If I Had a Boat
McMorrow James Vincent Lyrics

Golden, golden, golden river run
The river is shining brilliantly like gold.

To the East then drop beneath the sun
The river flows towards the East and the sun sets beyond it.

And as the moon lies low and overhead
While the moon is low in the sky and shining bright above.

We're lost
The artist and their companions are lost in the wilderness.

Burn slow, burning up the back wall
A fire is burning slowly against the wall in the back.

Long roads, where the city meets the sky
The singer is on long winding roads that lead to the city which touches the sky.

Most days, most days stay the sole same
Most days follow a monotonous routine without much change.

Please stay, for this fear it will not die
The artist asks someone to stay with them to overcome their fear which won't go away easily.

If I had a boat, I would sail to you
The artist wants to sail a boat to reach a person they desire to meet.

Hold you in my arms, ask you to be true
The artist wants to embrace the person in their arms and ask them to be honest with their feelings.

Once I had a dream, it died long before
The singer had a dream that has been dead for a long time now.

Now I'm pointed north, hoping for the shore
The artist is headed north and wishes to reach the shore someday.

Down low, down amongst the thorn rows
The singer is moving down towards thorny bushes.

Weeds grow, through the lilies and the vine
Weeds are growing in between the lilies and vine plants.

Birds play, try to find their own way
Birds are playing while trying to navigate their path.

Soft clay, on your feet and under mine
The ground is made of soft clay that sticks to the artist's and another person's feet.

Splitting at the seams
Something is falling apart or breaking.

Heaving at the brace
Something is being pushed to its limits and straining to hold on.

Sheets all billowing
The sheets are fluttering or waving in the wind.

Breaking of the day
The day is breaking, or starting to dawn.

Sea is not my friend
The artist doesn't have a friendly relationship with the sea.

And everyone conspires
Others seem to be joining together to plot or scheme something against the artist.

Still I choose to swim
Despite the sea not being friendly, the singer still chooses to swim in it.

Slip beneath the tide
The artist is slowly sinking into the water.

Once I had a dream, once I had a hope
The singer had both a dream and a hope at some point in the past.

That was yesterday, not so long ago
That time was only yesterday, and not too far in the past.

This is not the end, this is just the world
The world keeps moving on, and the singer is not at the end of their journey.

Such a foolish thing, such an honest girl
Despite being foolish, the artist is truthful and sincere.