You and me, why are we living in retrograde
Loving me, losing me, driving without a break
Going full speed ahead never without a fight
Running red lights
Running red lights
Oh, Oh, no turning …
[Chorus]
Trust issues got me being cautious
Not friendly – niggas rolling swishers
Do I wanna hit it – not really
Blood in the streets for any one of my niggas
I’m ridin solo – …
[Hook:]
I’m kissing styrofoam
You know what I be on
Thats what I be on
She know what I be on
Who know what I be on
Thats what I be on
Baby move along
I keep moving …
He’s still driving that 1970 hand-me-down truck
And he’s still wearing that red and black jersey
Waiting for the band to start up
He’s still showing up twenty late, finding hearts and rules …
You know I’m gonna hit it on the radio
You know I’m gonna put it on my video
I know you gon’ be turning up the volume
I know you wanna split me …
Tried to keep you close to me,
But life got in between1
Tried to square not being there
But think that I should have been2 let me look in your eyes
Hold back the river, so I
Can stop for a minute and see where you hide3
Hold back the river, hold back
Once upon a different life4
We rode our bikes into the sky5
But now we call against the tide6
Those distant days are flashing by7
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
Hold oho, oho, oho, oho
Oho, oho, oho, oho
Lonely water, lonely water,8 won’t you let us wander
Let us hold each other9
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, hold
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 other10
James Bay describes a situation in which he tried to share a relationship with someone, but circumstances beyond their control did not permit that relationship to be healthy.
James Bay does claim that he deserves part of the blame for the decline of the relationship’s health.
Hold back the river,[ref]“The river” in this song refers to a steady flow of tears.
James Bay wants to gaze deeply into the eyes of his loved one to try to understand who she truly is.
This line means “in the distant past.”
“We rode our bikes into the sky” means that James Bay once lived in very optimistic times where life was shared together with his loved ones.
We call against the tide” means that the couple must work together to overcome serious hardships.
“Those distant days are flashing by” is another way of saying “gone are the days when life was easy.
“Lonely water” means “tears.”
James Bay imagines better circumstances in which he and his loved one can share their joys and trials together.
This song is about life’s hardships and how they affect human relationships.
2 user explanations and meanings
Stephen Royle
I think this may be about a childhood love. Wich i can state from personl experience is no less powereful than a later one.
ebbster
it’s not about couples, or childhood love or anything specific. James Bay has explained about the song:
“Bay tells Radio.com that “Hold Back The River” was born purely out of emotion, and a longing to be with friends and family after a grueling tour got in the way.
With his early success, Bay found himself busier than he’d ever been. Touring the world had created not just a physical distance but an emotional one from everyone important his life.
“I started to panic about losing touch with those people,” he admits. “That started to worry me.””