Many Rivers To Cross Lyrics
But I can't seem to find my way over
Wandering I am lost as I travel along
The white cliffs of Dover
Many rivers to cross and it's only my will
That keeps me alive
I've been licked, washed up for years and,
I merely survive because of my pride.
It's such a drag to be on your own
My woman left and she didn't say why
Well I guess, I gotta try.
Many rivers to cross but where to begin,
I'm playing for time
There'll be times when I find myself thinking
Of committing some dreadful crime.
But I can't seem to find my way over
Wandering I am lost as I travel along
The white cliffs of Dover
Many rivers to cross and it's only my will
That keeps me alive
I've been licked, washed up for years and,
I merely survive because of my pride.
This is a very soulful and upsetting song, not merely by the nature the cutting lyrics but the musical backdrop that so effectively laments.
It's as powerful and emotional dirge, as I've ever heard.
Jimmy Cliff, himself, meanwhile, is very much a forgotten hero. One day, I think and hope he'll be discovered by the mainstream as the great musican and man he undoubtedly is.
There truly are - many rivers to cross - in life.
Very true, amazing underrated singer. This is a beautiful song.
this loneliness won't leave me alone; very beautiful, as is the song !
The third verse is interpolated in Matthew E. White's "Will You Love Me"
I love the song.
But on detail: in the last line of the bridge, is the last word "cry" or "try"? You can find both versions, both when it comes to lyrics on the net and actual recordings.
It's a bit hard to hear in Cliff's original recording from the 60's, but I've found som fairly new live versions where he sure seems to sing "cry", e.g. here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgYLq4YLksA
That is also how Joe Cocker sings it (he goes further, singing something like "guess I have to break down and cry").
Both work, of course. "Try" works well with the strife, and pushing on, described in the song overall, while "cry" works as an admission that the singer can't keep it together all the time, and sometimes breaks down.
[Edit: Typo]
This is from songfacts.com: Jimmy Cliff wrote this in 1969. After years of poorly paid tours of Europe, he remembered crossing the English Channel to Dover in a despondent mood, wondering what more he had to do to gain acceptance. When Jamaican filmmaker Percy Henzell heard this song, he offered Cliff the lead in his film The Harder They Come. Cliff's acting and soundtrack to the film made him one of the first international Reggae superstars.
If you have never seen "The Harder They Come" it is an excellent movie, and groundbreaking for Jamaica's previously unheard of movie industry. Highly recommended.
If you have never seen "The Harder They Come" it is an excellent movie, and groundbreaking for Jamaica's previously unheard of movie industry. Highly recommended.
(Y)
I love the song.
But on detail: in the last line of the bridge, is the last word "cry" or "try"?
You can find both versions, both when it comes to lyrics on the net and actual recordings.
It's a bit hard to hear in Cliff's original recording from the 60's, but I'v found som fairly new live versions where he sure seems to sing "cry", e.g. here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgYLq4YLksA
That is also how Joe Cocker sings it (he goes further, singing something like "guess I have to break down and cry").
Both work, of course. "Try" works well with the strife, and pushing on, described in the song overall, while "cry" works as an admission that the singer can't keep it together all the time, and sometimes breaks down.