Don't Pay The Ferryman

Chris De Burgh

It was late at night on the open road
Speeding like a man on the run
A lifetime spent preparing for the journey
He is closer now and the search is on
Reading from a map in the mind
Yes, there's the ragged hill
And there's the boat on the river

And when the rain came down
He heard a wild dog howl
There were voices in the night (don't do it)
Voices out of sight (don't do it)
Too many men have failed before
Whatever you do

Don't pay the ferryman
Don't even fix a price
Don't pay the ferryman
Until he gets you to the other side

In the rolling mist, then he gets on board
Now there'll be no turning back
Beware that hooded old man at the rudder
And then the lightning flashed, and the thunder roared
And people calling out his name (name, name, name)
And dancing bones that jabbered and a-moaned on the water

And then the ferryman said
There is trouble ahead
So you must pay me now (don't do it)
You must pay me now (don't do it)
And still that voice came from beyond
Whatever you do

Don't pay the ferryman
Don't even fix a price
Don't pay the ferryman
Until he gets you to the other side

(We were dead asleep)
(And all clapped under hatches)
(Where, with strange and several noises)
(Of roaring, shrieking, howling, jingling chains)
(And more diversity of sounds, all horrible)
(We were awaked, straight away at liberty)
(Where we, in all her trim, freshly beheld)
(Our royal, good, and gallant ship)

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

Don't pay the ferryman
Don't even fix a price
Don't pay the ferryman
Until he gets you to the other side

Don't pay the ferryman
Don't even fix a price
Don't pay the ferryman
Until he gets you to the other side

Don't pay the ferryman
Don't even fix a price
Don't pay the ferryman
Until he gets you to the other side

Don't pay the ferryman


Lyrics submitted by Bobo192

Don't Pay The Ferryman Lyrics as written by Chris De Burgh

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management

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Don't Pay The Ferryman song meanings
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14 Comments

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  • +2
    General Comment"-why- a soul shouldn't pay right away"

    Because, if the soul paid the Ferryman before getting to the other side of the river, he would swap places with him, and would have to ferry souls for eternity, or until he tricked someone else into paying him before reaching the other side. Which isn't really what you'd want to do, so basically, pay him after you've reached the other side.
    According to mythology anyway.
    SweetTon June 02, 2007   Link
  • +1
    General CommentI think you can also take this in a more broad matter: don't pay for anything before you've fully explored it. Watch out not to be fooled and make sure you get what you want.
    The paying may be with money, with emotion, with .... whatever. Just make sure it isn't a one way street and you get something in return.
    tugiton January 26, 2007   Link
  • +1
    General Comment** Hence the

    "Until he gets you to the other side"
    SweetTon June 02, 2007   Link
  • +1
    General CommentI've thought this song meant many different things throughout my journey - these days, I think it's about not making any promises to God - or whoever is controlling your subjective experience of reality - until the end of your life.
    SMUSER26982on April 07, 2012   Link
  • +1
    My InterpretationFor me it always sounded like a general old-timey advise. Back in the days, ferryman, especially in mire secluded regions were said to extort a lot of money from unsuspecting customers. Their trick: stopping halfway and demanding a second pay for completing the journey, possibly stranding their customers on an island half-way.

    In the song Chris de Burgh even warns against fixing a price (he could raise at hakfway-point). And his ferryman actually does demand the pay early, citing potential "trouble" ahead.

    I never got a dead soul-vibe though...
    StampingJackon February 08, 2018   Link
  • +1
    My InterpretationStick to the course...don't veer off in a direction that you'll pay for later. Continue to the other side, with integrity intact because if you give over what's dear to you ,like your soul - what I think he's referring to as "payment", you'll be sorry. All because you were tricked into doing that thing which was out of panic at the "trouble ahead"(life being hard) you may do things or sell your soul, and regret it later.
    portia1031on May 08, 2018   Link
  • 0
    General CommentThis is about an unfortuanate trip to Wallasey, in which Chris was short of change, and pretended that he was dead.
    amy darlingon November 13, 2004   Link
  • 0
    General Commentthis is such a kickass song.
    turjake2on October 20, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General CommentWell, the ferryman is an allusion to the old greek Mythology: The river styx was what divided the land of the living from the land of the dead - and only the ferryman Charon was there to bring souls from one side to the other. Also, it was common to give the dead a small coin to pay him.
    Beyond that, I can't even guess what Chris was trying to express here... or -why- a soul shouldn't pay right away.
    crystaleeron December 12, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General CommentCBD's music is often littered with religious references and this seems to be another, although more ancient Greek than Christian this time. The ferryman being the man to take you across the river Styx and to Hades.

    A journey he has been preparing all his life - i.e. Life prepares us for death. It's pretty clear if you read it literally.

    As an aside, if you like this, I urge you to check out the album with this on, The Getaway, it sits in my collection alongside Linkin Park, RATM, LZ, Kate Bush, White Lies, and is one of the nicest albums of it's time. Just a shame CDB is know by most folks for Lady in Red which isnt really representative of his style.
    MMFB2001on November 12, 2019   Link

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