This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
When when you were blind, you'd touch things for their shape
Have faith in wordless knowledge, have faith in wordless knowledge
Well I can tell you about the river or we could just get in
The body the rain made of our days before we knew
We are swimming in the rivers of the rains of our days before we knew
And it's hard to explain what I was doing all thinking before you
I guess I was a decent man holdin' on, following the river from above like a bird
Have faith in wordless knowledge and the fallen stars, they flew too
And I knew they were sewing something, something well made for me and you
We are swimming in the rivers of the rains of our days before we knew
And it's hard to explain what I was doing all thinking before you
The city was a fist, I lived on its wrist and I took myself a good long look around
And the river grew higher and wider, deeper and darker as I was closing in
And it led me to you which led me to say "let's get in"
We got in the river and it groped us, made us think of sex between us
At a time in our lives, oh, before we knew
We were swimming in the rivers of the rains of our days before we knew
And it's hard to explain what I was doing all thinking before you
And that beautiful thing you said lying in bed
About all the things I could think of at the end of the day
But of all the places my mind could go
It always comes loping back to you
We are swimming in the river of the rains of our days before we knew
So meet me in the ocean and we'll ride the waves from the rivers to the ocean
Each wave a lounging panther, sharp-eyed and true
We are swimming in the rivers of the rains of our days before we knew
And it's hard to explain what I was doing all thinking before you
Have faith in wordless knowledge, have faith in wordless knowledge
Have faith in wordless knowledge, have faith in wordless knowledge
Well I can tell you about the river or we could just get in
The body the rain made of our days before we knew
We are swimming in the rivers of the rains of our days before we knew
And it's hard to explain what I was doing all thinking before you
I guess I was a decent man holdin' on, following the river from above like a bird
Have faith in wordless knowledge and the fallen stars, they flew too
And I knew they were sewing something, something well made for me and you
We are swimming in the rivers of the rains of our days before we knew
And it's hard to explain what I was doing all thinking before you
The city was a fist, I lived on its wrist and I took myself a good long look around
And the river grew higher and wider, deeper and darker as I was closing in
And it led me to you which led me to say "let's get in"
We got in the river and it groped us, made us think of sex between us
At a time in our lives, oh, before we knew
We were swimming in the rivers of the rains of our days before we knew
And it's hard to explain what I was doing all thinking before you
And that beautiful thing you said lying in bed
About all the things I could think of at the end of the day
But of all the places my mind could go
It always comes loping back to you
We are swimming in the river of the rains of our days before we knew
So meet me in the ocean and we'll ride the waves from the rivers to the ocean
Each wave a lounging panther, sharp-eyed and true
We are swimming in the rivers of the rains of our days before we knew
And it's hard to explain what I was doing all thinking before you
Have faith in wordless knowledge, have faith in wordless knowledge
Lyrics submitted by joaniebats, edited by smallwonderrobot, Mechanical Bird
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When We Were Young
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“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it.
“I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.
I cannot believe no one has commented on this. This song, like almost all of Bill C's works, resonates. His songwriting genius shines through on this one.
"I could tell you about the river, or we could just get in."
Brilliant.
this is the most beautiful song I have ever heard, the greatest love song and love song to life itself. I don't know if it was intended that way but to me it is and I wish more people could hear what I hear.
I'd say it's about desire (rain), sex and being in a relationship (the river), and love, commitment and sharing life (the ocean) - and about how you realize (or, more precisely, how you feel when you realize) the path that brought you there.
I cannot believe no one has commented on this. This song, like almost all of Bill C's works, resonates. His songwriting genius shines through on this one.
"I could tell you about the river, or we could just get in."
Brilliant.
And it led me to you which led me to say "let's get in"
We got in the river and it groped us...