River Lady
Roger Whittaker Lyrics
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Cause they'll come to get the river lady
And I don't think they'll care
I know they'll scrape her paint off
In their same old foolish ways
Now the people see the river
Water turns cold and gets to freezing
Before you even know it the old girl's easing
Away from her berth round by the point and out of our view
Off in the mist her engines pounding
Back on the banks that old horn's sounding
A little good-bye
A little I'll do what I must do
A little good-bye
A little I'll do what I must do
I know I will remember when I cannot hear that horn
That would roll up by the mountains
As she took us through the storm
I know they've got to take her
But I can't say I approve
Cause she's won so many battles
That I hate to see her lose
Water turns cold and gets to freezing
Before you even know it the old girl's easing
Away from her berth round by the point and out of our view
Off in the mist her engines pounding
Back on the banks that old horn's sounding
A little good-bye
A little I'll do what I must do
A little good-bye
A little I'll do what I must do
Water turns cold and gets to freezing
The lyrics of Roger Whittaker's "River Lady" tell the story of an old ship, the eponymous "River Lady," that is nearing the end of its life. The singer mourns the approaching day when the river freezes and the old ship will be taken away, stripped of its paint in the same "old foolish ways" that people have always used. He laments that the River Lady will be forgotten, and that people will only see the river where she once stood. The singer fondly remembers the River Lady's ability to take them through storms and the sound of her horn as they traveled. The lyrics are a nostalgic tribute to a symbol of the past that is slowly fading away.
The River Lady represents both the passage of time and the beauty of the past, revered despite the inevitability of its eventual passing. The song's lyrics exude sadness and longing, but also reverence and appreciation for the history that the River Lady embodies. Through this song, Whittaker encourages us to cherish and remember the stories of the past, even as they pass beyond the horizon.
Line by Line Meaning
Water turns cold and gets to freezing
The weather turns cold quickly and unexpectedly
Before you even know it the old girl's easing
The old ship is moving away quietly and slowly
Away from her berth round by the point and out of our view
The ship is leaving the harbor and we cannot see it anymore
Off in the mist her engines pounding
The ship's engines can be heard in the distance
Back on the banks that old horn's sounding
The ship is blowing its horn in farewell
A little good-bye
A short farewell
A little I'll do what I must do
I'll need to do what I have to do, even if it's difficult
The day the river freezes is the day it won't seem fair
It will seem unfair if they take the ship on a day when the river is frozen
Cause they'll come to get the river lady
They will come to take the old ship away
And I don't think they'll care
They won't care about the ship's history or sentimental value
I know they'll scrape her paint off
The new owners will remove the ship's old paint
In their same old foolish ways
They will make the same mistakes that other new owners have made
Now the people see the river
People are more aware of the river now
But the old ship's gone away
But the old ship is no longer there
I know I will remember when I cannot hear that horn
I will remember the ship fondly when I can no longer hear its horn
That would roll up by the mountains
The sound of the horn could be heard echoing through the nearby mountains
As she took us through the storm
The ship was reliable and strong, carrying them safely through difficult times
I know they've got to take her
I understand that they have to take the ship away
But I can't say I approve
But I don't agree with the decision
Cause she's won so many battles
The ship has survived many challenges and has sentimental value to many people
That I hate to see her lose
People will be sad to see the ship go
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: GREG C. ADAMS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Sommerwind
Danke für all die wunderbaren Lieder in all den Jahren, lieber Roger❤ Noch nicht mal 20 Jahre war ich, als ich deine Musik und deine Stimme schon liebte. Heute bin ich 51 und es ist noch genau so und ich werde deine Lieder weiter immer immer lieben ❤
T
What a great voice and his delivery is always so awesome when he sings 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
Crystal Power121
Great tune 👌
Markus Duesseldorf
His voice is so excellent and unique. Roger is really a great singer. And it seems that he is even singing live here.
magicmulder
@Grumpy Old Man Chris Even without the mix-up it's obvious this is different from the record. Those were the days when people still sang live on German TV. These days that's become a rarity.
Geld
@magicmulder it sounds they played in the instruments straight from the record but let him sing live here, a bit of a hybrid
magicmulder
@Geld Yup, that's how it used to be done, they didn't have the tech to let everyone use their full setup, we called that "half playback".
Crystal Power121
Great tune
SgtRandoni
God bless you Roger and thank you for the great music.
graeme pedersen
Such a talent to sing , play a 12 string and make it look so casual. He is now singing to the angels. R . I . P. Roger.