Fare Thee Well
Marcus Mumford;Oscar Isaac Lyrics
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I'd fly the river to the one I love
Well fare thee well, my honey, fare thee well
Well I had a man who was long and tall
Who moved his body like a cannon ball
Well fare thee well, my honey, fare thee well
And in my heart was an achin' pain
Well fare thee well, my honey, fare thee well
Muddy river runs muddy 'n' wild
Can't give a bloody for my unborn child
Fare thee well, my honey, fare thee well
So show us a bird flyin' high above
Life ain't worth living without the one you love
Fare thee well, my honey, fare thee well
Well fare thee well, my honey, fare thee well
Marcus, the lyrics of Fare Thee Well by Oscar Isaac encapsulate the pain of missing someone you love dearly. The opening lines, "If I had wings like Noah's dove, I'd fly the river to the one I love," reveals a sense of distance and longing. The singer wants to reach their beloved, and the allusion to the biblical story of Noah's Ark adds a mystical quality to the song.
In the second verse, the singer reminisces about a man they loved, who was "long and tall" and moved like a "cannonball." These playful metaphors suggest a lively relationship, full of passion and excitement. However, the verses before and after this one mention the "achin' pain" in their heart and the "muddy river runs muddy 'n' wild" that symbolize the obstacles in their love story.
The refrain, "Well fare thee well, my honey, fare thee well," is a farewell to the lover, but also a goodbye to the pain that comes with loving someone who is not there. The final lines, "show us a bird flyin' high above, life ain't worth living without the one you love," emphasizes the idea that love is worth fighting for, and the image of the bird in flight remains a symbol of hope, freedom and possibility.
Line by Line Meaning
If I had wings like Noah's dove
If only I had wings like Noah's dove, I would use them to fly over the river to reach the one I love.
I'd fly the river to the one I love
I would use my wings to fly over the river that separates me from the one I love.
Well fare thee well, my honey, fare thee well
Goodbye, farewell to you, my dear love.
Well I had a man who was long and tall
I used to have a man who was tall and had a long physique.
Who moved his body like a cannon ball
He had a way of moving his body that resembled the motion of a cannon ball.
I remember one evening, in the pourin' rain
There was one particular evening, when it was pouring rain and I was filled with a sense of sadness.
And in my heart was an achin' pain
I was feeling a deep, emotional pain in my heart on that evening.
Muddy river runs muddy 'n' wild
The river that separates me from my love is muddy and turbulent.
Can't give a bloody for my unborn child
I don't care at all about my unborn child, given the pain of being separated from my love.
Fare thee well, my honey, fare thee well
Once again, goodbye, farewell to you, my dear love.
So show us a bird flyin' high above
Perhaps a bird flying high in the sky can inspire us to hope for the possibility of flying over the river to be with our love.
Life ain't worth living without the one you love
There's simply no point in living life if you're not with the one you love.
Fare thee well, my honey, fare thee well
Once again, goodbye, farewell to you, my dear love.
Well fare thee well, my honey, fare thee well
One last goodbye, farewell to you, my dear love.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Marcus Oliver Johnstone Mumford, T-Bone Burnett, Oscar Isaac
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@joshuabrown3654
If I had wings like Noah's dove
I'd fly the river to the one I love
Fare thee well, my honey, fare thee well
Well, I had a man, who was long and tall
He moved his body like a cannon ball
Fare thee well, my honey, fare thee well
I remember one evening in the pouring rain
And in my heart was an achin' pain
Fare thee well, my honey, fare thee well
Muddy river was muddy and wild
Can't give a bloody for my unborn child
Fare thee well, my honey, fare thee well
So show us a bird flying high above
Life ain't worth living without the one you love
Fare thee well, my honey, fare thee well
Fare thee well, my honey, fare thee well
@JSHayward3
Wish Oscar Isaac wasn't so buried in the mix. Man is pulling some sweet harmony here.
@mf5202
Problem is Mumford sings with some serious volume. Happens quite often.
@matsosa
Well, to be fair, his voice isn’t supposed to be so overpowering. That’s why he was singing low in the first place. Sometimes, to achieve that sweet harmony, you need to be faint. But I do agree that his voice was a little too low. The studio version does the song a better justice🎶🎶❤️
@MindGameStudios
If he'd just been, like, 6 inches closer to the mic...
@jaysakong
yeah unfortunately not much the sound guy can do when theyre singing into the same microphone
@carmencaamano9434
@@mf5202 no, no, no
@louisee7339
Wherever Oscar Isaac is I hope he's warm and well fed. x
@jessiearturothunder8768
I've been soothing my son to this almost every night since he was 15 minutes old he's 15 months old and the second he hears this he put his head on my lap he and I both love it
@loripatrick4652
What do you get when the Coen Brothers, T Bone Burnett, Oscar Isaac, Mumford & sons and the Punch Brothers come together: Absolute joy. Pure musical joy.
@betsytaylor9929
+Lori Patrick Totally agree! It gets no better than this!