Rory Block (born as 'Aurora Block', November 6, 1949) is an American female… Read Full Bio ↴Rory Block (born as 'Aurora Block', November 6, 1949) is an American female blues guitarist and singer, a notable exponent of the country blues style.

Rory Block was born in Princeton, New Jersey and grew up in Manhattan. Her father, Allan Block, ran a sandal shop in Greenwich Village in the 1960s, and the constant presence of members of the Greenwich Village folk music scene made an impression on the young girl, who studied classical guitar. Around age 14, she began to be fascinated by old Mississippi Delta blues, listening to old albums, transcribing them, and learning to play the songs. At age 15, she left home to seek out the remaining blues giants, such as Mississippi John Hurt, Reverend Gary Davis and Son House, and hone her craft in the traditional manner of blues musicians; then she moved to California where she played in clubs and coffeehouses.

After retiring temporarily to raise a family, Block returned to the music business in the 1970s with middling success until signing with Rounder Records in 1981, who encouraged her to return to her love for the classical blues form. Since then she has carved out her own niche, releasing numerous critically acclaimed albums of original and traditional songs, including many Robert Johnson covers. Block has won four W. C. Handy Awards, two for "Traditional Blues Female Artist" (1997, 1998), and two for "Acoustic Blues Album of the Year" (1996, 1999).

The Water Is Wide
Rory Block Lyrics

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The water is wide, I can't cross o'er
Nor do I have light wings to fly
Build me a boat that can carry two
And both shall row my love and I.
A ship there is and she sails the sea
She's loaded deep as deep can be
But not so deep as the love I'm in
And I know not how I sink or swim.

I leaned my back up against an oak
Thinking he was a trusty tree
But first he bended, and then he broke
And thus did my false love to me.

I put my hand into a bush
The sweetest flower there to find
I pricked my finger to the bone
And left the sweetest flower alone.

Oh, love is handsome and love is fine
It's like a gem when first it's new

But love grows old and waxes cold
And fades away like the morning dew.

Overall Meaning

Rory Block's song "The Water is Wide" speaks to a situation where two lovers are separated and one of them is unable to cross over to be with the other. The opening lines of the song introduce the metaphor of the wide water as an obstacle preventing the singer from being with her love. She laments that she doesn't have the ability to fly over the water, so instead she pleads for the building of a boat that can hold both her and her love, so they may be reunited. The metaphor of the water serves as both a physical and metaphorical separation between the two lovers.

The song also speaks to the ups and downs of love. The first two verses deal with the singer's unrequited love and her desire to be with her beloved, while the third verse uses a metaphor of the oak and the bush to express the singer's disappointment and betrayal. The oak that she leaned on, thinking it was trustworthy, ultimately let her down by breaking, just as her false love did to her. Similarly, while searching for the sweetest flower, the singer only found pain, as she pricked her finger, leaving the flower untouched. These two verses speak to the fleeting nature of love and the heartache that often comes with it.

Overall, the song is a beautiful portrayal of the complexities of love and the challenges that come with it. The metaphor of the water provides a powerful image of separation, while the verses that follow capture the pain and heartache that can come with love.

Line by Line Meaning

The water is wide, I can't cross o'er
I can't cross the wide expanse of water before me

Nor do I have light wings to fly
I am unable to fly across it with my light wings

Build me a boat that can carry two
I need a boat that can hold two people

And both shall row my love and I.
We'll both row the boat while we're in it

A ship there is and she sails the sea
There's a ship that sails the seas

She's loaded deep as deep can be
It's loaded as much as it can be

But not so deep as the love I'm in
But not as deep as the love I'm feeling

And I know not how I sink or swim.
I'm not sure if I'll be able to handle it or not

I leaned my back up against an oak
I rested my back against an oak tree

Thinking he was a trusty tree
Because I thought he was a reliable tree

But first he bended, and then he broke
But he bent first, and then he broke