Released: 2014
“Hold Back The River” is an aching pop lamentation by James Bay about the twinges of nostalgia, the sting of separation, and the longing to re-live past moments of innocence and connection. This track encapsulates the painful awareness of how life’s turbulence can erode personal relationships.
The song commences with an admission of guilt, “Tried to keep you close to me/But life got in between.” Here, Bay’s expressing regret for allowing life’s daily hustle to distance him from a loved one. The phrase “Tried to square not being there” refers to his futile attempts to rationalize his absence, but he ultimately concedes that his place should have been with this person.
The chorus, “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,” is a desperate plea to pause the relentless passage of time (symbolized by the river). He yearns to halt the current of life for just a moment, to truly see this person, to unearth their hidden depths, and re-establish lost intimacy.
In the verse “Once upon a different life/We rode our bikes into the sky”, he’s harking back to an idyllic past, likely childhood, filled with freedom and unadulterated joy. These memories sharply contrast with their present predicament, “But now we’re caught against the tide,” wherein they struggle against the overwhelming current of adult responsibilities.
The recurrent cry of “Lonely water, lonely water, won’t you let us wander?/Let us hold each other” evokes a feeling of solitude and yearning for companionship. Bay employs the metaphor of water as life’s journey – sometimes isolating, but incessantly flowing. He longs for a placid stretch in these waters where they can simply exist in each other’s company without any hindrances.
“Hold Back The River” is thus a compelling encapsulation of the nostalgia and melancholy that afflict those estranged by life’s inevitable evolvement. It’s a stark reminder of our intrinsic need for connection amidst the ceaseless flux of existence.
