Rivers Are Not Always Cleansing

Adele’s most recent album was released last year and in addition to garnering great critical acclaim, the album received my own vehement praise. I will be honest, however, and admit that my commendation sometimes crossed the line into obsession. 25 is Adele’s third album, and the title reflects her age at the time it was published. Previous albums include 19 and 21, which set the precedent for this method of naming albums. Adele draws inspiration for her songs from personal life experiences and struggles. The song from 25 that I have chosen to analyze, "River Lea” demonstrates Adele’s conflict with the past, specifically, her struggle to accept her childhood home.

“River Lea” is a biographical song with a haunting and powerful tone. Adele uses an extended metaphor in “River Lea” to illustrate her attempt to cope with the lingering effects of her past and childhood. At the beginning of the song, Adele sings, “When I was a child I grew up by the River Lea. There was something in the water, now that something’s in me.” These sentences are an example of multidimensional language. Adele is referencing the literal River Lea in London, England, but the river is used as a symbol for the damage her childhood inflicted upon her. When Adele sings “there was something in the water,” she is alluding to the ever-present pollution in the river that she was exposed to on a daily basis as a child. When she continues the song by singing “now that something’s in me,” Adele parallels the toxicity of the River Lea to the lingering effects of her childhood. Adele uses this extended metaphor to imply that not only was the river of her childhood home polluted, but her youth also negatively affected her present-day outlook on life.

Furthermore, Adele personifies the River Lea to illustrate how her poisoned past has caused her relationships to fail and has forced her mind to be stuck in the past. Adele sings, “But it's in my roots, it's in my veins/It's in my blood and I stain every heart that I use to heal the pain.” This lyric represents the River Lea as a malicious force that causes Adele to make decisions that hurt herself as well as people she care about. The line literally describes how polluted water from Adele’s hometown has seeped into her blood, but figuratively, Adele is singing about her childhood. Specifically, how her past has permanently shaped her current actions and mindset in a way that is detrimental to her relationships. Adele further personifies the river by singing, “So I blame it on the River Lea.” This repeated line paints the river as the source of Adele’s problems. She blames her inability to rid herself of bad habits that damage relationships on her past. Her “roots” are embedded in the polluted soil of her past and this prevents her from moving on and creating positive relationships.

Finally, Adele sings, "No I can't go back, but the reeds are growing out of my fingertips / I can't go back to the river." Adele refers to plants of the River Lea, which poetically symbolize her growing frustrations and inability to cope with the past. This lyric represents how Adele is dangerously dependent upon her past, but that she cannot bring herself to face it. Overall, this song poetically demonstrates Adele's struggle to cope with her past and the powerlessness she feels as a result.