River
Marc Almond & The Willing Sinners Lyrics
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Framed in candles
And white white light
All is revealed
When all is too bright
You're such a pleasure
A wonderful pain
Makes me never want
But sorrow always comes
To those with fickle fame
And the tears are gonna come
The tears are gonna come
We are consumed by corruption
Old before our time
Hurt by others' hunger
Scarred by love as greed (how I need)
How cruel the birthday of 17
Youth behind you
The long years ahead
Showing you what you might have been
Instead of drifting, drifting, drifting
And the tears are gonna come
The tears are gonna come
Foundations crumble
Walls subside
We all break apart
When there's heartache inside
Hold back those years
Those tears
With a futile pride (we're gonna come clean)
Beware of love
And of dark-eyed men
They're sweet and they're tender
But they have no hearts
Just long smashed
Cruel shards of broken glass
And the tears are gonna come
The tears are gonna come
And all those songs
That made me cry
Keep flooding back
And years of new discovery and you
Disturbing my dreams
Now we're flowing down that river
Heading for the delta
I don't know which way to flow
But my heart's a forest fire
And yours a field of snow
I don't know which way to flow
Don't know which way
Don't know which way
To flow
The song "River" is a reflective and melancholic ballad that explores the pain of love and the passage of time. The first verse speaks of a dancer who revels in the light and appears to be a pleasure to be around, but brings about a "wonderful pain" that makes the singer swear off love. Yet, the sorrow of this fame is inescapable and always comes back. The second verse delves deeper into the theme of aging, and how we are consumed by corruption beyond our years as love and greed both continue to hurt us. The line "how cruel the birthday of 17" speaks to how cruel it is to realize youth is fleeting and impossible to cling onto. The singer warns against love and those who have no hearts as we continue to drift down the river of life, unsure of which way to flow.
The chorus repeats the sentiment that the tears will come, possibly indicating that even with all the knowledge and experience gained through life, we cannot escape the pain of love and heartache. The bridge talks about how we try to hold back our anguish with "futile pride," but our foundations and walls will always crumble under the weight of our emotions. The final verse highlights how the memories of past loves and experiences continue to resurface, disturbing our dreams and forcing us down the river towards an unknown destination. The final lines speak to the contrast between the singer's heart being a forest fire, full of passion and intensity, while the person they love has a heart like a field of snow, possibly indicating a lack of emotion or connection.
Line by Line Meaning
And he dances every night
He dances every night.
Framed in candles
He is surrounded by candles.
And white white light
He is surrounded by bright light.
All is revealed
Everything is exposed.
When all is too bright
When everything is too exposed and bright.
You're such a pleasure
You are enjoyable to be with.
A wonderful pain
Your company is exquisite, but it also causes me pain.
Makes me never want
Your company makes me never want to
To love again
Love someone again.
But sorrow always comes
However, sorrow always comes.
To those with fickle fame
To those with unstable popularity.
And the tears are gonna come
Tears will come.
The tears are gonna come
Tears will come.
We are consumed by corruption
We are consumed by corruption.
Old before our time
We appear old before our age.
Hurt by others' hunger
We are hurt by others' greed and desire.
Scarred by love as greed (how I need)
Our love causes scars like greed, yet we still need it.
How cruel the birthday of 17
How cruel it is to be young at 17.
Youth behind you
Youth is no longer with you.
The long years ahead
Many long years are ahead.
Showing you what you might have been
Life shows you what you could have been.
Instead of drifting, drifting, drifting
Rather than aimlessly drifting through life.
Foundations crumble
Foundations fall apart.
Walls subside
Walls come down.
We all break apart
We all fall apart.
When there's heartache inside
When there's pain and sorrow within.
Hold back those years
Try to preserve your youth.
Those tears
Try not to cry.
With a futile pride (we're gonna come clean)
Despite our pointless sense of dignity, we will reveal our true feelings.
Beware of love
Be cautious of love.
And of dark-eyed men
And of men with dark eyes.
They're sweet and they're tender
They appear sweet and gentle.
But they have no hearts
But they have no empathy or compassion.
Just long smashed
Only their shattered remnants remain.
Cruel shards of broken glass
The pieces that are left behind are sharp and cruel.
And all those songs
All those songs.
That made me cry
That made me cry.
Keep flooding back
Keep coming back to me.
And years of new discovery and you
And all the years we spent discovering each other.
Disturbing my dreams
Making it hard to sleep.
Now we're flowing down that river
Now we're following the current, leaving everything behind.
Heading for the delta
Heading towards a new beginning.
I don't know which way to flow
I don't know which direction to take.
But my heart's a forest fire
But my heart is ablaze with passion.
And yours a field of snow
And yours is cold and distant.
I don't know which way to flow
I don't know which direction to take.
Don't know which way
I really do not know.
To flow
Which direction I am supposed to go.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: MARC ALMOND
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind