Water
W.J. VanRanch Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

The water is wide, I cannot get over
And nor do I, have wings to fly
Give me a boat, that can carry two
And both shall row, my love and I
Oh love is handsome, and love is fine
Bright as a jewel, when it's first new
But love grows old, and waxes cold
And fades away, like morning dew
There is a ship, that sails the sea
She's loaded deep, as deep can be
But not so deep, as the love I need
I know not if, I sink or swim
The water is wide, I cannot get over
And nor do I, have wings to fly
Give me a boat, that can carry two
And both shall row, my love and I
The water is wide, I cannot get over
And nor do I, have wings to fly
Give me a boat, that can carry two




And both shall row, my love and I
And both shall row, my love and I

Overall Meaning

The song "The Water is Wide" is an old traditional Scottish folk song, also known as "O Waly, Waly". It has been covered by many artists, including W.J. VanRanch who made it a hit in the 1970s. The song speaks of the challenges of love and the journey one must undertake to find true love.


The opening lines "The water is wide, I cannot get over, and nor do I have wings to fly" refer to the vastness of the ocean as a metaphor for the difficulties in finding love. The singer is seeking a way to cross over to the other side (a metaphor for finding love) but cannot do so. He asks for a boat that can carry two so that he can travel with his loved one.


The singer reflects that love is beautiful and amazing when it's new, but it eventually fades away with time. He realizes that love is not just about infatuation but requires a deep emotional and intellectual connection to survive. The lines "there is a ship that sails the sea, she's loaded deep, as deep can be, but not so deep as the love I need" emphasize the depth and intensity of love the singer is seeking.


The final lines "And both shall row, my love and I" suggest that love requires teamwork and effort from both parties to overcome challenges and cross over to the other side.


Line by Line Meaning

The water is wide, I cannot get over
I am faced with an obstacle that seems insurmountable


And nor do I, have wings to fly
I do not have the ability to overcome this obstacle by myself


Give me a boat, that can carry two
I need a partner to help me overcome this obstacle


And both shall row, my love and I
We will work together to overcome this obstacle


Oh love is handsome, and love is fine
Love is attractive and enjoyable


Bright as a jewel, when it's first new
Love is shiny and new when it first begins


But love grows old, and waxes cold
Love can become stagnant and unpassionate over time


And fades away, like morning dew
Love can disappear quickly, like dew evaporating in the morning sun


There is a ship, that sails the sea
There are opportunities and possibilities in life


She's loaded deep, as deep can be
These opportunities and possibilities are abundant


But not so deep, as the love I need
However, these opportunities and possibilities do not compare to the love that I crave


I know not if, I sink or swim
I am unsure of the outcome of my actions in pursuing this love


And both shall row, my love and I
Together, we will face the unknown and work towards our love


The water is wide, I cannot get over
Despite the uncertainty, the obstacle in front of us seems impossible to overcome alone


And nor do I, have wings to fly
Without my partner, I am powerless and cannot succeed


Give me a boat, that can carry two
I need the support and partnership of someone to face this challenge


And both shall row, my love and I
Together, we will conquer the obstacle and come out stronger


And both shall row, my love and I
We will work together through the challenges and obstacles that life presents




Lyrics © DistroKid
Written by: Traditional Music

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found
Most interesting comments from YouTube:

Les aventures de Jayman

I live in Quebec, Canada. And people here keep telling me how great it is to have such good diplomatic relations with the US.

And I keep reminding them that you guys will eventually run out of water, that we are the closest (and biggest) source of fresh water around, and that our army is basically children dressed in green-ish clothing with pea-shooters.

So yeah, I'll enjoy the last couple of peace that we have on this continent!

And the 2 or 3 rainstorms we have each week right now.

Cheers!



Julia

Sounds like a classic Last Week Tonight subject: fairly simple on the surface, you think you have a pretty good idea what's going on, and then that rug gets pulled out from under you.

I love in Germany where tipping is pretty much only for restaurants. I don't eat out very much, but I'm careful to tip in situations where I have my doubts that the employees get a livable wage, e.g. in a nail studio.

And hearing that more and more places are "forcing tipping" makes me very, very weary. How exactly is "forced tipping" different from "raised prices" in effect?

Doesn't help that I heard of stuff like 20% of the price being for "service" - meaning: the staff - but only 12 % actually end up with the staff.

Sounds like a form of wage theft - another subject that really, really needs a LWT episode.



All comments from YouTube:

NEPAAlchey

The fact a leader of a state can go on TV and ask the entire state to pray a problem away so he doesn't have to do his job is terrifying.

any wallsocket

Watching that was literally surreal for me, like I was thinking is this an actual adult? 👀

Anika

I live in Utah and we basically live in a theocracy with more steps

Kokiden

june 4-5 was a month ago...did it work?

172 More Replies...

Svenski

Coming from a country which recently went through a 7 year drought, I can wholeheartedly say that the only way to survive is smart planning and very severe water restrictions. Watching a first world nation fail at such basic survival measures gives me second hand embarrassment.

Marooned Explorer

South Africa?

International RTG

How about confronting food and agriculture corporations that steal all the water?

Svenski

@International RTG if that is a major cause for your water shortages, then that is definitely something that must be addressed. That's not an issue for us here luckily due to limited amounts of water.

Svenski

@Marooned Explorer Namibia actually

AYCoded

Yes, it is embarrassing.

25 More Replies...
More Comments

More Versions