River Song
Mike & Sally Oldfield Lyrics
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On the hair of my killer
Pour flowers on his head
Help me give him some shelter
Come lie by the river
Rest your head don't you fear
Then sleep softly my baby
And Daddy forgive them
They've taken and murdered all that he loved
He came with a gun his mind all undone
Now he's weepin' they wanna hang him at morning.
Pretty stars drop your wonder
On the eyes of my killer
Blind him with lovelight
Help me give him some shelter
Come lie by the river
Rest your head don't you fear
Then sleep softly my baby
They won't find you here
And Daddy forgive them
They've taken and murdered all that he loved
He came with a gun his mind all undone
Now he's weepin' they wanna hang him at morning.
I will die on a mountain
When the evening is falling
Kill softly my baby
For I'll rise in the morning
Come take me by the river
Bring your gun don't you fear
Then sleep quiet my baby
They won't find my body here
And Daddy forgive them
They've taken and murdered all that he loved
He came with a gun his mind all undone
Now he's weepin' they wanna hang him at morning
The song River Song by Mike & Sally Oldfield is a haunting and melancholic piece that tells the story of a man who has gone off the rails and committed a heinous act of violence. The artist takes on the perspective of someone who is somehow connected to this man, using the metaphor of the moon shining softly on the hair of their 'killer'. The lyrics are vague enough to allow for multiple interpretations of the relationship between the singer and the man he is referring to, but the overarching theme seems to be one of forgiveness and acceptance of finality. By asking the moon and the stars to help give her killer some shelter and blind him with lovelight, she is wrestling with the pain of the situation and trying to find some way to come to terms with what has happened.
As the song progresses, the singer talks about coming to lie by the river and rest, and of taking solace in the fact that her baby will be safe. The final verses of the song become much more poetic and elevated in their language, depicting the singer's acceptance of his own mortality and the hope that his death will bring some sort of peace. Daddy is asked to forgive those who have harmed his family, even as he prepares to die himself.
Overall, the song is a somber meditation on the nature of violence, forgiveness, and the human condition. The lyrics are ambiguous enough to allow for endless interpretation, but the sense of sadness and loss that permeates the piece is undeniable.
Line by Line Meaning
My moon shines so softly
The moon is shining softly in the sky
On the hair of my killer
The moon is shining on the hair of the person who killed someone close to the singer
Pour flowers on his head
The singer wishes death upon the killer and wants to place flowers on their head as a form of burial
Help me give him some shelter
The singer wants to help the killer by providing them with shelter
Come lie by the river
The singer invites someone to lie down by the river
Rest your head don't you fear
The person lying down by the river should not fear anything and relax
Then sleep softly my baby
The singer sings a lullaby to someone, calling them 'my baby'
They won't find you here
The singer wants to provide a safe hiding spot for the person they are singing to
And Daddy forgive them
The singer calls out to their father, asking him to forgive those who have caused them and their loved ones harm
They've taken and murdered all that he loved
The person being sung to has lost everything they loved due to someone else's actions
He came with a gun his mind all undone
The person who caused the harm was not of sound mind and came with a weapon
Now he's weepin' they wanna hang him at morning
The person who caused the harm is now crying and faces punishment in the morning
Pretty stars drop your wonder
The stars in the sky are beautiful
On the eyes of my killer
The singer wants the stars to blind the eyes of the person who caused the harm
Blind him with lovelight
The singer wants love to overcome the person's harmful actions and to 'blind' them with it
Come lie by the river
The singer invites someone to lie down by the river once again
Rest your head don't you fear
The person lying down should relax and not fear anything
Then sleep softly my baby
The singer continues to sing a lullaby to someone
They won't find you here
The hiding spot is still safe
I will die on a mountain
The singer is resigned to their fate of dying on a mountain
When the evening is falling
The singer will die when the sun is setting
Kill softly my baby
The singer wants the person they are singing to, 'my baby', to kill them softly
For I'll rise in the morning
The singer believes in an afterlife or a rebirth after death
Come take me by the river
The singer is still by the river and wants someone to come and take them away
Bring your gun don't you fear
The person coming to take them away should bring a weapon, as there may be danger
Then sleep quiet my baby
The singer sings another lullaby to the person they are addressing
They won't find my body here
The singer believes their body will not be found by those who have caused harm
And Daddy forgive them
The singer pleads with their father once again to forgive those who caused harm
They've taken and murdered all that he loved
The singer repeats their plea for forgiveness and states again how much harm has been done to them and their loved ones
He came with a gun his mind all undone
The person who caused the harm was not in a sound mental state and acted recklessly
Now he's weepin' they wanna hang him at morning
The person who caused the harm is crying and now faces punishment at daybreak
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: MICHAEL GORDON OLDFIELD, SALLY ANNE OLDFIELD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind