Mason's popularity rose after musician Conor Oberst discovered his music backstage at a Bright Eyes show. Oberst would soon sign Mason to his new record label, Team Love and release his debut LP. Since then, he has toured with the likes of Radiohead, Death Cab For Cutie, Ben Kweller, and Unbusted, and played such venues as the Glastonbury Festival, South By Southwest, and the Offshore Ale House.
Mason's debut album Where The Humans Eat, and singles (Oxygen and So Long), charted in the UK Singles Chart and Albums Chart in 2005. Mason went on to release The Ocean Gets Rough in 2007.
Willy’s new album, 'Carry On', was recorded over the course of 2011 in south London with producer Dan Carey (MIA, Hot Chip, Franz Ferdinand) and is released in December 2012.
“The album itself is about growing up and trying to find one’s place” Mason says. “I think of this record as the third and final chapter to a particular narrative that started with ‘Where the Humans Eat’”.
When The River Moves On
Willy Mason Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Please forgive me
Your woman loves another
And I fear that I am he
We grew up in the same wood
We fished the same pond
If ever our lines tangled
We'd cut 'em before dawn
Will you hold the rock when the river moves on
Mother mother mother
Sing a song to me
My friends have all gone traveling
And there's panic on TV
You know I am your baby
You've served my every need
But I've got this feeling lately
I've got to leave home to be free
Will you hold...
Father father father
Don't you ever hold defeat
Let it slip right through your fingers
When people spit it through their teeth
I was created in your likeness
And for that I'm blessed to be
But its time to separate my own dreams
For the ones you've passed to me
Will you hold...
In Willy Mason's song "When The River Moves On," the verses consist of three individuals addressing their family members - a brother, a mother, and a father - and expressing their fears, concerns, and desires for the future. In the first verse, the singer confesses to his brother that he is the reason for his woman's infidelity, implicitly asking for forgiveness for the love affair. The brothers have grown up together and are close, as shown by their shared experiences of fishing together and their practice of detangling each other's fishing lines before dawn. The chorus inquires if the brother will hold on to what is gone and take hold of the rock as the river current carries on, a metaphor for the changing nature of their relationship and the challenges that come with it.
In the second verse, the singer addresses his mother, requesting her to sing him a song and comforting him as his friends have gone traveling, causing him to feel lonely. The singer acknowledges his mother's care for him but confesses that he has this urge to leave home and explore the world to achieve personal freedom. The chorus repeats the same questions to his mother as well, asking if she will hold on to what is gone and take hold of the rock amidst the changes and separations.
In the final verse, the singer addresses his father, encouraging him not to be defeated but instead to let negative comments slide off of him. He acknowledges that he is blessed to be created in his father's likeness but insists that it is time to pursue his own dreams and desires, distinct from his father's. Once more, the chorus repeats the questions, asking whether his father will hold onto the past or embrace the future even when it involves letting go.
Line by Line Meaning
Brother brother brother
Addressing a sibling in a pleading tone
Please forgive me
Asking for forgiveness for a wrongdoing
Your woman loves another
Informing the sibling that their partner is unfaithful
And I fear that I am he
Expressing the fear of being the one the partner is in love with
We grew up in the same wood
Highlighting the shared upbringing in the same location
We fished the same pond
Emphasizing the common activities they used to do together
If ever our lines tangled
Referring to a literal or metaphorical tangling of their paths
We'd cut 'em before dawn
Deciding to sever any ties before the problem escalated
Will you hold on to what is gone
Asking if the sibling will cling to something that is already lost
Will you hold the rock when the river moves on
Metaphor for holding on to something stable when everything else is changing
Mother mother mother
Addressing the mother in a plea or call
Sing a song to me
Requesting a comforting action
My friends have all gone traveling
Stating a fact that their friends are traveling
And there's panic on TV
Referring to a current event or situation on TV that causes fear
You know I am your baby
Emphasizing the child-parent relationship
You've served my every need
Acknowledging the parent's care and support
But I've got this feeling lately
Expressing a certain feeling or inclination
I've got to leave home to be free
Desiring freedom and independence from home
Father father father
Addressing the father in a plea or call
Don't you ever hold defeat
Encouraging the father to never give up or accept defeat
Let it slip right through your fingers
Used as a metaphor referring to letting go of defeat or failure
When people spit it through their teeth
Describing how people talk or express defeat
I was created in your likeness
Acknowledging the father's influence in the child's creation
And for that I'm blessed to be
Grateful for the blessings derived from the father
But it's time to separate my own dreams
Emphasizing the need to pursue one's own goals and aspirations
For the ones you've passed to me
Referring to the dreams that the father has set for the child to follow
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JEMMA JAMES, WILLY MASON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind