Song Details
- Album Release Date: 2012
- Genre: folk
Song Meaning of “Feather On The Clyde” by Passenger
The melancholic folk-pop song “Feather on the Clyde” by Passenger is a celebration of ordinary life. It dives into the deep and profound feelings of our shared human experience – the feeling of drifting with no definitive destination. It captures the thought of “never facing down our fear and never faking a smile” and argues that we’re all part of a “greater plan.” The song speaks to a larger theme of human insignificance, in which we are “feathers on the Clyde” – a small part of an unstoppable current.
The track is filled with imagery of Scotland’s rivers, as metaphors for peacefulness and contentment. Rivers are seen to symbolize the passage of time, as no matter how fast the river flows the water always returns to its source. Similarly, no matter how difficult the present is for us, we can remain connected to our past, and our future, by being rooted in the present.
The song encourages us to look at our humble lives with a sense of awe and gratitude. Like a feather on the Clyde, our lives lack much of their control, and yet somehow we make it through nevertheless. Even when times are tough, we can find solace and hope in the strength of our perseverance and resilience.
Ultimately, the message of Passenger’s “Feather on the Clyde” is that we are all part of something larger than ourselves, and that we should appreciate and sit with the beauty of our ordinariness. We should remember that despite our individual struggles, our efforts may be part of a greater mystery beyond our understanding. So, let us embrace the calmness of the evening river, and its reminder that there is still something to marvel at – even in the uncertain and fleeting nature of life.