Robertson's work with the Band was instrumental in creating the Americana music genre. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Canadian Music Hall of Fame as a member of the Band, and into Canada's Walk of Fame, with the Band and on his own. He is ranked 59th in Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 100 greatest guitarists. He wrote "The Weight", "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down", and "Up on Cripple Creek" with the Band and had solo hits with "Broken Arrow" and "Somewhere Down the Crazy River", and many others. He was inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame, and received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Academy of Songwriters.
Robertson collaborated on film and TV soundtracks, usually with director Martin Scorsese, beginning in the rockumentary film The Last Waltz (1978) and continuing through dramatic films including Raging Bull (1980), The King of Comedy (1983), Casino (1995), Gangs of New York (2002), The Wolf of Wall Street (2013), Silence (2016), The Irishman (2019), and Killers of the Flower Moon (2023).
Robbie Robertson died in Los Angeles on August 9, 2023, at the age of 80, after a year-long battle with prostate cancer.
Hold Back The Dawn
Robbie Robertson Lyrics
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Over Echo Park
Wet raven hair
Glowing in the dark
And that's when the fever would rise
And lord what a look in her eyes
From the moment that she blows out the light
We'd be lost in the forever night
Hold back the dawn
Hold back the dawn
Won't you raise up your hand
And hold back the dawn
I dreamt if I could lay you upon this bed of straw
And we may break the rules but we don't break the law
Come across but the river's too wide
I'd come across but the river's too high
And over by the fountain where we meet
I will lay silver roses at your feet
Hold back the dawn
Hold back the dawn
Won't you raise up your hand
And hold back the dawn
Now I have seen a painting
Old and hanging in a frame
And that painting was of you
Now how can you explain
From another place in time
Done many years ago
Why I'm haunted by this vision
Guess we'll never know
And then she turned and whispered in my ear
Can you feel my heartbeat
Hold back the dawn
Hold back the dawn
Won't you raise up your hand
And hold back the dawn
(Let the night go on, let the night go on, let the night go on)
Won't you raise
Won't you raise up
Won't you raise up your hand
And hold back the dawn
Hold back the dawn
Won't you raise up your hand
And hold back the dawn
(Let the night go on and on and on)
(Through the dark and then through the heat)
Thought someone was moving with a savage grace
Got that main all over her face
She was movin' to the pagan beat
Through the dust and through the heat
The lyrics of Robbie Robertson's song, Hold Back The Dawn, depict a night-time tryst in the Los Angeles neighbourhood of Echo Park. The singer of the song is lost in passion and desire for a woman with "wet raven hair", whose eyes light up feverishly in the dark, when the night is young and possibilities seem endless. The paranoia and fear of getting caught are evident in the lines, "We may break the rules but we don't break the law", and "And lord what a look in her eyes. From the moment that she blows out the light, We'd be lost in the forever night". The song's title, "Hold Back The Dawn", could be interpreted as a plea to stop time from moving forward, so that the moment of passion would last forever. The singer also mentions having dreamt of laying "silver roses" by the fountain where they meet, while the river they must cross over is too wide and high, further exhibiting the impossibility of this love and how quickly it may come to an end.
Line by Line Meaning
The sun was going down
The day was ending
Over Echo Park
In the Echo Park neighborhood of Los Angeles
Wet raven hair
Her hair was wet and black like a raven's feathers
Glowing in the dark
Her hair shone in the darkness
And that's when the fever would rise
She would get excited and passionate at that moment
And lord what a look in her eyes
She had a captivating look in her eyes
From the moment that she blows out the light
From the moment she turns off the light
We'd be lost in the forever night
They would become lost in the night and the moment
Hold back the dawn
Don't let the morning come yet
Won't you raise up your hand
Please help me hold back the dawn
I dreamt if I could lay you upon this bed of straw
He dreamed of making love to her on a simple bed of straw
And we may break the rules but we don't break the law
They may do something unconventional, but it isn't illegal
Come across but the river's too wide
I would cross the river to be with you, but it's too wide
I'd come across but the river's too high
I would come to you, but the river is too deep
And over by the fountain where we meet
At the fountain is where we usually meet
I will lay silver roses at your feet
I will place silver roses at your feet as a romantic gesture
Now I have seen a painting
He has seen a painting
Old and hanging in a frame
An old painting was hanging on a frame
And that painting was of you
The painting was a portrait of her
Now how can you explain
How can this be explained?
From another place in time
From a different time
Done many years ago
The painting was created many years ago
Why I'm haunted by this vision
Why is he haunted by this image?
Guess we'll never know
It's unlikely they will ever know the answer
And then she turned and whispered in my ear
Then she turned to him and whispered softly in his ear
Can you feel my heartbeat
Do you feel my heart beating?
Won't you raise
Please raise
Won't you raise up
Please raise up
Won't you raise up your hand
Please help me hold back the dawn
Hold back the dawn
Don't let the morning come yet
Let the night go on and on and on
Let the night continue forever
Thought someone was moving with a savage grace
He thought someone was moving in a wild, but beautiful way
Got that main all over her face
Her hair was tousled or wild-looking
She was movin' to the pagan beat
She was dancing to a wild, earthy rhythm
Through the dust and through the heat
They were enduring difficult conditions to be together
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: ROBBIE ROBERTSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind