Riverside
Kid Harpoon Lyrics

I will wait for you, by the riverside
The singer waits for someone by the river.

By the river
The setting of the song is by the river.

It's quiet down there at night
The river is peaceful and quiet during the night.

Let's fish for gold and throw off our rags
The artist suggests that they go fishing and forget their problems and worries.

Paint a new scene where the shopping trolley snags, and we're in
The artist wants to imagine a new, different world where they are together and experience new things.

Into the river
The river is a recurring theme in the song, representing purity and a chance to start anew.

I will watch you sink, to the river bed
The singer watches someone they care for sink to the bottom of the river, representing their descent into darkness or despair.

Ripped then washed then laid
The person's body is described being torn, cleansed, and laid to rest on the river bed.

On the river bed
The person's body is resting on the bottom of the river.

I do believe that I had no choice
The artist believes they had no control over the events that led to the current situation.

You have another now you're paying the price, for the high-life
The singer suggests that the person they care for is suffering the consequences of their actions and choices as a result of their pursuit of a lavish lifestyle.

I turn back round to head for land, and saw the oyster in my hand
The artist turns away from the river and remembers something they held in their hand - an oyster.

Spit the pearl into the sea
The singer remembers spitting out a pearl from the oyster into the sea, symbolizing a lost opportunity or something left behind.

I paddled franticly back down, to where I left there on the ground
The singer frantically returns to the spot where they left something behind.

Where I put her jelly off to sleep
The singer left something they cared for behind at the river and left it in a peaceful state, like putting a jellyfish to sleep.

I will wait for you, to come up for air
The artist is waiting for the person they care for to resurface.

Say my sorry's, praise the lord
The artist anticipates asking for forgiveness and giving thanks for the return of the person they care for.

It will be good to have you here
The singer expresses joy at the return of the person they care for.

Things ebb before they flow
The singer suggests that life has its ups and downs and things need to go down before they go up.

Just like the summer, needs to have snow
The artist suggests that hardships and difficult times are necessary to appreciate the good times, like how summer needs winter to follow.

We need light, we need dark
The artist suggests that life requires both good and bad times to fully experience it.

Before you take off, you must come down
The artist suggests that one must experience the lows in order to reach their highs.

Come down, come down, come down, come down, come down, come down
Repetition of this phrase emphasizes the importance of experiencing the lows before reaching the highs.

Down, down, down, down, down by the river
The river is used to symbolize the journey of experiencing both the highs and lows of life.

There is life and then there is none
This line suggests the fleetingness of life and its impermanence.

We need moisture, combined with the sun
Just like plants need both water and sun, people require both the good and bad experiences to grow and mature into better versions of themselves.

So we can tap-dance
After going through difficult times and growing, people can celebrate by dancing, just like tap-dancers celebrate after mastering difficult routines.

Create lights
Once people have matured and grown from their hardships, they can begin shining or being a bright light for others, inspiring and leading them.

Into the river we climb in at night
The river can also symbolize the journey of life, and the artist suggests that people start and climb into this journey at night, representing a beginning full of unknowns and uncertainties.