Sail away, sail away, sail away
Sail away, sail away, sail away
Sail away, sail away, sail away
Sail away, sail away, sail away

From Bissau to Palau, in the shade of Avalon
From Fiji to Tyree and the Isles of Ebony
From Peru to Cebu, hear the power of Babylon
From Bali to Cali, far beneath the Coral Sea

Turn it up, turn it up, turn it up, up, adieu, ooh, ooh
Turn it up, turn it up, turn it up, up, adieu, ooh, ooh
Turn it up, turn it up, turn it up, up, adieu, oh

Sail away, sail away, sail away
Sail away, sail away, sail away
Sail away, sail away, sail away
Sail away, sail away, sail away

From the North to the South, Ebudæ unto Khartoum
From the deep Sea of Clouds to the Island of the Moon
Carry me on the waves to the lands I've never been
Carry me on the waves to the lands I've never seen
We can sail, we can sail with the Orinoco Flow
We can sail, we can sail
(Sail away, sail away, sail away)

We can steer, we can near
With Rob Dickins at the wheel
We can sigh, say goodbye Ross and his dependency
We can sail, we can sail
(Sail away, sail away, sail away)

We can reach, we can beach
On the shores of Tripoli
We can sail, we can sail
(Sail away, sail away, sail away)
From Bali to Cali, far beneath the Coral Sea
We can sail, we can sail
(Sail away, sail away, sail away)
From Bissau to Palau, in the shade of Avalon
We can sail, we can sail
(Sail away, sail away, sail away)
We can reach, we can beach
Far beyond the Yellow Sea
We can sail, we can sail
(Sail away, sail away, sail away)
From Peru to Cebu, hear the power of Babylon
We can sail, we can sail
(Sail away, sail away, sail away)
We can sail, we can sail

Sail away, sail away, sail away
Sail away, sail away, sail away
Sail away, sail away, sail away
Sail away, sail away, sail away
Sail away, sail away, sail away


Lyrics submitted by Novartza, edited by cblupo

Orinoco Flow Lyrics as written by Nicky Ryan Eithne Ni Bhraonain

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

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Orinoco Flow song meanings
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33 Comments

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  • +5
    General Comment

    You know what so many people dislike this song but i really, really love this one. I don't care about the music video or anything. Lyrics are so meaningful and it makes me feel happy all the time.

    C'mon guys didn't you ever wish to get on a ship and sail away? Forget who you are, what are you doing and all of your problems? Just go where that blue sea goes and felt the wind? Well i do. I do all the time.

    This song is like escaping and finding a new purpose for me.

    Panflakeon September 15, 2012   Link
  • +3
    General Comment

    the first time I heard this (and was, like, 7) I thought it was "save a whale, save a whale, save a whale..."

    catherinekson June 10, 2002   Link
  • +3
    General Comment

    Enya tends to seem kind of airy and light, mellow, serene. The music makes my cats purr.

    myexplodingcaton November 28, 2010   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    the best song about sailing ever

    incuon May 04, 2004   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    LOL @ catherineks ! Yeah, now i listen a bit closer; it do sounds like that !

    amazing song; the voices really 'penetrated' me; very spiritual; a real chilling song.

    ChildInTimeon August 14, 2005   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    My mum used to listen to Enya when I was really small, like 3 and 4 years old! So I've always liked Enya, it reminds me of being really happy as a small girl. This was my favourite song and I used to dance round my living room to it! But now I'm older and I've begun to fully appreciate the beauty of Enya's music, its amazing! I think part of the beauty of her music is that the songs dont have a specific meaning, they all mean different things to different people. But, no matter what the songs mean, the music is serene, peaceful and always makes me happy!

    *baby_girl*on January 30, 2006   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    this song reminds me of traveling. And when I'm in my car, I get all sorts of wanderlust, that i want to get out of the country and away from my daily obligations, you know just get a vacation! i don't know what i'd do if I didn't have Enya's CDs to listen to in my car :)

    GrungyBeatleon August 06, 2007   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    Rob Dickins was the head of WEA Music UK at the time, and was the executive producer of "Watermark"

    Ross Cullum was listed as the album's engineer, and also its co-producer with Nicky Ryan and Enya.

    "The Ross Dependencies" is a geographic reference, only one of many in the song. It seems likely that Roma, the lyricist for enya, simply couldn't resist making a little joke based on Ross's name.

    jayphelps321on July 24, 2008   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    I don't think it's about sailing at all. I think it's about music taking you somewhere you might not be able to go on your own--hence the line, "Turn it up, turn it up, turn it up." The references to the studio name (Orinoco--now part of Miloco Studios, U.K.), Rob Dickens, and Ross Cullum serve to substantiate this theory.

    All that said, if what one takes from the song is merely a sense of escape, that's not such a bad thing, and certainly what Roma wanted. It's actually a pretty powerful song. It sure takes a beating from Pop Culture thugs (South Park--I'm lookin' at you!!!)...

    heavynovaon December 27, 2009   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    She says "Adieu",before the chorus of "Sail away". Island of the Moon (Comoros); also an island on Lake Titicaca, Peru & Bolivia; or Isle Maree (Scotland) Coral sea is in the Pacific near Australia The Sea of Clouds, possibly Mount Huangshan, China Isles of Ebony, England

    Thia007on November 27, 2011   Link

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