River of Dreams - billy joel (1 Viewer)

[Skitten]

I am studing the song River of Dreams by Billy joel as a related text for the imaginative journey.

I've posted the lyrics so if anyone can help me interpret any of it i would be extremely greatful!!!!!


In the middle of the night
I go walking in my sleep
From the mountains of faith
To the river so deep
I must be looking for something
Something sacred I lost
But the river is wide
And it’s too hard to cross

And even though I know the river is wide
I walk down every evening and stand on the shore
I try to cross to the opposite side
So I can finally find what I’ve been looking for

In the middle of the night
I go walking in my sleep
Through the valley of fear
To a river so deep
I’m a searcher for something
Taken out of my soul
Something I’d never lose
Something somebody stole

I don’t know why I go walking at night
But now I’m tired and I don’t wanna walk anymore
Hope it doesn’t take the rest of my life
Until I find what it is I’ve been looking for

In the middle of the night
I go walking in my sleep
Through the jungle of doubt
To the river so deep
I know I’m searching for something
Something so undefined
That it can only be seen
By the eyes of the blind
In the middle of the night

I’m not sure about a life after this
God knows I’ve never been a spiritual man
Baptized by the fire, I wade into the river
That is running to the promised land

In the middle of the night
I go walking in my sleep
Though the desert of truth
To the river so deep
We all end in the ocean
We all start in the streams
We’re all carried along
By the river of dreams
In the middle of the night

 

[Lions_Fist]

Wasn't River of Dreams a song by Hayley Westerna?

 

[gwemma88]

Ok i too used this text so here are my notes, very simply put.... (my stanzas are different to yours so just find them yourself. each of my stanza is four lines so just count)

*the man in the song is dreaming each night and in dreams we go on an imaginative journey.
*mountains, rivers, valleys, jungles and deserts are all things we would see on a journey.
*Alliteration in second stanza with something, something sacred.
*alliteration in line 12 with finally find for.
*Aliteration throughout the whole stanza 5 with repitition of 's' sound.
*the 'jungle of doubt' and 'desert of truth' are all obstacles that need to be overcome in the journey.
*irony with "it can only been seen by the eyes of the blind"
*biblical allusions in 9th stanza greaten the importance of the journey by comparisons to great things.
*words such as 'walk' 'walking' and 'searching' are all journey words.
* "i'm not sure about a life after this" alludes to heaven which is a place of human imagination.
*last liine links back to first line which reinforces the reminder that it is only a dream.


Hope that helps
.

 

[Skitten]

Thank you so much....you are great!!!

I couldn't survive without you!!!!

 

[gwemma88]

You are welcome, but saying you couldn't survive without me is a bit of an exaggeration as i don't know you and anyway you have lived thus far without me so keep it up. Don't stress too much also. Ciao!

 

[MingGe]

Nice poem..but zzzzzzzzzzz