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it was a purple purple sky and an orange orange moon
and everyone was whistleing the same damn tune
except Brian
Brian stared out across the field
and watched the horizon blossom to cop a feel
off of the edge of the world
the one they're all afraid to walk
rationale for why they're so high on the small talk
but Brian knows where the crows all go
to find the "ifs" and the "ands" and the "buts" and "alsos"
if i could run through the woods
and speed like the light
i'd find the answers to why
and be back by tonight
if i could fly through the fog
and look at this rock
i'd figure out how to keep hell off of my block
but as it stands i stay content
tryin to be the magic man and pay my rent
wishin that Brian would turn me on
to the secrets he sought
while we keep burnin the dawn
just to keep the day hot
if i could ask you one question, i'd ask where you went
you could teach me a lesson everytime i got bent
but the alcohol dont make me forget about it all
doesn't matter the season, the leaves can still fall
they slipped hidden messages within the cards that were dealt
i understand myself and all the sorrow i felt
for as simple as i am, how'd it get so complex?
got me studyin the margins and disregarding the text
i open the curtains and listen to the traffic go
but i still get nervous each time my piece passes go
the residue is thick, and the memory fails
i still laugh because the path feels a lot like a trail
if i could run through the woods
and speed like the light
i'd find the answers to why
and be back by tonight
if i could fly through the fog
and look at this rock
i'd figure out how to keep hell off of my block
but as it stands i stay content
tryin to be the magic man and pay my rent
wishin that Brian would turn me on
to the secrets he sought
while we keep burnin the dawn
just to keep the day hot
we used to be a couple of pimps walkin the hallways with pride
drunk or sober life was nothin short of rollercoaster rides
trip to the clubs nod the skulls to the rythm
all we wanted out of life was what was given
and when you passed i wanted to take back the time we wasted
i trade all the buzzes in for one more conversation
we could sit in the shade, discuss the meaning of sacred
cuz i cant see the garden no more just the aphids
but the wind still blows and the plants still grow
and i wish your name was on the guest list to my shows
i gotta believe that you can see me when i find my freedom
cuz you got to meet the Sun before you got to meet my son
and when i see lightning, feels like my buzz is hightening
everytime i feel the Sun, i can smell the love
and when i smell the air, i can hear a child trying
but everytime i hear a river i think a mother is crying
and when i see lightning, feels like my buzz is hightening
everytime i feel the Sun, i can smell the love
and when i smell the air, i can hear a child trying
but everytime i hear a river i think a mother is crying
everytime i think of you i know your laughing
(but everytime i hear a river i think a mother is crying)
when i think of you i can know your laughing
(but everytime i hear a river i think a mother is crying)
when i think of you i can know your laughing
but everytime i hear a river i think a mother is crying
(when i think of you i can know your laughing)
but everytime i hear a river i think a mother is crying
(when i think of you i can know your laughing)
but everytime i hear a river i think a mother is crying
but everytime i hear a river i think a mother is crying
and everyone was whistleing the same damn tune
except Brian
Brian stared out across the field
and watched the horizon blossom to cop a feel
off of the edge of the world
the one they're all afraid to walk
rationale for why they're so high on the small talk
but Brian knows where the crows all go
to find the "ifs" and the "ands" and the "buts" and "alsos"
if i could run through the woods
and speed like the light
i'd find the answers to why
and be back by tonight
if i could fly through the fog
and look at this rock
i'd figure out how to keep hell off of my block
but as it stands i stay content
tryin to be the magic man and pay my rent
wishin that Brian would turn me on
to the secrets he sought
while we keep burnin the dawn
just to keep the day hot
if i could ask you one question, i'd ask where you went
you could teach me a lesson everytime i got bent
but the alcohol dont make me forget about it all
doesn't matter the season, the leaves can still fall
they slipped hidden messages within the cards that were dealt
i understand myself and all the sorrow i felt
for as simple as i am, how'd it get so complex?
got me studyin the margins and disregarding the text
i open the curtains and listen to the traffic go
but i still get nervous each time my piece passes go
the residue is thick, and the memory fails
i still laugh because the path feels a lot like a trail
if i could run through the woods
and speed like the light
i'd find the answers to why
and be back by tonight
if i could fly through the fog
and look at this rock
i'd figure out how to keep hell off of my block
but as it stands i stay content
tryin to be the magic man and pay my rent
wishin that Brian would turn me on
to the secrets he sought
while we keep burnin the dawn
just to keep the day hot
we used to be a couple of pimps walkin the hallways with pride
drunk or sober life was nothin short of rollercoaster rides
trip to the clubs nod the skulls to the rythm
all we wanted out of life was what was given
and when you passed i wanted to take back the time we wasted
i trade all the buzzes in for one more conversation
we could sit in the shade, discuss the meaning of sacred
cuz i cant see the garden no more just the aphids
but the wind still blows and the plants still grow
and i wish your name was on the guest list to my shows
i gotta believe that you can see me when i find my freedom
cuz you got to meet the Sun before you got to meet my son
and when i see lightning, feels like my buzz is hightening
everytime i feel the Sun, i can smell the love
and when i smell the air, i can hear a child trying
but everytime i hear a river i think a mother is crying
and when i see lightning, feels like my buzz is hightening
everytime i feel the Sun, i can smell the love
and when i smell the air, i can hear a child trying
but everytime i hear a river i think a mother is crying
everytime i think of you i know your laughing
(but everytime i hear a river i think a mother is crying)
when i think of you i can know your laughing
(but everytime i hear a river i think a mother is crying)
when i think of you i can know your laughing
but everytime i hear a river i think a mother is crying
(when i think of you i can know your laughing)
but everytime i hear a river i think a mother is crying
(when i think of you i can know your laughing)
but everytime i hear a river i think a mother is crying
but everytime i hear a river i think a mother is crying
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I still look at this song metaphorically. The whole Sad Clown Bad Dub II record deals with two things: women and a striving for success. Slug says, before the verse, "This one gave her one of those funny feelings. Almost had to stop. Every time I hear a river I think the mother is crying". In fact, the song is almost like a self-parody of the manner in which he tells these sad stories (hence, "sad clown"). Look at the lyrics in Hell's Playground:
"And then the sea turned blue and the sky turned blue
and *when I sing the blues, all the lies come true*"
See? When he talks about depressive subjects, it creates the truth out of his "lies" (whatever they may be).
We see it again in The Wind:
"The Taming of the Shrew; the high hopes fell
The shaming of the true, made your own private Hell"
I begin to think that he's talking about the mother to his son, or his own mother. Taming of the Shrew is a Shakespearian reference.
Sometimes, I feel as though it's actually Brian himself who is speaking on the other songs in the record.
The River may also be a symbol for sex/women, if you take into account the song Lost and Found
"As good as it gets, it's as evil as they made it
But ain't nothing like bathing in a freezing river naked"
Hence, "every time I hear a river I think the mother is crying" could symbolise a guilt to disgracing his own mother, or the mother of his son (note, it's "the mother").
Now, where does the subject matter of this song fit in? I don't know. Other than the possibility of this song being in response to the protagonist in other songs on the album, I'm not sure. It may indeed be a literal story of a friend of Slug's whom he lost. These lyrics speak to me:
"Wishin' that Brian would turn me on
to the secrets he sought
while we keep burnin' the dawn
just to keep the day hot"
In other words: as they make the most of their childhood/teenhood in order to be happy in adulthood. It almost makes it seem as though Brian is a symbol of Slug's childhood.
"Don't Ever Fucking Question That" is clearly linked to this song (on SCBD II, when "Inside Outsider" finishes, an instrumental of "Don't Ever Fucking Question That" is played; on SCBD III, DEFQT is followed by The River). This song in particular is probably about Slug's own mother, and in it, he goes into detail about his own infidelity and then immediately afterwards speaks of how his father ("the player") met his mother ("the virgin") and hence compares himself to his father, and the guilt of how he has emulated his womanising behaviour, especially in the knowledge that it was the same type of behaviour which created him in the first place.
In conclusion, I'd say that the "mother" whom Slug is speaking of, is indeed his own mother, and how he feels he has disgraced her with his behaviour. Brian is probably a literal friend whom Slug lost, though could also be a symbol of the childhood innocence which Slug lost as well.
This is a very messy interpretation but the idea is to just stream ideas out here so yeah. Great song; great writer.
Slugs good friend, and the only one that i have found to equal his deep lyricism, eyedea died in 2008, and i could definetly see this song being about him, but the river was released on sad clown bad dub II in 2000 so thats not who its for either.
"every time I hear a river I think the mother is crying" This resinates with me because when I think about a mother crying at a funeral, just that cry of deep cry of sorrow, the sounmds of a flowing rivver is just amazing symbolism. But because of this line i hjave to assume it was a friend of slugs that died and that the friend's mother was at the funeral. This was obviously a truly amazing person with an enlightened sense of life that helped slug understand himself.
I have the track where he starts to choke up and at the end i think he does start to cry. its 53 or so second shorter than album version and even thow i think the bpm is a little faster on the live version it's obvious he still cut the song short meaning he couldn't finish the song.
God bless shawn, he's a brilliant man who has helped more people than he will ever realize.
Hard to track down whom this song is about specifically, really wish there was an interview or press tape around somewhere with someone asking him.
where can i watch a live video of this. send it to me in a message pleaseeeee
if you get ahold of it <3<3<3<3<3 thank you everyone
I woner if its possible to be so deeply caring and loving for a rapper that I have never met.....
To completely understand this song, you have to listen to the whole Sad Clown Bad Dub II record, because each song on it seems to be connected. This song makes loads of references to nature, as does the whole record. "Wind", "Ocean" and "River" pop up (either together or on their own or in twos) a lot throughout (and each of them have their own songs of course) every song on the album. I'm still working this whole thing out but make note of the beginning of the song:
"This one gave her one of those funny feelings,
almost had to stop,
every time I hear a river I think the mother is crying."
All I can say is that the whole record could be one big metaphor for women, or even for hip-hop and writing.
I've been looking at the break ("When I see lightning, feels like my buzz is heightening...) but I don't know what he's on about. It seems as though this song is metaphorical, but I can't see it. It seems as though this guy Brian was like his mentor who was far more knowledgeable than a lot of the people Slug knew and he used to enlighten Slug with his words. However, he passed away and now Slug is confused about life (as we can see from many of his songs) and seeks advice from his old friend Brian because he believes that Brian would be the only person who could tell him what he needs to do. And that's the reasoning behind the chorus; he would do anything to discover the secrets that Brian knew about because he thinks that they could help him achieve elusive happiness.
That's all I can say, but I'm pretty sure there must be a metaphor behind all of this. This song should have more comments, easily one of their best works.
On the one hand, I want to share this with others- but at the same time don't too often, because I'm not sure the average Atmosphere fan today could appreciate it quite as much. If that makes sense...