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John Cale – Riverbank (1981) | Track profile | Dork

Tracks
John Cale
Honi Soit
Riverbank

TRACK

Riverbank

Release date: 1981

From Honi Soit

Track 7

6:25

Spotify Apple Music More on John Cale

About This Track

"Riverbank" is a track by John Cale, from the album Honi Soit, released 1981. The track is 6:25 long. It's filed under Rock. Full lyrics are available below. Dork has published 1 article about John Cale.

About the Artist

John Cale

John Cale

Lyrics

Riverbank

All along the riverbank
Nobody seems to know
They heard nothing, saw even less
Of the hunger in their souls

Safety first or safety last
I wish I could have helped
Those poor unfortunate widows standing
Waiting for their sailor boys
Old Madame Nhu, yes, madame knew
Yes, madame knew

Down they came to look around, 'round that riverbank
For names or numbers or anything they could find
Written there on the wall
'Cause somebody seemed to know
But no one was prepared to tell
Anything they'd learnt to love about long ago
Anything at all they'd learnt to love long ago

With the cold people getting colder
Like babysitters in their graves
Satisfied as heretic vicars passing on

Send them running on ahead
Picking up the windy trash instead
Like foulmouthed people
Open-heart surgery creatures
Crawling back inside of you

All along the riverbank
Nobody will ever know
What fools and their monies
What sailors and their honeys
Got stung one evening there
'Cause the stones around their necks
Are the stones on the riverbank

Stones around their necks
Stones on the riverbank

Lyrics provided by LRCLIB

View full lyrics page →

Track details

From Honi Soit

6:251981

Listen

Album

Track number

7

Release year

1981

1Dead Or Alive
3:52
2Strange Times In Casablanca
4:15
3Fighter Pilot
3:11
4Wilson Joliet

More from John Cale

Albums & EPs

POPtical Illusion

POPtical Illusion

Mercy

Music for a New Society/M:FANS

Music for a New Society/M:FANS

Shifty Adventures in Nookie Wood

Shifty Adventures in Nookie Wood

Extra Playful: Transitions

Extra Playful

EP: Extra Playful

Live At Rockpalast (Live at Zeche Bochum 06.03.1983 & at Grugahalle Essen 13./14.10.1984)

Live At Rockpalast (Live at Zeche Bochum 06.03.1983 & at Grugahalle Essen 13./14.10.1984)

Circus Live

Black Acetate

Explore

More tracks by John Cale

Standing Next to You

The Adventures of SupaCane

God Made Me Do It (Don’t Ask Me Again)POPtical Illusion

There Will Be No RiverPOPtical Illusion

Edge of ReasonPOPtical Illusion

I'm AngryPOPtical Illusion

God Made Me Do It (Don't Ask Me Again)POPtical Illusion

Funkball the BrewsterPOPtical Illusion

Shark - SharkPOPtical Illusion

All to the GoodPOPtical Illusion

Davies and WalesPOPtical Illusion

How We See the LightPOPtical Illusion

Company CommanderPOPtical Illusion

Setting FiresPOPtical Illusion

Laughing in My SleepPOPtical Illusion

Calling You OutPOPtical Illusion

TIME STANDS STILL (feat. Sylvan Esso)Mercy

EVERLASTING DAYS (feat. Animal Collective)Mercy

I KNOW YOU'RE HAPPY (feat Tei Shi)Mercy

THE LEGAL STATUS OF ICE (feat. The Fat White Family)Mercy

MARILYN MONROE'S LEGS (Beauty Elsewhere) [feat. Actress]Mercy

STORY OF BLOOD (feat. Weyes Blood)Mercy

MERCY (feat. Laurel Halo)Mercy

MARILYN MONROE'S LEGS (Beauty Elsewhere)Mercy

NIGHT CRAWLINGMercy

NOISE OF YOUMercy

I KNOW YOU'RE HAPPYMercy

THE LEGAL STATUS OF ICEMercy

NOT THE END OF THE WORLDMercy

TIME STANDS STILLMercy

EVERLASTING DAYSMercy

OUT YOUR WINDOWMercy

MOONSTRUCK (Nico's Song)Mercy

Corner of My Sky

Sanctus (Sanities) [Music For a New Society]Music for a New Society/M:FANS

Damn Life (Music For a New Society)Music for a New Society/M:FANS

Changes Made (Music For a New Society)

Thoughtless Kind (Outtakes) [Music For a New Society]Music for a New Society/M:FANS

Broken Bird (Music For a New Society)Music for a New Society/M:FANS

Risé, Sam and Rimsky Korsakov (Music For a New Society)Music for a New Society/M:FANS

Close Watch (Music For a New Society)Music for a New Society/M:FANS

Thoughtless Kind (Music For a New Society)

Thoughtless Kind (M:FANS]

If You Were Still Around (M:FANS)

View all tracks by John Cale →

Broken Bird (Music For a New Society)Music for a New Society/M:FANS
4:46
Close Watch (Music For a New Society)Music for a New Society/M:FANS
3:07
Damn Life (Music For a New Society)Music for a New Society/M:FANS
5:14
MOONSTRUCK (Nico's Song)Mercy
5:31
NIGHT CRAWLINGMercy
4:54
NOISE OF YOUMercy
5:16
NOT THE END OF THE WORLDMercy
6:17
OUT YOUR WINDOWMercy
5:14
Risé, Sam and Rimsky Korsakov (Music For a New Society)Music for a New Society/M:FANS
2:23
Sanctus (Sanities) [Music For a New Society]Music for a New Society/M:FANS
6:07

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Charli XCX has collaborated with John Cale on new track 'House' for the 'Wuthering Heights' soundtrack - and there's an entire album coming

Charli XCX has collaborated with John Cale on new track 'House' for the 'Wuthering Heights' soundtrack - and there's an entire album coming

It's part of a whole album set for release in early December.

7 Nov 2025 • 11:18 am

4:24

5Streets Of Laredo

6Honi Soit (La Premiere Lecon De Francais)

7Riverbank

6:25

8Russian Roulette