This song is written as the perspective of the boys in the street, as a whole, and what path they are going to choose as they get older and grow into men. (This is why the music video takes place in an orphanage.) The seen, and unseen collective suffering is imbedded in the boys’ mind, consciously or subconsciously, and is haunting them. Which path will the boys choose? Issac Hayes is the voice of reason, maybe God, the angel on his shoulder, or the voice of his forefathers from beyond the grave who can see the big picture and are pleading with the boys not to continue the violence and pattern of killing their brothers, but to rise above. The most beautiful song and has so many levels. Racism towards African Americans in America would not exist if everyone sat down and listened to this song and understood the history behind the words. The power, fear, pleading in RZA and Ghostface voices are genuine and powerful. Issac Hayes’ strong voice makes the perfect strong father figure, who is possibly from beyond the grave.
In the depths of the river
Deep in the waves
Three rhinemaidens are singing
Songs of the brave
An ugly dwarf
Greedy with pleasure
Desires the gold,
Tries to steal the treasure
Guardians of the holy treasure
No cheat should steal it from the river
Gleaming glow in the water's depth
Shines brightly, bravely through the waves
Rheingold, Rheingold
Rheingold, Rheingold
Who denies love
Who forfeits its power
Can attain the magic
To forge a ring
If you are enarmoured
And longing for love
Let's see my handsome
What you look like
Guardians of the holy treasure
No cheat should steal it from the river
Gleaming glow in the water's depth
Shines brightly, bravely through the waves
Rheingold, Rheingold
Rheingold, Rheingold
Aren't you afraid
Brood of the waters
Then conquer the dark,
And I'll put out your light
I wrench the gold from the rock
Forge the ring of revenge
For hell and the devil
I curse my love
Guardians of the holy treasure
No cheat should steal it from the river
Who from the Rheingold will fashion the ring
Win the world's wealth and will be king
Deep in the waves
Three rhinemaidens are singing
Songs of the brave
An ugly dwarf
Greedy with pleasure
Desires the gold,
Tries to steal the treasure
Guardians of the holy treasure
No cheat should steal it from the river
Gleaming glow in the water's depth
Shines brightly, bravely through the waves
Rheingold, Rheingold
Rheingold, Rheingold
Who denies love
Who forfeits its power
Can attain the magic
To forge a ring
If you are enarmoured
And longing for love
Let's see my handsome
What you look like
Guardians of the holy treasure
No cheat should steal it from the river
Gleaming glow in the water's depth
Shines brightly, bravely through the waves
Rheingold, Rheingold
Rheingold, Rheingold
Aren't you afraid
Brood of the waters
Then conquer the dark,
And I'll put out your light
I wrench the gold from the rock
Forge the ring of revenge
For hell and the devil
I curse my love
Guardians of the holy treasure
No cheat should steal it from the river
Who from the Rheingold will fashion the ring
Win the world's wealth and will be king
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
I Can't Go To Sleep
Wu-Tang Clan
Wu-Tang Clan
Magical
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
How would you describe the feeling of being in love? For Ed Sheeran, the word is “Magical.” in HIS three-minute album opener, he makes an attempt to capture the beauty and delicacy of true love with words. He describes the magic of it all over a bright Pop song produced by Aaron Dessner.
Punchline
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran sings about missing his former partner and learning important life lessons in the process on “Punchline.” This track tells a story of battling to get rid of emotions for a former lover, whom he now realized might not have loved him the same way. He’s now caught between accepting that fact and learning life lessons from it and going back to beg her for another chance.
Amazing
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.
Page
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
There aren’t many things that’ll hurt more than giving love a chance against your better judgement only to have your heart crushed yet again. Ed Sheeran tells such a story on “Page.” On this track, he is devastated to have lost his lover and even more saddened by the feeling that he may never move on from this.