Silent River
When I first started dating my fiancée, we used to meet in Inverness, almost halfway between Aberdeen and Dunbeath. It became our meeting place, our middle ground. But over time, it became much more than that. I grew to love Inverness. Not just for what it gave me then, but for what it quietly carries every day.
And at the centre of it all, the River Ness. There’s no river like it, as far as I’m concerned. It moves with power, with certainty, with a kind of effortless grace. It flows straight through the heart of the city, past stone bridges, churches, old walls and morning walkers, without ever raising its voice. It’s steady. Silent. Majestic.
I used to stand by it in the mornings and just watch. Let it slow my thoughts. Let it speak without sound. I’d think: this place has stories. Deep ones. A town full of history and movement. Old and new cultures meeting, passing, staying. The last city before the Highlands begin. 'River' is my love letter to Inverness, to its people, its peace, and that quiet current that holds the whole place together.
It had to feel epic. That’s why I wrote it for a male and female lead, backed by a choir. Because this isn’t just about water. It’s about dignity. Stillness. History. The future. And beauty that doesn’t need to explain itself.
It’s a unerring silence that carries more than noise ever could.
Finn Moray
Song Lyrics
[Pre‑Chorus]
From the Kessock Bridge to the Black Isle trees,
where the footbridges whisper like harps in the breeze,
we raise our eyes to the Great Glen’s door,
and hear the Highlands call once more.
[Chorus]
Silent river, carry our song,
through Inverness where we belong.
Gateway to the North stands firm,
let our voices rise and fly.
Silent river, old and new,
take our love the long way through,
from the city lights to the moorland blue.
Inverness, we sing for you.
[Verse 2]
Royal charter, market quarter,
streets of Academy and High.
Cathedral towers square‑topped,
steadfast against the sky.
Macbeth’s shadow,
Malcolm’s ramparts,
echoes along the crown.
Culloden’s wind remembers,
yet hope lifts this town.
[Pre‑Chorus]
Through the Victorian Market,
over cobbles worn,
past Eden Court where new songs are born.
Northern Meeting drums the year,
pipes like thunder, bright and clear.
[Chorus]
Silent river, carry our song,
through Inverness where we belong.
Gateway to the North stands firm,
let our voices rise and fly.
Silent river, old and new,
take our love the long way through,
from the city lights to the moorland blue.
Inverness, we sing for you.
[Middle Eight]
Aaaaah Aaaaah Aaaaah Aaaaah
[Verse 3]
Rail lines braided north and south,
steam and salt and war.
Cromwell’s walls and cabinet calls,
ships at the harbour door.
Nessie stirs in the loch’s dark glass,
a wink the tourists miss,
yet locals know the magic lives
in every dawn like this.
[Chorus]
Silent river, carry our song,
through Inverness where we belong.
Gateway to the North stands firm,
let our voices rise and fly.
Silent river, old and new,
take our love the long way through,
from the city lights to the moorland blue.
Inverness, we sing for you.
[Final Chorus]
Silent river, carry our song,
through Inverness where we belong.
Gateway to the North stands firm,
let our voices rise and fly.
Silent river, old and new,
take our love the long way through,
from the city lights to the moorland blue.
Inverness, we sing for you.