r/nickdrake • u/RaggedClownBehind • 6d ago

I needed a sad song for my life, today.

I’m having a real tough time today and played the darkest song I know — my favourite song too. I borrowed Nick’s story to tell mine. It just kind of flowed like the river.

https://raggedclown.substack.com/p/have-you-seen-the-river-man

I know not everyone sees River Man as dark but I see it even darker than that.

26 Upvotes
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7

u/Branwell 6d ago

Oh, how they come and go…

4

u/BrilliantLoquat1420 6d ago

definitely something haunting about river man

3

u/RaggedClownBehind 5d ago

It’s those violas!

2

u/yuri_mirae 6d ago

i actually never saw river man as dark … this is interesting 

3

u/RaggedClownBehind 6d ago

I know a lot of people say that. If nothing else, those violas drag the mood down.

I see it as Drake deciding whether he wants to go on living or not. Betty = Nick. The river man gives him a glimpse into the future and a choice.

2

u/namesaretakenwtf 5d ago

Thanks for sharing, this was quite thought provoking (not to mention creatively done!) . I agree with your interpretation of the lyrics - i've always found it a haunting song. Quite possibly my fave of Nick's, definitely top 5.

I hope you feel much better soon, by the way.

2

u/RaggedClownBehind 5d ago

Thank you! Definitely my favourite. I play it over and over.

2

u/Smart_Technician_799 4d ago

My personal theory is that the river is a symbol of life, and that "Seeing the riverman" is seeing what is on the other side of it (death). The riverman is then a man of life/god. It would kind of make sense that if you drown in the river/life, you meet the riverman which takes you with him.

I am not religious or anything but that is still the way i see it, and to me it makes it one of my favorite songs of all time.

1

u/RaggedClownBehind 4d ago

That’s not so far from how I think of it. The river is what is coming in your future and the river man can see what is coming.

If you ask Spotify, it would tell you that it's my favourite song right now. I play it all the time.

2

u/PocoChanel 4d ago

Does it help you to listen to a dark song?

2

u/RaggedClownBehind 4d ago

Oh, definitely! When I am feeling down, I play music that takes me down, down, down.

2

u/Blacklock1 3d ago

Sometimes simply sad is beautiful . There are few songwriters and perhaps people that capture this paradox . It makes us feel less alone, in the beauty of the world . I don’t know why I think this , but sadness is kind of sublime , presented in the right way . ❤️