Hold Back The River

wooo- i thought this board would be fill of comments-- anyway it appears he is singing to somebody that was once very close to him [could be a lover or a childhood friend ''dear friend....we rode our bikes into the sky'].

Anyway he has tried to keep their relationship strong but because of life's general circumstances which can distance even the closest relationships their relationship is no longer close and they have grown apart. Now he is asking this person to reconcile with him and to destroy this barrier that has formed between them 'hold back the river'. I read the river as a metaphor for the barrier that keeps them seperate and they way he says 'hold back the river, let me look in your eyes' connects the river to tears so he is sad that this relationship has deteriorated.

My idea is that "Hold back the river" means to stop crying so he can look in your eyes. I might be wrong but that's how I interpreted the song. :)

I believe 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.

In many ways a sad song, pleading for the impossible to make perfect an imperfect world.

This is bugging me for some reason and I would love other opinions! In the 2nd verse the lyric as written on this site and numerous others is "we call against the tide" - which makes NO sense to me. I've seen one site with "we're caught against the tide" - which does make sense and another site with "we crawl against the tide" - which is what I think is the correct lyric. Other opinions? BTW, I'm new here and appreciate any help/comments!!! Thanks!

For me this perfectly typifies where I am in my Life journey and can't imagine truly moving beyond it really despite how I may appear to people who don't truly know me.

Dementia is the cleverest of thieves and it continually/daily steals more and more of my mother and I wish I could stop time (the River) and or at least slow it down, as I'm nowhere near ready to say goodbye or accept this deterioration of the greatest influence in my life and my best friend leaving me behind to a place I cannot go.

I cannot believe James' songs don't have more comments. As someone who is about to graduate high school and essentially start over with many lifelong friends going in completely different directions, this song connects with me. I think it's basically about holding back the river so we can truly value friendships and reminiscing on his childhood friendships. I dunno, but it connects with me that way.

I took the analogy of the river as the passage of time. And as he's recalling instances of time past they can't get back, and relenting on wasted time that he wanted back, I would say hold back the river means stop time. I take this song as a prayer or a plea to the universe, to just give him a few more minutes and given the rest of this song I Believe it's because he's at the deathbed of that person that he loves as they are passing and all he really wants is just a couple more minutes.

When hearing the songs and lyrics (see right) to “Hold Back the Rivers” by James Bay there is deep meaning within the words of this song. Our life is made up of life encounters where we can develop friendships and relationships, but lives branch out away from what we originally had in early years. We grow apart. We want to hang out and have expectations for that. However, we must acknowledge that we will be lonely without to bring us memories and long-lasting dealings with each other. We must gain that inner happiness that we can use when we are lonely. His chorus "...Lonely water, lonely water won't you let us wander Let us hold each other Can stop for a minute and be by your side Let us hold each other..." (Bay, 2019) We can ask others like ex’s, friends, lovers, our relationships to "be by your side" "let us hold each other" can we have that!! I do not think we can have this all the time and we will be lonely from time to time or categorized with the words in the song “...lonely water…” This means more to me than just lonely -- this is massive loneliness as water to me encompasses being surrounded everywhere in our lives with loneliness. Then keep in mind that his chorus "...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…” (Bay, 2019) Hold back the river, hold back" (Bay, 2019) does not mean literally except hold back the river. To me, the meaning is that we get depressed about our lives and we begin to cry because we have no one as we are used to growing with those childhood relationships. I am guilty of this so the words" hold back that river (of cries...") and the words "be by your side" "let us hold each other" contrary to what I said above may be asking for a memory. As easily recognizable in the words "Once upon a different life We rode our bikes into the sky. But now we crawl against the tide Those distant days are flashing by". To me this is more than just a memory - this is what we wanted to be, what we dream of being, our childhood, our life. We thought and discussed this with friends as we rode our bikes in the sky--this is not literal--this is what we wanted in our lives like the house with the white picket fence, an extraordinary life and our dreams. "...and now we crawl against the tide..." (Bay, 2019) We are out in the open waters in our lives and want to come back home but make it to the tide and keep going back and forth. For me, I cry as I never had that house with a white picket fence, I had a productive career with 3 jobs but then lost all of that and now I am older person who is in the same age bracket as many who have died recently in their 50's. What happen if I do not reconnect with my friends from over the years and leave this whole life with nothing to show for in my life. My successful years of 12 years at a dream jobs is LOST, my past success of having love for my family is useless. I cannot show love to my dead parents or my sister who has chosen to never to speak to me again. Every time I hear this song those feelings, memories come back to me. My childhood friends played kick ball in my back yard, slid down the back of houses on Elizabeth street when in this period of time, all my parents rang the bell when dinner was ready - we actually ate together (what happen to this in later generations) went camping with my parents and I invited my friends on the camping trips, walked to my Elm Grove Elementary, I remember my first grade teacher - Mrs. Fisher. I remember raising pugs and we had 13 at one time while have a couple litter of puppies. I remember placing the puppies in my TONKA TRUCK and pushing down that big hill on Elizabeth drive. The puppies flew on that NEW TONKA TRUCK PLAN in my back porch with picnic benches as the platform and runway to everywhere and beyond. After those 11 years and moving to FL then to VA all this was lost in my life!!! So "we rode my bikes into the sky" (Bay, 2019) is memories to me and the words add to the memories we had as children as this give you a feeling that those dreams and expectations for our life was monumental and I wanted future dreams to come true more than anything in the world while enjoying a carefree life with no responsibility that I would never ever experience again!! References Bay, L. A. (2019). James Bay Lyrics Hold Back the River. Retrieved from A-Z Lyrics: azlyrics.com/lyrics/jamesbay/holdbacktheriver.html

. 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… 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? (Bay, 2019)

References Bay, L. A. (2019). James Bay Lyrics Hold Back the River. Retrieved from A-Z Lyrics: azlyrics.com/lyrics/jamesbay/holdbacktheriver.html