Jordan
Maclean Tara Lyrics
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Promises of lands that flow with milk and honey
Hold me Jordan, hold me Jordan
The builders of the wall, the temple fell
The sun and moon stood still circled by
By the twelve stones of Jordan, hold me Jordan
Oh, twelve stones, twelve stones of Jordan
Tomorrow you will take me down to the river
Oh, twelve stones, twelve stones of Jordan
Well, divided were the waters at the feet of the priests
And did you see me Joshua, standing in the Jordan
See the open wounds flowing from your hands
Flowing from your feet, hold me Jordan
Tomorrow you will walk on water
Oh, twelve stones, twelve stones of Jordan
Tomorrow you will take me down to the river
Oh, twelve stones, twelve stones of Jordan
Oh, now you hungry my sad children
And are you thirsty, run to the river
And are you angry my sad children
Take the twelve stones, twelve stones of Jordan
The song "Jordan" by Maclean Tara seems to draw its inspiration from the Bible story of the Israelites' journey through the wilderness and their eventual crossing of the river Jordan. The first verse talks about how the Israelites wandered in the wilderness for forty years, with the promise of reaching a land flowing with milk and honey always on their minds. The repetition of "hold me Jordan" in this verse suggests that crossing the river Jordan was an important moment for them, signaling the end of their long and difficult journey.
The second verse highlights a couple of significant events from the story of Joshua, the successor of Moses who led the Israelites into the promised land. The first line references the fall of the temple and the wall, which marked a time of great upheaval in the Israelites' journey. The next few lines seem to describe Joshua standing in the Jordan River with his wounds flowing, presumably during the crossing described in the book of Joshua. The repetition of "tomorrow you will walk on water" and "take me down to the river" implies that this moment was a turning point for the Israelites, and perhaps suggests that they were able to overcome great obstacles with the help of their faith.
Overall, the song seems to be an interpretation of the story of the Israelites' journey through the wilderness and their eventual crossing of the Jordan River. The repetition of "twelve stones, twelve stones of Jordan" throughout the song suggests that these stones were significant in some way, although it's not entirely clear what they symbolize.
Line by Line Meaning
Forty years the wilderness held my sad children
For forty long years, my children wandered through the wilderness in sorrow and despair.
Promises of lands that flow with milk and honey
They were promised a land abundant with milk and honey.
Hold me Jordan, hold me Jordan
Jordan, be my savior and hold me in your embrace.
The builders of the wall, the temple fell
Even the great builders of the walls and temple were not spared from falling.
The sun and moon stood still circled by
A moment of stillness and awe, as the sun and moon paused in their journey across the sky.
By the twelve stones of Jordan, hold me Jordan
I find comfort and strength in remembering the twelve stones of Jordan, and ask it to hold me tightly.
Tomorrow you will walk on water
Even though it seems impossible, tomorrow you will walk on water.
Oh, twelve stones, twelve stones of Jordan
Oh twelve stones of Jordan, the hope and salvation of my people.
Tomorrow you will take me down to the river
Tomorrow, you will guide me to the river, so that I may be renewed and refreshed.
Well, divided were the waters at the feet of the priests
As the priests stood in reverence, the waters of the river parted to grant passage to my people.
And did you see me Joshua, standing in the Jordan
In that moment, Joshua saw me standing amidst the waters of the Jordan.
See the open wounds flowing from your hands
He saw the wounds on my hands, and the blood flowing from them.
Flowing from your feet, hold me Jordan
And the wounds on my feet, from the journey through the wilderness, were still bleeding. But in the arms of Jordan, I found peace.
Oh, now you hungry my sad children
My children, who were once so sad and hungry, are now fed and nourished.
And are you thirsty, run to the river
If you thirst for renewal, go to the river and let its waters heal you.
And are you angry my sad children
If you are angry and restless, remember the twelve stones of Jordan and pray for peace.
Take the twelve stones, twelve stones of Jordan
Take the hope and salvation of the twelve stones of Jordan with you always.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: MACLEAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@jeffreybarkin3177
It's INCREDIBLE when Artists REACH others like You're Describing!
Hope that you're Doing Well now and fully recovered from your War Experiences?
Thank You for Fighting for Security and for Preserving PEACE.
It's REALLY Appreciated.
KNOW This and Thank You for posting about such Talented Expressive Singer SongwritersToo!!!
Mahalo, as they say in The Pacific... Be Strong and know that People do CARE.
@jeffreybarkin3177
Such a gifted Singer Songwriter who has a deep Song catalogue and was once performing with SHAYE...
Surprised that TARA MACLEAN is not more Known, especially in her Native Canada.
Beautiful Songs, Recordings and Performances!
❤
@dragoonseye76
I saw her live in Boston with Dido. It was a great performance
@georice81
This is like listening to a dream!
@mjshelby3300
Always loved this song. Brings up so much emotions. Especially this week.
Tara, you have a voice I envy (in a good way). God Bless You.
@leahshannon5550
One of the best songs ever written, truly.
@georice81
This is a beautiful song!
@danielgrenier2417
Until last night, I had never even heard of Tara. Why that is, I cannot say but what I can say is that me not knowing such an amazingly talented artist till now is just sad and truly unfortunate. Saw her at Trailside Inn on PEI and she was with her ex husband (who plays guitar in this video). They were just mesmerizing especially when they played a (mellower) version of this incredible song. I just LOVE Tara now and have so much catching up to do.
@marianocastroentenza8145
I love this song. Thank you so much for this <3
@DanHigdon
It's one of my regrets that I've never seen your live show in person.
@MMMRATTY
You've got your re-imagined stuff turned off, so I'll post here: I saw your Silence CD in FYE in Merrillville, IN in 2001 or 2002. Cute pic, as it were, I picked it up and went to the shitty public headphones and had a listen. Excerpts from Evidence and Let Her Feel the Rain won me over. I bought that CD and loaded it onto my shitty Zune when I went on deployment in the Navy in 2007. You and Anna Nalick got me thru a Navy Pacific cruise in 2007. Love your music.