Bruce Springsteen

The River by Bruce Springsteen: A Nostalgic Hit for Oldies Music Lovers (1980)

"The River" is a song by Bruce Springsteen, an American singer-songwriter. It was released in 1980 as the title track and lead single from his fifth studio album. The song is a reflection on the struggles and

Did You Know

  • The River is a song by Bruce Springsteen.
  • It was released in 1980 as the title track from his fifth studio album.
  • The song is about the struggles of working-class Americans and the impact it has on their dreams.

    • Lyrics

    I come from down in the valley
    Where, mister, when you're young
    They bring you up to do like your daddy done
    Me and Mary we met in high school
    When she was just seventeen
    We'd ride out of this valley down to where the fields were green

    We'd go down to the river
    And into the river we'd dive
    Oh, down to the river we'd ride

    Then I got Mary pregnant
    And, man, that was all she wrote
    And for my nineteenth birthday I got a union card and a wedding coat
    We went down to the courthouse
    And the judge put it all to rest
    No wedding day smiles, no walk down the aisle
    No flowers, no wedding dress

    That night we went down to the river
    And into the river we'd dive
    Oh, down to the river we did ride
    Ah-yah

    I got a job working construction for the Johnstown Company
    But lately there ain't been much work on account of the economy
    Now all them things that seemed so important
    Well, mister, they vanished right into the air
    Now I just act like I don't remember
    And Mary acts like she don't care

    But I remember us riding in my brother's car
    Her body tan and wet down at the reservoir
    At night on them banks I'd lie awake
    And pull her close just to feel each breath she'd take
    Now those memories come back to haunt me
    They haunt me like a curse
    Is a dream a lie if it don't come true
    Or is it something worse

    That sends me down to the river
    Though I know the river is dry
    That sends me down to the river tonight
    Ah-yah-yah
    Down to the river
    My baby and I
    Oh, down to the river we ride
    Ah-yah-ay

    Ooh, ooh
    Ooh, ooh
    Ooh
    Ooh, ooh
    Ooh

    More Like This

    Categories