“Watch the River Flow” is a popular song by Bob Dylan, released on his 1971 album New Morning. The lyrics are a poetic and evocative reflection on the passage of time and the beauty of nature. The song features a simple yet effective melody and instrumentation, with Dylan’s signature harmonica playing a prominent role.
The lyrics of “Watch the River Flow” are full of imagery and symbolism, with Dylan using the river as a metaphor for the relentless flow of time. The song’s opening lines, “I watched the river flow into the sea/And I watched the seagulls fly,” establish the theme of nature’s cyclical nature and the inevitability of change. Dylan goes on to describe the river’s journey, noting how it “carries the boats with the fishermen” and “washes away the sins of the world.” These lyrics suggest that the river is a force for both creation and destruction, and that it is ultimately indifferent to the human experience.