River Man



Headin down this river
Got no boat
I'm goin down

Drip drop done got bigger
A little splash
Until I drown

River man is callin
Here I come
I feel the pull

River man is laughin
Can't see the surface
I gotta go

He ain't gonna let me go
I can't say no, here I go

One more time, and then I'm done
I go to sleep, I can't wake up
Another sip, it's not enough
River man has got me stuck

One more round, it's never done
I go down, I can't get up
I'm goin under, the water's rough
The river man, he's in my blood

He's never done


Swimmin through my excuse
Can't see the shore
I've gone too far

Flowin through the refuse
Useless strokes
Current's too hard

River man is wadin
Offerin me
A helping hand

River man's a liar
Drag me farther
From the land

He's pulling me under the waves
I can't break free, I can't escape

One more time, and then I'm done
I go to sleep, I can't wake up
Another sip, never enough
River man's still got me stuck

One more round, it's never done
I fall down, I can't get up
I'm goin under, the water's rough
River man, he's in my blood

He's in my blood
He's never done
Never done

About this poem

This song/poem is about my struggle with alcoholism. I wrote it in rehab in 2015. Still one of my most meaningful pieces.

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Written on August 22, 2015

Submitted by Jpreed1981 on August 05, 2022

Modified on March 05, 2023

1:20 min read
0

Quick analysis:

Scheme axb axb bxx bxc cc DEfg DeFh D xxx xxx bxi aai xx DEfg DeFh hDd
Closest metre Iambic trimeter
Characters 1,106
Words 239
Stanzas 16
Stanza Lengths 3, 3, 3, 3, 2, 4, 4, 1, 3, 3, 3, 3, 2, 4, 4, 3

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    "River Man" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 25 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/133009/river-man>.

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