical model for the New Adult Contemporary radio format.
Anger has worked with some of the world's great improvising string musicians, among them Stephane Grappelli, Mark O'Connor, David Grisman, Tony Rice, Bela Fleck and Vassar Clements.
Anger' main project is his Republic Of Strings ensemble, with the classical vocal group the Anonymous 4 and chamber music work and recording with pianist Phillip Aaberg and duo work with multi-string virtuoso Mike Marshall. He appears as a guest with a wide array of modern music ensembles from Traditional to Pop.
www.darolanger.com
The Water Is Wide
Darol Anger Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
and neither I have wings to fly
give me a boat that can carry two
and both shall row - my love and I
Now love is gentle, and love is kind
the sweetest flower when first it's new
but love grows old, and waxes cold
There is a ship, she sails the sea
she's loaded deep as deep can be
but not as deep as the love I'm in
I know not how I sink or swim
The water is wide, I can't cross over
and neither I have wings to fly
give me a boat that can carry two
and both shall row - my love and I
and both shall row - my love and I
The Water Is Wide is a traditional Scottish folk song that has been covered many times, but perhaps the most well-known version is the one by Darol Anger. The opening line, "The water is wide, I can't cross over," is a metaphor for the divide between two lovers. The singer is separated from their beloved and cannot find a way to meet them. The second line, "and neither I have wings to fly," adds to the feeling of helplessness and loss.
The third line, "give me a boat that can carry two, and both shall row - my love and I," shows that the singer is willing to do whatever it takes to be with their beloved. They don't want to be carried over by someone else or fly over the divide, but instead want to work together with their love to cross the water. This line is also a metaphor for the idea that relationships take work and collaboration to be successful.
The second stanza of the song talks about the nature of love. The singer describes love as gentle and kind when it is new, but says that it can grow old and fade away like morning dew. This is a reminder that love is not always easy, and that it takes work to maintain. The final verse brings us back to the water, and describes a ship that sails the sea, but is not as deep as the love that the singer has for their beloved. This line reinforces the idea that the divide between the singer and their love is not just physical, but emotional as well.
Line by Line Meaning
The water is wide, I can't cross over
The vastness of my troubles is impossible to overcome, and it seems I'm stuck on this side
and neither I have wings to fly
I am without means to escape these problems
give me a boat that can carry two
I need someone with me to face these troubles together
and both shall row - my love and I
We will work together to overcome these obstacles
Now love is gentle, and love is kind
Love is beautiful when it starts out
the sweetest flower when first it's new
Love is wonderful and promising at the start
but love grows old, and waxes cold
Love changes over time
and fades away like morning dew
Love can disappear quickly
There is a ship, she sails the sea
There are other options to take in life
she's loaded deep as deep can be
Those options may come with significant burdens
but not as deep as the love I'm in
But none of those burdens compare to what I am going through now
I know not how I sink or swim
I am unsure if I can handle what's ahead
and both shall row - my love and I
Once again, we will work together to face what comes our way
The water is wide, I can't cross over
The vastness of my troubles is impossible to overcome, and it seems I'm stuck on this side
and neither I have wings to fly
I am without means to escape these problems
give me a boat that can carry two
I need someone with me to face these troubles together
and both shall row - my love and I
We will work together to overcome these obstacles
and both shall row - my love and I
Once again, we will work together to face what comes our way
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Bob Dylan
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind