The river may symbolize his emotions/love for others and how he gives it away but he loses control in the process so he is not in touch with himself. His father beckons him to lay in the cornfields until they pass, which symbolizes frutility (be frutile until you die, do not be idly going down the stream of the river). He is showing him an example. I think this is not about suicide nor drug addiction, it does not explicitly state that nor is there an inference to it. It just speaks of a man who is idle and not in control of his life but he gives love and needs to fix something (don't let it come apart). It could be about anything. But I am so tired of hearing songs about drugs. So he needs to be fruitful (meaning no idle, contribute to society) and in the process also love others. But just not one without the other. Its like a man waking up in his 40s realizing he's lived his life for everyone else but himself. And I agree you can't really be in control of life, you can only surrender your plans to God.
The river may symbolize his emotions/love for others and how he gives it away but he loses control in the process so he is not in touch with himself. His father beckons him to lay in the cornfields until they pass, which symbolizes frutility (be frutile until you die, do not be idly going down the stream of the river). He is showing him an example. I think this is not about suicide nor drug addiction, it does not explicitly state that nor is there an inference to it. It just speaks of a man who is idle and not in control of his life but he gives love and needs to fix something (don't let it come apart). It could be about anything. But I am so tired of hearing songs about drugs. So he needs to be fruitful (meaning no idle, contribute to society) and in the process also love others. But just not one without the other. Its like a man waking up in his 40s realizing he's lived his life for everyone else but himself. And I agree you can't really be in control of life, you can only surrender your plans to God.