Probably not the best song from Nightwish, certainly not my favourite though I like this a lot, it’s possibly the most haunting. Ghost River is part of the underrated album Imaginaerum, composed for a generic vocalist during a transition period in the life of the band, and the whole album is “about the celebration of life and existence”. According to the composer’s own words, this song is the dark side of this celebration: a duel between the Devil and Mother Earth.
I love the dark side and I love all kinds of evil stuff, so we needed a few songs to describe those.
– T. Holopainen
The duel is reflected by the song lyrics being sung in a duet, originally recorded as a duet between Anette Olzon, the singer at the time, and Marco Hietala, the legendary bassist who recently took a break from the band. Annette’s vocal aren’t particularly powerful, at least in my opinion, and that’s why the featured video is a live version with the new singer, Floor Jansen.
The couple, whoever you prefer, are struggling to influence a third entity we don’t see, possibly a mere human being trying to navigate through the river of life: Mother Earth urges them to listen to her voice and cross safely, while the Devil is foreseeing their demise with a certainty that’s hard to fight.
It’s a long road down the river deep ‘n wild
Every twist and turn a wonder-dale
It’s a scary ride we’d give anything to take
Let yourself bleed
Leave a footprint on every island you see
Hey you, child of rape, the riverbed awaits
Snow white, pitch-black, your life such strife
Heavenward, deep down, I’ll show you such sights
Believe it, we live as we dream, scream
He will go down he will drown drown, deeper down
The river wild will take your only child
He will go down he will drown drown deeper down
The mills grind slow in a riverbed ghost town
He will go down he will drown drown, deeper down
The river wild will take your only child
He will go down he will drown drown deeper down
The mills grind slow in a riverbed ghost town
He will go down he will drown drown, deeper down
If you want me, then do come across
What is it you dream of, child of mine?
The magic ride, the mermaid cove?
Never met a kinder heart than yours
Let it bleed
Leave a footprint on every island you see
I am the painted faces, the toxic kiss
Sowing of doubt, troll beneath the bridge
Come across
Death by a thousand cuts
Believe it, we live as we dream / scream
He will go down he will drown drown, deeper down
The river wild will take your only child
He will go down he will drown drown deeper down
The mills grind slow in a riverbed ghost town
He will go down he will drown drown, deeper down
The river wild will take your only child
He will go down he will drown drown deeper down
The mills grind slow in a riverbed ghost town
He will go down he will drown drown, deeper down
If you want me, do come across
I am the desert-scape, the sand inside your hourglass
I am the fear and abuse, the leper children
Every eye sewn shut
We will go down we will drown drown, deeper down
The river wild will be our last ride
We will go down we will drown drown, deeper down
The mills grind slow in a riverbed ghost town
Beautifully shy as you are
Never lose your heart
And do come across
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