Eli, the Barrow Boy
The Decemberists * Track #3 On Picaresque
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Album Picaresque
- #1The Infanta
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- #2We Both Go Down Together
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- #3Eli, the Barrow Boy
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- #4The Sporting Life
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- #5The Bagman’s Gambit
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- #6From My Own True Love (Lost at Sea)
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- #716 Military Wives
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- #8The Engine Driver
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- #9On the Bus Mall
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- #10The Mariner’s Revenge Song
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- #11Of Angels and Angles
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Eli, the Barrow Boy by The Decemberists
Release Date
Performed by
The DecemberistsWrited by
Colin MeloyAbout
This song is a ghost story about Eli the Barrow Boy, who probably committed suicide by drowning himself after he lost his beloved – likely to some disease. The narrator in the verses states that “still when the moon is out (…) he calls down the day”. The song’s choruses are narrated by the ghost of...
Eli, the Barrow Boy Lyrics
[Verse 1]
Eli, the barrow boy, of the old town
Sells coal and marigolds and he cries out all down the day
Below the tamaracks he is crying
Corn cobs and candlewax for the buying, all down the day
[Chorus]
Would I could afford to buy my love a fine robe
Made of gold and silk Arabian thread
She is dead and gone and lying in a pine grove
And I must push my barrow all the day
And I must push my barrow all the day
[Verse 2]
Eli, the barrow boy, when they found him
Dressed all in corduroy, he had drowned in the river down the way
They laid his body down in a churchyard
But still when the moon is out, with his pushcart, he calls down the day
[Chorus]
Would I could afford to buy my love a fine gown
Made of gold and silk Arabian thread
But I am dead and gone and lying in a church ground
But still I push my barrow all the day
Still I push my barrow all the day
Eli, the Barrow Boy Q&A
Who wrote Eli, the Barrow Boy's ?
Eli, the Barrow Boy was written by Colin Meloy.
Who produced Eli, the Barrow Boy's ?
Eli, the Barrow Boy was produced by The Decemberists & Chris Walla.
When did The Decemberists release Eli, the Barrow Boy?
The Decemberists released Eli, the Barrow Boy on Tue Mar 22 2005.