Hold back the river
Original by : James Bay
Cover by : Park Dojoon
Tried to keep you close to me
But life got in between
Tried to square not being there
But it's there that I should've 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 hide
Hold back the river, hold back
Once upon a different life
We rode our bikes into the sky
But now we're caught against the tide
Those distant days all flashing by
Hold back the river, let me look in your eyes
Hold back the river
So I can stop for a minute and be by your side
Hold back the river, hold back
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 hide
Hold back the river, hold back
Oh, oho, oho, oho, oho
Oho, oho, oho, oho
Lonely water, lonely water
Won't you let us wander?
Let us hold each other?
Lonely water, lonely water
Won't you let us wander?
Let us hold each other?
Hold back the river, let me look in your eyes
Hold back the river
So I can stop for a minute and be by your side
Hold back the river, hold back
Hold back the river, let me look in your eyes
Hold back the river
So I can stop for a minute and be by your side
Hold back the river
Hold
[Alternative line:] Hold back the river
[Acoustic version's line:] Hold back
Lonely water, lonely water
Won't you let us wander?
Let us hold each other?
Lonely water, lonely water
Won't you let us wander?
Let us hold each other?
In the song Hold Back The River, James Bay sings about a relationship that has been challenged by time and distance. The singer attempts to reconcile his absence by admitting his mistake in not being there and trying to hold onto a love that has slowly drifted away. He asks for the river to be held back and for his lover's eyes to be shown to him so that he can stop for a minute and see where she is hiding. He reminisces on a past where he and his lover rode their bikes into the sky, but now they are crawling against the tide.
The song’s lyrics also contain imagery of lonely water that won't let them wander. This imagery represents the obstacles that have kept the singer and his lover apart. However, instead of giving up, the singer asks for them to hold onto each other and fight against the current. The song implies that despite the distance and the challenges, the singer still holds onto hope that they will be able to hold each other once again.
Overall, Hold Back The River is a powerful song that touches on themes of love, distance, and the desire to hold onto something that is slowly slipping away.
