There's a house across the river, but alas I cannot swim
And a garden of such beauty that the flowers seem to grin
There's a house across the river, but alas I cannot swim
I'll live my life regretting that I never jumped in

There's a boy across the river with short black curly hair
He wants to be my lover and I want to be his peer
There's a boy across the river, but alas I cannot swim
And I never will get to put my arms around him

There's a life across the river that was meant for me
Instead I live my life in constant misery
There's a life across the river but I do not see
Why I should please those who will never be pleased

There is gold across the river, but I don't want none
There is gold across the river, but I don't want none
Gold is fleeting, gold is fickle, gold is fun
Gold is fleeting, gold is fickle, gold is fun

There is gold across the river, but I don't want none
I would rather be dry then held up by a golden gun
Saying work more, earn more, live more, have more fun
Saying work more, earn more, live more, have more fun
Saying work more, earn more, live more, have more fun


Lyrics submitted by bluest_light

Alas I Cannot Swim Lyrics as written by Laura Marling

Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.

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Alas, I Cannot Swim song meanings
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    General Comment

    Kozumou

    That's an amazing analysis of the song:) Making choices is really really hard and I think there'll always be doubt whether you've made the right one or not whatever...

    <TheLostDirector said that there's nothing wrong with being miserable, but I don't see how that can be true. >

    That's the only bit I don't quite agree to. I think a person may want to be miserable in life or at some period of it. Anyway suffering teaches us lessons. And it seems like society says that everyone IS OBLIGED to be happy, hence all these books of the type How to become happy, how to make your child happy and so on. Thus being happy becomes kind of obligatory and that you cannot think of yourself as normal if you do not want to be happy. I think that happy people are supposed to be more acceptable for the society and that's why such attitude prevails. But such attitude lacks to my mind some deeper idea - that every person ought to be himself, learn what lessons HE ought to learn in life and make HIS mistakes, that's basically what you say yourself. Hmm.. Dunno if I got that right but just needed to express my point.

    ForeverHere10on April 07, 2011   Link

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