River
Ellis Paul Lyrics


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While Hollywood sleeps,
A young man is dying
On the concrete of a sidewalk downtown.
As his brother weeps,
The sirens come calling
And the medics feed him lines on the ground.

Run, river, run

The director speaks,
The cameras are rolling.
A boy steps between the backdrop and the lights.
And he's stealing the scene,
With the crew as his witness.
The whole industry will judge him come academy night

Now the tabloids will say what they want to,
And the cameras will re-enact his fall.
His legacy speaks, but no one can hear it,
Cause his death has made critics of us all.
His legacy speaks

In the canister rooms,
In the archives of great studio halls.




And there it will keep like a secret that's whispered between lovers
And those who never knew him at all.

Overall Meaning

The song "River" by Ellis Paul is a hauntingly beautiful portrayal of the stark contrast between the glamour of Hollywood and the harsh reality of life for a nameless young man dying on the streets. The lyrics depict two parallel stories that intersect briefly before diverging again: that of the young man dying alone on the sidewalk, and that of a boy becoming a star on the Hollywood stage. The song points out the cold and calculating nature of the entertainment industry, which consumes the talents and lives of individuals mercilessly. Despite the stark contrast between the two worlds, the song speaks to the universal human experiences of pain, loss, and legacy.


In the first verse, the song sets the stage: while Hollywood sleeps, a young man is dying on the concrete of a sidewalk downtown. As his brother weeps, the sirens approach, and the medics attend to him. The chorus echoes the cry of the river, a recurring motif throughout the song, that runs incessantly, regardless of the tragedies that unfold around it. In the second verse, the song shifts its perspective to focus on the entertainment industry. The camera rolls, the boy steps onto the stage, and the crew watches in awe as he steals the scene. The industry will judge him on academy night, and his fate is in their hands. The final verse brings the two worlds together: the tabloids will spin their stories, the cameras will re-enact his fall, his legacy will speak, but no one will listen. In the canister rooms, the archives of the great studio halls, his story will be whispered, but few will hear it.


Line by Line Meaning

While Hollywood sleeps,
During the time when the entertainment industry is inactive,


A young man is dying
A boy is on the verge of death


On the concrete of a sidewalk downtown.
Collapsed helplessly on the platform of a busy street in the urban area.


As his brother weeps,
The brother of the dying boy cries uncontrollably,


The sirens come calling
An emergency vehicle arrives with the sound of a siren,


And the medics feed him lines on the ground.
The medics give him certain instructions to follow by the ground itself.


Run, river, run
An expression of grief over the unfortunate event.


The director speaks,
The person in charge of filming speaks,


The cameras are rolling.
The cameras are recording the scene,


A boy steps between the backdrop and the lights.
A young male stands between the background and the front light,


And he's stealing the scene,
He becomes the focal point of the shot,


With the crew as his witness.
The staff involved in the shooting notices and sees what he did,


The whole industry will judge him come academy night
The entire film industry will examine and evaluate his performance at the time of rewarding,


Now the tabloids will say what they want to,
The media will exploit the opportunity and spread rumors without any constraints,


And the cameras will re-enact his fall.
The camera will reproduce his fall (death) as an act,


His legacy speaks, but no one can hear it,
Although his values and influence persists, nobody understands nor acknowledge it,


Cause his death has made critics of us all.
Due to his death, everyone has become judgmental on his life journey and actions,


His legacy speaks
His ideas and impact remain alive,


In the canister rooms,
In the small spaces within the studio,


In the archives of great studio halls.
In the repositories of the large studio buildings,


And there it will keep like a secret that's whispered between lovers
It will remain a confidential fact shared under discretion like how lovers talk behind closed doors,


And those who never knew him at all.
And even people who had no familiarity with him.




Lyrics © ELLIS PAUL PUBLISHING
Written by: ELLIS PAUL

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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