How is Row, Row, Row Your Boat a philosophy of life?

“Row, Row, Row Your Boat,

Gently Down The Stream

Merrily, Merrily, Merrily, Merrily,

Life Is But A Dream”

Remember this don’t you? Of course, you do. Who would want to forget one of the most memorable and cherished rhymes of their childhood? First recorded to be used in 1881 by the American teacher Eliphalet Oram Lyte published in The Franklin Square Song Collection, this simplistic children’s song has stood the test of time and the changing tastes and fashions of the good ol’ children’s music. It is safe to say that it has continued to remain as one of the most loved nursery rhymes to date. True, it isn’t much for a minimalistic four-line verse meant to be sung by four-year-olds in nursery pursuing the aim of bettering their speech, to go out of fashion. However, what is interesting is the fact that this wonder consistently continues to capture and engage the hearts, minds and imaginations of young and old alike. There must be something special to such an old rhyme to be so entrancing and captivating, that debate and discussion always seem to follow a reference to this topic.

That is exactly what happened one fine morning at school. Studying in tenth grade, we managed to get a free period from our exhausting and demanding schedule as the teacher required to engage with us had conveniently taken a day off. While the playful among us had vanished without a moments’ hesitation on hearing that we had got ourselves about an hour of free time, my friends and I unanimously decided to spend this time at our leisure. We pulled up half a dozen chairs sat in a circle and passed our time chapping away to glory. The range of topics and issues that came up were quite varied and vast. From the customary ‘Ronaldo vs Messi’ debate to ranting about our teachers and parents, we truly had found the place, people and environment to vent our problems and release the pressures of life that had built up. It was during this period of relaxation and enjoyment that one of my classmates brought up this particular rhyme. He jokingly stated how his sibling, who still had about a decade to go before he could join our ranks had come up with a hilarious alternate meaning to the poem he had memorised in class that day.

Soon enough the focus had shifted from the alternative meaning to the actual meaning of the rhyme. Several questions seemed to arise among our peers: ‘Can this really be classified as a nursery rhyme?’ or ‘Did Mr. Lyte intention this rhyme to simply be an instrument of learning for children or did he in his own discreet fashion embed a hidden meaning to what was termed the ‘Gem of Rhymes?’ At this point in time, one of the students (who could be me) found the talk to be heading out-of-town. Philosophy of a nursery rhyme certainly did not interest him and he quietly took off to consume his lunch. Back at our conference, however, a heated argument raged regarding the various interpretations that one could draw from this innocent rhyme. It is quite amusing to view the war of words that was taking place as a spectator. And as far as I could grasp this is what the ‘Nursery Rhyme Committee’ accepted as the fundamental meaning of this consequential piece of work.

A Metaphor For Life

Crucial to understanding or making up a deeper and comprehensible meaning of this poem is to approach it from a philosophical view. In this rhyme, the boat resembles one’s life. All matter and substance, physical and non-physical, materialistic possessions, emotional well-being and intelligence that is yours and you yourself are contained within the boat. Everything you know and are aware of, your thoughts, decisions resulting in action, beliefs and thoughts, biases and customs are all within the same boat. That stream, on the other hand, represents the flow of life and time. It is the medium for your boat (in this case your ‘existence’). Its presence and availability are necessary to live your life, just like running water or a stream is undeniably needed for that boat to float. This comprises of circumstances, actions, fate, space, the cosmos and of course, luck. Think of this as the various rocks and sandbanks in the stream, the curves and turns in its direction and the shifting speed and level of the current. The flow of water resembles the running time. Time doesn’t stop or start, just like the current. It just is and continues to be, just as in the current. And there are always, as in real life many countless others boats, some battered, some fresh, some new, some old which float in the same stream of life as you do. During your boat’s journey, you will come across several such boats and, you will be compelled to engage, communicate and interact with them.

We are Imprisoned in the Realm of Life,

like a Sailor, on his tiny Boat, on an Infinite Ocean.

Anna Freud