What does Hold Back the River mean?

James Bay: Hold Back the River Meaning

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Album cover for Hold Back the River album cover

Song Released: 2014


Hold Back the River Lyrics

Tried to keep you close to me
But life got in between
Tried to square not being there
But think that I should have been
Hold back the river, let me look in your eyes
Hold back the river, so I
Can stop for a minute and see where you...

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  1. eurobear
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     May 13th 2018 !⃝

    I don't want my Eurovision friends to cry. It means don't cry, please don't cry.

  2. anonymous
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     Apr 30th 2017 !⃝

    Hold Back The River lyrics said it all.

    For the comment below, I read this interpretation at Song Meanings.

    Please give the credit to the one who made this comment.


    Anyone

  3. Precious_Gem2016
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     Apr 30th 2017 !⃝

    Someone said that this song is all about the disintegration of a relationship caused by the fierce speed of time.
    'Hold back the river' is nuanced with similarities to the metaphor of the 'tides of time.'
    'But now we're caught against the tide' is probably the strongest lyric to support this view; that the protagonists cannot resist the degenerative force of time.
    'Lonely water' is testament to the inevitable nature of time - that it causes loneliness eventually.
    'Let us hold each other' mirrors the 'hold back the river' ideal which seems to plead with time to pause in order to appreciate a perfect moment unhindered by the degradation of time.


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