Pissing in a river means whatever the hell you want it to mean... Patti Smith is more influenced by poetry than most artists. "Pissing in a river, watching it rise/ Tattoo fingers shy away from me." To me, it means something foul done and quickly washed/carried away. A similar line to this interpretation would be: "My bowels are empty, excreting your soul." Another way to read it could be it's just a more punk way of saying "cry me a river," in that so much proverbial piss has happened in the relationship that's its drowned them.
Pissing in a river means whatever the hell you want it to mean... Patti Smith is more influenced by poetry than most artists. "Pissing in a river, watching it rise/ Tattoo fingers shy away from me." To me, it means something foul done and quickly washed/carried away. A similar line to this interpretation would be: "My bowels are empty, excreting your soul." Another way to read it could be it's just a more punk way of saying "cry me a river," in that so much proverbial piss has happened in the relationship that's its drowned them.