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Down by the Water Lyrics
See this ancient riverbed
See where all our follies are led
Down by the water and down by the old main drag
I was just some towhead teen
Feeling 'round for fingers to get in between
Down by the water and down by the old main drag
The season rubs me wrong
The summer swells anon
So knock me down, tear me up
But I would bear it all broken just to fill my cup
Down by the water and down by the old main drag
Sweet descend this rabble round
The pretty little patter of a seaport town
Rolling down the water and rolling down the old main drag
All dolled up in gabardine
The lash-flashing Leda of pier nineteen
Queen of the water and queen of the old main drag
The season rubs me wrong
The summer swells anon
So knock me down, tear me up
But I would bear it all broken just to fill my cup
Down by the water and down by the old main drag
The season rubs me wrong
The summer swells anon
So knock me down, tear me up
But I would bear it all broken just to fill my cup
Down by the water and down by the old main drag
Down by the water and down by the old main drag
Down by the water and down by the old main drag
See where all our follies are led
Down by the water and down by the old main drag
Feeling 'round for fingers to get in between
Down by the water and down by the old main drag
The summer swells anon
So knock me down, tear me up
But I would bear it all broken just to fill my cup
Down by the water and down by the old main drag
The pretty little patter of a seaport town
Rolling down the water and rolling down the old main drag
The lash-flashing Leda of pier nineteen
Queen of the water and queen of the old main drag
The summer swells anon
So knock me down, tear me up
But I would bear it all broken just to fill my cup
Down by the water and down by the old main drag
The summer swells anon
So knock me down, tear me up
But I would bear it all broken just to fill my cup
Down by the water and down by the old main drag
Down by the water and down by the old main drag
Song Info
Submitted by
hugmecolin On Aug 04, 2009
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I haven't seen a comment here that I entirely agree with, so I thought I would just like to give my two cents.
I think this song is about fond memories and the melancholy that comes with the realization that things past must stay that way. It might also be about regret, it might not (Is the "Leda of Pier 19" the one that got away?). The narrator, visiting the town where he grew up, relives a summer during his adolescence to which he would give anything to return. ("I would bear it all broken just to fill my cup/Down by the water.") Some people might think the narrator is saying that summer "rubs [him] wrong," but he is actually talking about any other season beside summer. Anon=soon: "This season annoys me, but it's ok because summer's just around the corner, and summer brings back these amazing boyhood memories!"
The narrator reveals his love for the quaint seaside town, as well as a girl he may or may not have had a relationship with, after all, she was "Queen of the water, queen of the old main drag" and he was "just some towhead teen".
I definitely do not think this song is about rape or organized crime. I think Decemberists fans tend to jump to conclusions when it comes to song themes, because with songs on any other Decemberists album they probably would be right. "The King Is Dead" is, at least thematically, something drastically different for the band. On no song in this album with you find gratuitous violence or rape, which is not necessarily a good or bad thing. I love their old albums, but I also appreciate when a band can evolve successfully.
I think you are dead on except for the "lash-flashing Leda of Pier 19"
I think you are dead on except for the "lash-flashing Leda of Pier 19"
Are you sure it's "main drag"?? if so what exactly does that mean?
Also this verse seems wrong : "The last flashing lee to appear nineteen"
I'm sure it's : "The last flashing ___ to pier nineteen"
The "Main Drag"(at least in the argot with which I'm familiar) refers to the main commercial street in a small city or town, usually Main Street or High Street.
The "Main Drag"(at least in the argot with which I'm familiar) refers to the main commercial street in a small city or town, usually Main Street or High Street.
I'm with you on stanza 3 - I distinctly hear, "the last flashing leader of Pier Nineteen."
I'm with you on stanza 3 - I distinctly hear, "the last flashing leader of Pier Nineteen."
It's "the lash-flashing Leda of Pier 19"
It's "the lash-flashing Leda of Pier 19"
tinyvictories is 100% right. it's printed in their Time magazine interview.
tinyvictories is 100% right. it's printed in their Time magazine interview.
Yes, it's definitely "the lash-flashing Leda of pier nineteen". As in the greek myth about Leda and the Swan perhaps? What does everyone take this line to mean though?
Yes, it's definitely "the lash-flashing Leda of pier nineteen". As in the greek myth about Leda and the Swan perhaps? What does everyone take this line to mean though?
I've read lyrics elsewhere that identify the words as " The LASH flashing Leda of Pier 19' ... all dressed up in garbandine ( described as tweed / dress clothes), Leda being a mythical woman / mother of Zeus' children(who yes, presented to Zeus as a swan) ... My take on this is that he is a young man working in this water side town who is young (tow headed teen) who is looking for more innocent love(fingers to get in between / hold hands). He meets an older woman (mother / lash flashing / finely dressed)... Is...
I've read lyrics elsewhere that identify the words as " The LASH flashing Leda of Pier 19' ... all dressed up in garbandine ( described as tweed / dress clothes), Leda being a mythical woman / mother of Zeus' children(who yes, presented to Zeus as a swan) ... My take on this is that he is a young man working in this water side town who is young (tow headed teen) who is looking for more innocent love(fingers to get in between / hold hands). He meets an older woman (mother / lash flashing / finely dressed)... Is he beaten up for his 'affair' or love for her, or does he mean broken hearted? Either way, he would bear it all to have this experience (to fill his cup). (Thanks Tiny ! Seeing your note!)
After "all dolled up in garbadene," the line should read: "The lash-flashing Leda of pier nineteen."
"When you can't figure out what a song is about, it's probably about a prostitute."
I agree the setting is Portland, but I think it's a tale of a young man who comes there for work back in the 1800s when the city was the major port of the region. He doesn't like the weather and the melancholy mood the town gives him Summer's always just around the corner, right?), but he finds comfort in the brothels, "down by the water" on the main drag. Maybe there was even prostitution on the ships? A historian's perspective here would be most appreciated.
I had a feeling the "lash-flashing Leda" line was key to unlocking the meaning. Some folks thought he was singing "leader" but I listened to it and it just didn't sound right. Turns out Leda is a character from Greek mythology who became impregnated by two men in the same night. I wasn't sure about the lash-flashing part and then I realized it was short for eyelashes. However it could be that there is also some anthromophization regarding describing a ship as a woman. So maybe there's a double meaning as there is a definite nautical feel to the lyrics. It seems the character is "knocked-down and torn up" emotionally about his behavior and possibly his love for the woman but continues going down to the waterline in order to fulfill his needs. Probably were way more young men there in those days than women so it's not hard to imagine this scenario.
"See this ancient riverbed See where all our follies are led Down by the water and down by the old main drag
I was just some towhead teen Feeling 'round for fingers to get in between Down by the water and down by the old main drag"
Pretty simple to me. This is about getting drunk down by the river.
He's a teen so they have to sneak around. Trying to get "fingers" of booze however he can. Also could be about trying to pick up a girl to give him a handy. Or just trying to get a job to make some money, as the normal work just isn't available like it once was.
The rest of the song seems to be about his frustration with trying to "fill his cup" - again, trying to get a job, money, booze, but with the influx of tourists, this makes it more difficult for him. Things are broken, but he would bear it just to have the normal life of the town. Obviously there are things he used to do that he can't do during the summertime. Even the tourists are "rolling" down his usual spots.
[Edit: edit]
Just downloaded this and it is amazing. So glad to hear The Decemberists just get better and better. Cannot wait for the new album!
It's actually a current R.E.M. member - Peter Buck - on guitar, along with Gillian Welch on co-vocals.
I got this song free on iTunes and I've fallen in love with it! I think this song's about a teenage boy that was a troublemaker in high school. So he gets sent away to a summer camp. He meets a girl there while exploring the riverbed with the same issues as him and falls in love with her. He grows out of his ways and moves on, but he'd give it all up to be back with her. Later he hears that she has drowned in the river so he gets dressed up in his "gabardine"'s to go to her funeral. Idk, just my view. And "main drag" is slang for a town's main street.
I think that makes sense. "Feeling 'round for fingers to get in between" could be a reference to holding hands, maybe? "Rolling in the water and rolling down the old main drag" could be the body floating in the water and then the hearse traveling down the main street.
I think that makes sense. "Feeling 'round for fingers to get in between" could be a reference to holding hands, maybe? "Rolling in the water and rolling down the old main drag" could be the body floating in the water and then the hearse traveling down the main street.
He's talking about his hometown, Portland, OR. Portland is on the Columbia river and built on an ancient riverbed. His speaks of his experiences growing up. From a"towhead teen" struggling as a musician, through seasons of ups and downs. He's facing challenges throughout life, "I would bear it all broken just to fill my cup" in order to find success. He then starts to speak fondly of his city, he's growing accustomed to it, finding comfort in familiarity. The last part "All dolled up in gaberdine" speaks of his current fame in a bittersweet way. Done riding the rockstar fame of his youth and settling into a mature muscian role and exploring his music.
All dolled up in gabardine The last flashing lee to appear nineteen Queen of the water and queen of the old main drag
The season rubs me wrong The summer swells anon So knock me down, tear me up But I would bear it all broken just to fill my cup Down by the water and down by the old main drag
The season rubs me wrong The summer swells anon So knock me down, tear me up But I would bear it all broken just to fill my cup Down by the water and down by the old main drag
Down by the water and down by the old main drag Down by the water and down by the old main drag Send "Down by the Water" Ringtone to your Cell
colin meloy's hometown is actually missoula, mt
colin meloy's hometown is actually missoula, mt
Granted, the twangy guitar line reeks of REM "The one I love". But I say.....What's wrong with that????
This tune is the bulls balls !!!!!!