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The river Lyrics
She ran until her face was numb with cold and
wore a cotton gown that blazed the night untold.
She ran until her feet refused to hold
so heavy a heart for someone merely ten years old.
And when she reached the river her knees began to shiver,
her head with pounding voices from home.
Behind her was a vision, a painful apparition
of a darker world that no-one should know.
Somebody's bed will never be warm again,
the river will keep this friend.
Yeah somebody's bed will never be warm again,
no never again.
She dived beneath the water's icy skin,
hoping the cold would kill the smell of angry gin,
and her eyes grew wider than they'd ever been
just wishing the numbness to cut deeper with its pins.
And as her body lay there she decided to stay there
till darkness came to pull her away.
And beautifully she sank as up river was the bank
where some bodiless troubles would stay.
Somebody's bed will never be warm again,
the river will keep this friend.
Yeah somebody's bed will never be warm again,
no never again.
Somebody's bed will never be warm again,
the river will keep this friend.
Yeah somebody's bed will never be warm again,
no never again.
wore a cotton gown that blazed the night untold.
She ran until her feet refused to hold
so heavy a heart for someone merely ten years old.
And when she reached the river her knees began to shiver,
her head with pounding voices from home.
Behind her was a vision, a painful apparition
of a darker world that no-one should know.
the river will keep this friend.
Yeah somebody's bed will never be warm again,
no never again.
hoping the cold would kill the smell of angry gin,
and her eyes grew wider than they'd ever been
just wishing the numbness to cut deeper with its pins.
And as her body lay there she decided to stay there
till darkness came to pull her away.
And beautifully she sank as up river was the bank
where some bodiless troubles would stay.
the river will keep this friend.
Yeah somebody's bed will never be warm again,
no never again.
the river will keep this friend.
Yeah somebody's bed will never be warm again,
no never again.
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In my view i think this song is definently about a child being abused especially this line " her head with pounding voices from home. Behind her was a vision, a painful apparition of a darker world that no-one should know." Pounding voices from home says that its the reason shes doing this and that shes a young child that has been abused. Also the line refering to angry gin makes it seem as if the person abusing her was drunk? Im not sure thats just my interpretation
To me, this song is about a little girl who is living in an abusive family, with alcohol problems, and being so damaged at such a young age...ending in her suicide. i think this, and kaytee, are probably from personal experience, or that of someone close to her, because i'm not sure where you'd draw such amazing lyrics from otherwise. 10/10 for missy.
I was at a Missy Higgins concert a while ago, and she said she was asked a lot about this song and where it came from, and that, no, it's not from personal experience, it's just from her "sick, twisted mind". So yeah, there's that question answered. As to what it means, well, it's pretty obvious, isn't it? A literal reading is the little girl "merely ten years old" is having a pretty horrific time at home. We don't get specifics, but it's obviously got something to do with fights and alcohol. And basically she trots off to the nearest river in the middle of the night and decides to go for a swim i.e. drowns herself to escape it. Very sad song. It always makes my mum cry.
this song is really sad lyric wise but the tune is kinda uptempo...weird but awesome at the same time....kinda makes you wonder if its about personal experience though....
I think its so clever. she has the ability to make a sad song seem happy
it goes so well with KATIE... i thought they were the same songs to start with :)
I agree! I had to this for a poetry assignment last year. I had to anilize it and decide what it means. That is exsactly what i said! It is my fave song on the album! It it is such an amazing description don't you think! LUV IT!
I think this was an obvious one. The girl gives up on life because there is nothing but hatred, alcohol and pain. The irony is the music played upbeat a false hope. Maybe that she was happy to go, be alone in the quiet river. It's such a beautiful song.
someone once told me this song was about a very young girl like 11 or sumthiing commiting suicide - the lyrics like all u guys sed b4 are story of y she commited - i dunno tho , its just what i was told
Not 11, 10.
Not 11, 10.
this is definitely my favourite on the sound of white album. i love how, as LoveThyEnemy said the tempo is upbeat, while combined with these lyrics, which are so sad. its the sort of song you can just sink into, listen to over and over again. im not sure about the link with katie.