River
It's coming on Christmas
They're cutting down trees
They're putting up reindeer
And singing songs of joy and peace
Oh I wish I had a river
I could skate away on
But it don't snow here
It stays pretty green
I'm going to make a lot of money
Then I'm going to quit this crazy scene
I wish I had a river
I could skate away on
I wish I had a river so long
I would teach my feet to fly
Oh I wish I had a river
I could skate away on
I made my baby cry
He tried hard to help me
You know, he put me at ease
And he loved me so naughty
Made me weak in the knees
Oh I wish I had a river
I could skate away on
I'm so hard to handle
I'm selfish and I'm sad
Now I've gone and lost the best baby
That I ever had
Oh I wish I had a river
I could skate away on
I wish I had a river so long
I would teach my feet to fly
Oh I wish I had a river
I made my baby say goodbye
It's coming on Christmas
They're cutting down trees
They're putting up reindeer
And singing songs of joy and peace
I wish I had a river
I could skate away on
Commentary
One of my favourite Christmas songs and one that I’m always haunted by in this season (i’ve been wandering around humming it for three days now). There’s something so heartbreaking about the refrain that hearing it again and again you can feel yourself almost lifted on wings of sorrow and loneliness and longing. I think it’s an incredible example of how one simple yet beautiful line, repeated again and again can be more eloquent than all the passionate verse in the world (the only thing I can compare it to is Neruda: Tonight I can write the saddest lines). To really appreciate it you need to hear the song of course, because there’s Joni Mitchell’s incredible voice to accompany it, but I think even by themselves the lyrics are brilliant.
So here’s hoping that the new year brings us all the rivers we’ve been dreaming of.
Merry Christmas,
— Aseem