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Filthy River Lyrics by Joe Weil

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I live near a filthy river.
I have always lived near a filthy river,
and yet the nymphs climb the metal netting
of half-submerged shopping carts to sing to me!

What do they sing? Sometimes it's Palestrina,
and sometimes it's Marvin Gaye.
Often I tie myself to the mast of a ship,
so as to be seduced but not
led away
into death. Occasionally,
I listen and drown.

I drown in a filthy river.
I have always drowned in a filthy river
to rise like Osiris with the dawn,
to sink in the mud that I know
is the source of all song.

I would ask you to join me,
but you swat your arms
and complain about the mosquitoes.

Let them bite, draw blood.
You will remember a song
from your childhood
or the first good kiss, or the way
light played on your legs the first time
you knew they were pretty.
Don't be afraid. I have made this poem
for you to enter. Enter the river.
The mud between your toes
is your mother. The sun on your freckled back
knows your name.
Willow thy hair, and roots thy limbs.
Climb the netting of half-submerged shopping carts.
Sing Palestrina or Marvin Gaye. Sing in the river
only until the song remains.
Credits

About “Filthy River” by Joe Weil

Read the complete lyrics to "Filthy River" by Joe Weil. On Lyrks you can follow along with the full text, explore the artist's discography, and discover related songs. The track is often categorized under Non-Music, Literature.

"Filthy River" is performed by Joe Weil. This page provides the full lyric text for fans who want to sing along, study the songwriting, or compare versions across releases. Lyrks organizes lyrics by artist and song slug so you can bookmark and share a stable URL. Music lyrics help listeners connect with emotion, narrative, and rhythm in a track. Whether you are learning English, researching a favorite chorus, or preparing for karaoke, having accurate line breaks and section labels (verse, chorus, bridge) makes the experience easier. We link to the official artist profile on Lyrks where available, including biography snippets, top songs, and chart placements when we have that data. If you enjoy "Filthy River", explore more songs by Joe Weil using the links below. Chart and trending pages on Lyrks highlight what listeners are searching for this week. For copyright or correction requests, see our DMCA and contact pages.

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Frequently asked questions

"Filthy River" is credited to Joe Weil. Songwriting credits may include additional writers listed on the release; check the credits section on this page for linked collaborators.

Album information for "Filthy River" is not available in our database yet. You can still read the full lyrics on this page.

Visit the Joe Weil artist page at /artist/joe-weil for biography, popular tracks, and links to more lyric pages.


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