The River Bees

Song Meaning

The lyrics paint a surreal, dreamlike landscape where the narrator revisits a place from their past, marked by striking, almost biblical imagery like a "river of bees" and "five orange trees." This initial scene feels both familiar and unsettling, especially with the introduction of a blindman singing of "what was older," suggesting a connection to ancient knowledge or a forgotten truth. The passage of time is starkly noted: "Soon it will be fifteen years," a marker that seems to amplify the weight of this remembered, or perhaps imagined, return. The central tension arises from the narrator's quest for meaning and direction, symbolized by their journey through "calendars" and asking "how shall I live." This internal struggle is juxtaposed with external scenes of "one man processions" carrying "empty bottles" as an "image of hope," a potent, ironic contrast that highlights a perceived emptiness or futility in societal pursuits. The repetition of "asking what shall I say" further underscores this existential questioning, a search for authentic expression in a world that offers hollow symbols. A striking element is the recurring motif of the blindman and his pronouncements, particularly the unsettling phrase "He will have fallen into his eyes" and later, "He will have fallen into his mouth." This imagery suggests a profound, perhaps irreversible, transformation or dissolution of self, a loss of perception or voice. The narrator’s own existential query, "Men think they are better than grass," introduces a critique of human hubris against the backdrop of natural cycles and mortality, hinting at a deeper, more elemental truth. Ultimately, the lyrics propose a radical redefinition of existence, moving beyond mere survival. The narrator declares, "But we were not born to survive / Only to live," a powerful assertion that challenges conventional notions of endurance and purpose. This final sentiment, echoing the blindman's voice "rising like a forkful of hay" – a grounded, earthy image – suggests that true living, rather than mere survival, is the ultimate aim, even amidst the "noise of death" and the unreality of it all.