"Water's Edge" is a song by Seven Mary Three and the second single released from their second album, '' American Standard''. It was originally included on their independently released debut album, '' Churn'', in 1994. The single was released in 1996 and became one of the band's most popular songs, reaching #7 on

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

Mainstream Rock Tracks Mainstream Rock is a music chart in ''Billboard'' magazine that ranks the most-played songs on mainstream rock radio stations in the United States, a category that combines the formats of active rock and heritage rock. The chart was launched in Ma ...

Overview

The original five-minute version of "Water's Edge" was condensed and became the opening track to 1995's ''American Standard''. It didn't manage to replicate the success of the band's chart-topping debut single, " Cumbersome," but nevertheless charted well and continues to receive radio play. When Seven Mary Three opened for 3 Doors Down on a 2003 tour, the latter group claimed to have

covered Cover or covers may refer to: Packaging * Another name for a lid * Cover (philately), generic term for envelope or package * Album cover, the front of the packaging * Book cover or magazine cover ** Book design ** Back cover copy, part of ...

"Water's Edge" among other 7M3 songs during their early days.Cartwright, Keith Rya
Giti Khalsa of Seven Mary Three
TheyWillRockYou.com (November 2003). Retrieved on September 7, 2008. "Water's Edge" details the story behind a bloated corpse being found in a river or creek; it has been said to be inspired by the 1986 film '' River's Edge'', but this is not well confirmed. Other accounts indicate that the song is based on a book that Jason Ross read while in college at William and Mary. The song's narrator admits that he witnessed a woman being tossed in the water to drown. He recalls seeing her just before a van of people drove up and subdued the woman, but notes that he cannot confess his witnessing the crime out of fear of their power. Musically, "Water's Edge" relies on a soft

verse Verse may refer to: Poetry * Verse, an occasional synonym for poetry * Verse, a metrical structure, a stanza * Blank verse, a type of poetry having regular meter but no rhyme * Free verse, a type of poetry written without the use of strict me ...

, heavy chorus style. Muted

guitar chords In music, a guitar chord is a set of notes played on a guitar. A chord's notes are often played simultaneously, but they can be played sequentially in an arpeggio. The implementation of guitar chords depends on the guitar tuning. Most guitars ...

and

harmonic A harmonic is a wave with a frequency that is a positive integer multiple of the ''fundamental frequency'', the frequency of the original periodic signal, such as a sinusoidal wave. The original signal is also called the ''1st harmonic'', the ...

s between verses also offer a delicate side to this dark, aggressive song. During the bridge, the narrator furiously ridicules himself for not intervening with the incident.

Music video

Thomas Mignone, who would later become known for his heavy metal music videos, directed the symbolic "Water's Edge" video. All band performance and story concept footage was shot in the woods and at a creekside building during winter. The video focuses on a young boy walking through the woods and spotting a suspicious man. The boy opens a tent to see strange hand puppets cavorting amongst one another. This is intertwined with footage of people in large costumes similar to the puppets who are harassing a woman outside. A man is also shown observing through a window in the building before removing a floor cover and heading below. The boy closes the tent and runs away as the video ends.

Track listings

# "Water's Edge" # "Shelf Life" # "Lame" (Acoustic/Electric) # " Cumbersome" (Acoustic Version)

Chart positions

References

{{Authority control 1996 singles 1995 songs 1990s ballads Rock ballads Seven Mary Three songs Songs about death fi:Water's Edge sv:Water's Edge