He continues to write and record new material and performs live frequently throughout Canada, the United States, Europe and Australia.
Thompson was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2011 New Year Honours for services to music. On 5 July 2011, the degree of Doctor of Philosophy honoris causa was conferred on Thompson by the University of Aberdeen, in a ceremony at the University's Elphinstone Hall.
Old Thames Side
Richard Thompson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Oh my foot and my heart seem to falter
And there you were standing by a Custom House landing
Like Venus risen out of the water
And they say it's because, well, I'm a fool in love
That I swear there's no beauty before you
And those that deny or think that I lie
Oh, there never was anyone so perfect as you
As you stood there and smiled to greet me
And I searched for a phrase to capture your ways
Well, that's a task that'll always defeat me
And they say it's because, oh, I'm a fool in love
That I swear there's no beauty before you
But those that deny or think that I lie
Well those are the ones who never saw you
And they say it's because I'm a fool in love
That I swear there's no beauty before you
And those that deny or think that I lie
Well oh, those are the ones who never saw you
The lyrics of Richard Thompson's song "Old Thames Side" capture the moment of the singer's encounter with a woman by the Custom House landing near the old Thames side. From the very beginning, the setting is significant in understanding the emotional reverberations it causes to the singer's foot and heart. As he stumbles upon, he sees the woman standing out like Venus risen from the water, which is a metaphorical way of suggesting that she appears to be a goddess-like figure to him. He is smitten by her beauty and feels that there is no other person who can be so perfect that matches her beauty.
As he struggles to find the right words to describe her perfect being, he confesses that people called him a fool in love. The phrase emphasizes the intensity of his infatuation towards this woman. The singer's description of his feelings distinctly portrays the ideas of beauty, admiration, and love. The lyrics present the beauty of the woman as untouchable and indescribable. The chorus repeats the reason that he believes it is impossible to find more beauty than was seen in her. He does not care if others doubt his feelings because they did not witness her.
The song is a beautiful composition of melody and lyrics that showcase both the talent of the songwriter and the enchanting journey of being smitten. It is an appreciation of love that is beautiful and true, an ideal that remains relevant to date.
Line by Line Meaning
As I was walking down by old Thames side
While walking along the Thames River, the singer's heart started to falter as they saw the person they love.
Oh my foot and my heart seem to falter
The singer's heart was overwhelmed with emotion as they saw their beloved standing by the Custom House landing.
And there you were standing by a Custom House landing
The singer saw their significant other standing by the Custom House landing near the Thames river.
Like Venus risen out of the water
The artist's lover looked as beautiful as Venus, the Roman goddess of love, as she rose out of the water.
And they say it's because, well, I'm a fool in love
Others believe that the artist is only seeing beauty because they are in love and therefore blinded by their emotions.
That I swear there's no beauty before you
Despite what others say, the singer believes that their lover is the most beautiful and perfect person they have ever seen.
And those that deny or think that I lie
Anyone who denies the singer's claims or thinks they are lying has never had the pleasure of seeing their beloved.
Well oh, those are the ones who never saw you
The artist believes that anyone who questions their love for their significant other has never truly seen them and experienced their beauty.
Oh, there never was anyone so perfect as you
The artist believes their lover is the epitome of perfection and has never seen anyone as flawless.
As you stood there and smiled to greet me
The artist was captivated by their lover's smile as they stood and greeted them.
And I searched for a phrase to capture your ways
The singer struggled to find the right words to describe how their lover made them feel.
Well, that's a task that'll always defeat me
The artist felt that no matter how hard they tried, they could never truly capture the essence of their lover's beauty and what it meant to them.
And they say it's because, oh, I'm a fool in love
Others still believe that the singer's emotions have blinded them to reality and they are only seeing beauty because they are in love.
That I swear there's no beauty before you
Despite this, the singer remains resolute in their belief that their lover is the most beautiful person in the world.
But those that deny or think that I lie
Anyone who doubts the sincerity of the singer's love for their significant other has never truly experienced the power of love.
Well those are the ones who never saw you
The artist believes that anyone who questions their love has never truly seen the beauty and perfection of their lover.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: RICHARD THOMPSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@russhouldin5774
The line from the song that may be adapted for RT's work "Those that deny or think that I lie, those are the one's never saw you". Alas many people have never given themselves the pleasure of seeing (hearing) him. BTW what a beautiful love song.
@honeychurchgipsy6
I think I might know why, when the world thinks of the great song writers, it tends to overlook Thompson - it's the sheer volume of genius he puts out.
I read a review of his recent 13 Rivers album which said that, we expect such quality from RT that we take it for granted when he produces an album as stunning as 13 Rivers: anyone else and we'd be standing on our hindlegs (like Charlie boy) and shouting "This is brilliant", but with RT we shrug and say "Oh, yeah, we know, he always does it this well".
To sum up: there are just so many excellent songs to choose from that none stand out so that we can say "this is the best song I've ever heard"
@DSDjhon
beautiful
@stevenaustin8274
how is it possible that a song as stunning as this gets two comment's ??
@dennispfohl3004
I don't know. This is one of my favourite love songs even by RT.
@cirkuspromoter8266
This isn't the album version is it? Sounds live in the studio somewhere. Great anyway.