Don't Pay The Ferryman - Chris DeBurgh

[AA2RAYA]

good old 80s

[auralconcepts]

Anyone remember when MTV actually played videos and had a remote resemblance to something that had to do with music, rather than the puke and sputum pusspocket it has turned into?

[rc0meau]

Did MTV ever play Chris deBurgh? If they did then I really missed out on an era! LOL.

[Elconquistador69too]

This actually received decent air play.

[pavel41]

All the time. This vid was made for MTV back in the day.

[jukiluti]

great song...remember it well

[topjohnnydeppfan]

what is this song about?

[steadfastcoward]

The final journey across the River Styx which runs through Hades (Hell). If you get across you will be safe. If you pay the ferryman before you get to the other side, you will be left to drown in Hell.

[pullmyfingerr]

Close... The Feryman was, like most people, was untrustworthy, and you have to pay him two cents, basically, so, you got it right, but to my knowledge, if you payed him before you got there, he wouldn't give two damns if one of the demons or what not grabbed you.

[darrenod2]

yeah he would throw you overboard halfway and keep your money as there was no reason to keep you alive

[diddymuck]

3:20. the ferryman is the Doctor himself! Tom Baker!

[aardvarkno42]

would you like a jelly baby?

[LucySaints]

The bad thing here is that in Holland we don't have VH1 Let alone VH1 classic......... :D

[LucySaints]

This guy is sooooooo brilliant! I love all of his music but never saw a video of him till i found them here!!

[shaunfossett]

VH1 Classic could play these clips but they pretend they don't exist so they can play "Nobody's Fool" by Cinderella 12 times a day. Bastards...

[HumansLib]

i have this 45! i used to love this song. then he came out with lady in red, which i HATED since it sounded like he had sold out.

[steadfastcoward]

Yet you are a Howard Jones fan?

Must take every kind of people.

[imjunipernow]

Peter Jackson watched this for ideas for LOTR

[berrier123]

BOBMVNIJA thats exacly what he is talking about. if u like it he has another good one calloed spanish train. it starts off slow but just listen to it

[BobMcNinja]

is this guy singing about the legend of the ferry man that charters the dead from limbo to the other side?

but gets you to pay him half way across and then throws you into the river styx.

coz that would make sense.

otherwise what the fuck is up with this song?

[Balthiersgal]

That's what i thought it was about.

Love this song!! :D

[CyberCandyDoll]

i love this song :D

[wrb1957]

Charon. The ferryman for the king of Hades. 'Wild dog' may refer to Cerberus, the three-headed dog guarding the gates of Hades. You had to pay the Ferryman in order to cross into Hades. Ancient believers in this religion were buried with a coin placed under the tongue in order to have the money to pay the ferryman.

[NBtton]

Ok this is a good song and all but what does the video have to do with the song. What is with the lady and the child in and the fantom cape man?

[foreveryoung1964]

Well, maybe the video is just a collection of mystic scenes and does not tell a story, at least not one corresponding to the text.

The historic costumes might remind one of count Dracula, the white horse is perhaps that of Storm's "Schimmelreiter", the big steering-wheel does surely not belong to a river-ferry but to a ghost-ship off the coast.

So, I guess, the pictures create an atmospere, like a "vanitas" still-life does in painting. He or she who watches is free to associate own thoughts.

[lisaluvsjoee]

Good question!

[Strodgers]

The woman and child appear to be in a church for a funeral. The white horse could be what takes the dead to the grave yard. The Phantom is the Ferryman. The ferryman takes the dead across the river Styx in Greek mythology, to the underworld. The dead are buried with a coin. To Pay The Ferryman. Cheron was not a nice and friendly ferryman. As for the boat, dramatic license?

[pinetop747]

Nice post, Elconquistador. Favorite part of this song was always the ending,-3:19- mark. I hated it when radio would cut song off with gab before reaching the ending.

[Elconquistador69too]

Thanks for stopping by, this is one of my all time favs.

[amrak63]

This'll be a great one for Halloween night. :)

[dunskie]

One of the coolest songs / videos from the 80's. Still great.

[boardroombandit]

Great song! Never saw the vid until now. Thanks for posting.

[nephling]

Thank you so much for posting this, it is one of my fondest memories of the early days of music videos!! I still love it!

with love, nephling

[Elconquistador69too]

My pleasure, thank you for stopping by. Roger

[Kyiato]

Greatest song ever!

P.S. Why does he remind me so much of Al Pacino as Scarface?

[Baelmyrrdn]

One of my all time favorite songs...

[panthercane13]

One of my favorite videos of all time. Hard to believe the same guy recorded that wimpy lame-ass "Lady in Red"!

[131132128]

my thoughts exactly!

[b62beers]

Great song from 1983!!!  Gee, has it really been 25 yrs ago??!!

[amrak63]

Alas, yes, which means I'm 45 now. :P