The river sings

Liner notes

This song is one of the trilogy of songs which come from the book "Water shows the hidden heart" and is written in the Loxian language. It is a song in which people send their words out into the night. It is a song expressing their quest to discover if they are alone in the universe and wonder if they will ever find other life within the vastness of space.

Quotes about the song

Enya: "We thought one of the songs, 'The River Sings,' I was sure it was going to be in Gaelic when I'd written it. But then I'd sung it in Gaelic and I thought, 'This is not working with the melody.' And at this stage Roma was expanding the [Loxian] language. So, for each song she actually would expand more and more."

Loxian lyrics

Phonetic lyrics

Mmer-hymm a rhee-a ka-n 
Mmer-hymm a vl-a lu-ua 
E-a hymm llay hey 
A rhee o mmay 
hOr-oom-may o nay rhay
hOr-oom-may he eer-hee-mo
h'er-ra-Kan sy ay a rhee a mmay 

h'un-nin in la go dee rhee?
h'un-nin in la go chwk a too? 
h'un-nin in la go dee rhee? 
h'un-nin in la go chwk a too?

h'airr rin a kan a-he-ra, 
h'airr rin a kan o-rhay-na? 
E-a nno llow rro;
A rhee a mmay?

h'un-nin in la go dee rhee? 
h'un-nin in la go chwk a too? 
h'un-nin in la go dee rhee? 
h'un-nin in la go chwk a too?

Ta-na mmo-ree va rhay? 
Ta-na mmor rro nna oom a? 
(yl) Le-a tor-ee-ay 
A rhee a kan 
Kor-rhee-ay ko-da nay a 
Kor-rhee-ay a-ru hil-la 
Vee a kyi a hey 
A rhee a mmay.

Ah hey, 
Ah hey, 
Ah hey, 
Ah hey, 
Ah hey, 
Ah hey, 
Ah hey, 
Ah hey.

Yll yy-ka pirr o bay ru 
Yl-y-ka kal-la kwyay la 
O-na han-ee ay 
A rhee o mmay?

h'un-nin in la go dee rhee? 
h'un-nin in la go chwk a too? 
h'un-nin in la go dee rhee? 
h'un-nin in la go chwk a too?

Mmer-hymm a rhee-a kan 
Mmer-hymm a vl-a lu-ua 
E-a hymm lly hey 
A rhee o mmay 
hOr-oom-may o nay rhay 
hOr-oom-may he er-rhee-mo h'er-ra - 
Kan sy ay a rhee a mmay.

Ah hey, 
Ah hey, 
Ah hey, 
Ah hey, 
Ah hey, 
Ah hey, 
Ah hey, 
Ah hey.

Yll yy-ka pirr o bay ru 
Yl-y-ka kal-la kwyay la 
O-na han-ee ay 
A rhee o mmay?

h'un-nin in la go dee rhee? 
h'un-nin in la go chwk a too? 
h'un-nin in la go dee rhee? 
h'un-nin in la go chwk a too?

Mmer-hymm a rhee-a kan 
Mmer-hymm a vl-a lu-ua 
E-a hymm lly hey 
A rhee o mmay 
hOr-oom-may o nay rhay 
hOr-oom-may he er-rhee-mo h'er-ra - 
Kan sy ay a rhee a mmay.

Yll yy-ka pirr o bay ru 
Yl-y-ka kal-la kwyay la 
O-na han-ee ay 
A rhee o mmay?

Translation

Our words go beyond the moon.
Our words go into the shadows.
The river sings the endlessness.
We write of our journey through night.
We write in our aloneness.
We want to know the shape of eternity.

Who knows the way it is?
Who knows what time will not tell us?

Mountains, solitude and the moon
until the journey's end?
The river holds the lost road of the sky;
the shape of eternity?

Who knows the way it is?
Who knows what time will not tell us?

Where is the beginning?
Where is the end?
Why did we fall into days?
Why are we calling out into the endlessness?

Who knows the way it is?
Who knows what time will not tell us?

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