Releasing on October 14th 2016, The Wave features eleven incredibly honest and ultimately uplifting songs written by Tom, produced by Matt Hales (Aqualung, Lianne La Havas) and recorded in Pasadena, California and London.
From the first evocative track Still Waiting, Tom takes us on a cinematic journey through life’s ups and downs that is both uplifting and incredibly moving. Another highlight, Hardened Heart, deals with some of the demons Tom has lived through with an endearing clarity and honesty. While the album occupies some dark spaces, it’s defining emotion is life affirming and joyous, Tom's unmistakable voice driving all eleven tracks with a range of emotions, never previously scaled.
The Wave is one of the boldest, moving, musically triumphant albums anyone has made this year. It’s a keeper.
The River
Tom Chaplin Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
With all those teenage dreams of conquering the world
In between the boats along the quay
Same old river staring back at me
She's watching everybody come and go
Carried here then washed away, given to the flow
But every time I go back there
I feel I'm winding up nowhere
When those days are down to the river
It's gotta be time that I move on
The good old days they are long gone
Let it carry me into the future
Out of the background
Into the foreground
Giving it all to the river
So meet me somewhere new on some bright afternoon
When you have shed the skin that holds me back from you
Oh everything you want was long ago
Carried off and washed away, given to the flow
The river rolls on, rolls on
Forever rolls on, rolls on
The opening lines of Tom Chaplin's song 'The River' evoke a sense of nostalgia and emotional longing. He walks alone down the empty streets that he and his friends used to know when they were young and full of dreams to conquer the world. The boats lined up along the river quay evoke memories of a carefree past, but also highlight the passage of time and the constantly changing nature of life. As he looks out at the same old river, he realizes that it has been a silent witness to everyone's comings and goings - the people who were carried there and then washed away, given to the flow. He questions why he keeps returning to the river to ask it to deliver him from his current situation, when the river can only take away the past and the memories that come with it.
Despite his efforts, every time Tom goes back to the river, he feels like he is going nowhere. The good old days are long gone, and it's time for him to move on. He realizes that the river is a powerful symbol of the passing of time, and that he needs to let it carry him into the future. He needs to move out of the background and into the foreground, giving himself fully to the river and allowing it to take him to where he needs to go.
In the final verse, Tom invites someone special to meet him somewhere new on a bright afternoon, free from the skin that has been holding them back. He acknowledges that everything they once wanted and dreamed of has been carried off and washed away by the river, given to the flow. But despite this, the river rolls on forever, a constant reminder of the unstoppable force of time and the inevitability of change.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm walking down the empty streets we used to know
I am reminiscing about the past while walking through desolate streets that once held meaning.
With all those teenage dreams of conquering the world
I recall adolescent enthusiasm for achieving greatness on a global scale.
In between the boats along the quay
I am taking a walk next to the docked boats along the river.
Same old river staring back at me
I see the unchanged river gaze back at me as I return to familiar territory.
She's watching everybody come and go
The river ruminates over the constant influx and outflow of people nearby.
Carried here then washed away, given to the flow
The river is transport for individuals that come to its shores and then depart downstream.
But every time I go back there
Whenever I return to the same place near the river,
I feel I'm winding up nowhere
I experience a sense of stagnation and lack of progress.
Why keep asking it to deliver
I wonder why I continue to request something from the river.
When those days are down to the river
The memories of those days have been lost or forgotten and belong to the old, passing river.
It's gotta be time that I move on
It is now the right moment for me to move forward and focus on the future.
The good old days they are long gone
The happy memories from the past are too far in the distance to ever relive them.
Let it carry me into the future
I give in and allow the river to take me on its journey toward what's to come.
Out of the background
I become prominent instead of indistinct.
Into the foreground
I advance to the forefront of my own life.
Giving it all to the river
I surrender completely to the river's momentum.
So meet me somewhere new on some bright afternoon
Join me at an unfamiliar place on a pleasant daytime for fresh experiences.
When you have shed the skin that holds me back from you
When you have let go of the negative emotions that prevent us from connecting with each other.
Oh everything you want was long ago
What you long for has been lost in the distant past.
Carried off and washed away, given to the flow
It has been swept away and forgotten by the river's continuous movement.
The river rolls on, rolls on
The river persists and continues to move forward.
Forever rolls on, rolls on
The river's eternal nature guarantees its forward movement.
Writer(s): Thomas Oliver Chaplin, Matthew Hales
Contributed by Michael L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Lidianne Cristina
Sensacional❤🥰
Delfina Fernandes
Gran interpretación. Tom Chaplin es el mejor cantante de la actualidad.
Delfina Fernandes
Twelve Tales of Christmas es un album maravilloso.
Josefina Lopez
Me atrevo a decir que la voz de Tom es una de las mejores del mundo. La perfección hecha persona✨ Love you Tom Chaplin.💞
ZOE
La voz masculina mas perfecta del planeta, señores, en el ambito musical, tiene nombre y se llama Tom Chaplin.
Betty Soza
Amo a Tom Chaplin,no hay voz mas hermosa que la de Tom😘💖💕🎤
Master Bluray
El único cantante con el que siento la piel de gallina, lejos la mejor voz se la historia. Hermoso Tom.
Espero que vuelvas pronto a Chile.
Rocío Ríos Bello
Hermoso tema. Como todo lo que interpretas querido Tom. Felicitaciones. Bendiciones. Un abrazo
A N G E L A
Es el tipo de voz que te hace remover las entrañas pero de emoción. Impecable, Sr. Chaplin. 👏👏👏
Gonzalo Joaquín Linares
I've always loved this song! It's wonderful to hear it in Tom's amazing voice!!