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River
Leon Bridges Lyrics


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Been traveling these wide roads for so long
My heart's been far from you
Ten-thousand miles gone

Oh, I wanna come near and give ya
Every part of me
But there's blood on my hands
And my lips are unclean

In my darkness I remember
Momma's words reoccur to me
"Surrender to the good Lord
And he'll wipe your slate clean"

Take me to your river
I wanna go
Oh, go
Take me to your river
I wanna know

Dip me in your smooth waters, I go in
As a man with many crimes
Come up for air
As my sins flow down the Jordan

Oh, I wanna come near and give ya
Every part of me
But there's blood on my hands
And my lips are unclean

Take me to your river
I wanna go
Oh, go
Take me to your river
I wanna know

I wanna go, wanna go, wanna go
I wanna know, wanna know, wanna know
Wanna go, wanna go, wanna go
Wanna know, wanna know, wanna know
Wanna go, wanna go, wanna go (yeah)
Wanna know, wanna know, wanna know

Hoo, ohh, take me to your river
I wanna go
Lord, please let me know
Take me to your river
I wanna know

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Leon Bridges's song "River" represent the struggle of a troubled individual who is looking for redemption and trying to make amends for his past mistakes. The artist contemplates on the choices he has made and the consequences that have come with them, leaving him feeling disconnected from his loved ones and seeking to reconcile with his faith. Throughout the song, there are biblical references made, such as the Jordan river, which is believed to symbolize baptism and forgiveness.


The artist states that he has been traveling on the wide roads for so long, indicating that he has been on a journey of self-discovery, but his heart has been far away from what truly matters. He recognizes the blood on his hands and the uncleanliness of his lips, representing the guilt and shame he feels for his actions. He remembers his mother's words and surrenders himself to the good Lord, acknowledging that only through his grace, he can find comfort, forgiveness, and a chance to start anew.


The chorus of the song depicts a need for baptism, where he asks to be taken to the river, to be dipped into the water and to come out clean. The river is symbolic of the cleansing power of forgiveness, where he wants to go, and he pleads with the Lord to reveal to him the path of righteousness. Leon Bridges seems to be grappling with his past and is looking for a way to reconcile his wrongdoings with his faith and find forgiveness in the end.


Line by Line Meaning

Been traveling these wide roads for so long
I've been traveling for a long time, through various roads.


My heart's been far from you
I haven't been emotionally close to you for some time now.


Ten-thousand miles gone
I've traveled a long distance, ten-thousand miles away from you.


Oh, I wanna come near and give ya
I want to come closer to you and give you everything I have.


Every part of me
I want to give you my all, every part of me.


But there's blood on my hands
I've done some things that I'm not proud of, I have blood on my hands.


And my lips are unclean
I've said some things that I regret, my words are unclean.


In my darkness I remember
Even in my lowest moments, I still remember.


Momma's words reoccur to me
I keep remembering the words that my mother taught me.


"Surrender to the good Lord
"Give yourself up to the Lord, surrender yourself to Him.


And he'll wipe your slate clean"
And He'll cleanse you of all your wrongs, just like that.


Take me to your river
Guide me to a place where I can cleanse myself.


I wanna go
I desire to go to this cleansing river.


Dip me in your smooth waters, I go in
Submerge me into the flowing water, so that I can be purified.


As a man with many crimes
I have done many wrong things.


Come up for air
Even as I'm washed up in the water, I come up out of it for air.


As my sins flow down the Jordan
As my wrong-doings are washed away in the river, they flow downstream, down the Jordan River (a biblical metaphor).


I wanna know
I also want to understand and learn about this cleansing river.


I wanna go, wanna go, wanna go
I want to go, repeatedly and persistently.


Wanna know, wanna know, wanna know
I want to learn and understand, repeatedly and persistently.


Hoo, ohh, take me to your river
Guidance is needed to the cleansing river.


Lord, please let me know
I ask for God's guidance and wisdom.




Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Downtown Music Publishing
Written by: Austin Jenkins, Chris Vivion, Joshua Block, Todd Michael Bridges

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comments from YouTube:

@LeenaStark

As one broken human being to another, I will tell you this: I tried to end it all once, during my late teens; my life was out of control, and I harbored no hope for the future. I came to a point where I believed that Life had no meaning or purpose, and I had lost all hope -- so, I sat down, wrote a letter to my mother, and I overdosed on some lethal drug I had gotten off the street.

By the time I was 'discovered' a few hours later ( barely breathing ), I was pronounced DOA by the time they got me to the Hospital.
I wont go into WHAT I experienced and what I SAW and FELT during my death experience because it would end up being a book, so I will spare you the details; however --- what I would like to share with you is this: We DONT DIE.
The SOUL is eternal ; once the Soul exits or releases ITSELF from the BODY, it FREES "itself" and is LIBERATED.

All the Soul takes with it on this new journey are : the KNOWLEDGE 'it' ( you ) have acquired during this lifetime, and --- the EXPERIENCES 'it' ( you ) have lived and 'learned' from.

When one considers DEATH, and along with it a Heaven and a Hell --- my personal experience is that :
HEAVEN, is a place you go, to spend Eternity with what you LOVE most: YOURSELF.
and......

HELL, is a place you go, to spend Eternity with what you HATE most: YOURSELF.

Stop considering on ending your life, because this END will come when you least expect it --- but instead, try to LIVE your life with purpose, and do what you like and makes you HAPPY --- and in between : try to learn as much as you can before you arrive at the end of the road.
And again I will say : there is no END.
DEATH is just an exit from this existence into another existence, which we create here and now, through our thoughts, our words, and our actions.

Wishing you all the very best across the miles, and sending you this. Enjoy🙂👇

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0eX0TeJv8Y

~ NAMASTE + LIVE LONG + PROSPER 🖖



@MrVerde-lt3qs

Been travelling these wide roads for so long
My heart's been far from you
Ten thousand miles gone
Oh, I want to come near and give you
Every part of me
But there is blood on my hands
And my lips are unclean
In my darkness I remember
Momma's words reoccur to me:
"Surrender to the good Lord
And he'll wipe your slate clean"
Take me to your river
I want to go
I'll go
Take me to your river
I want to know
Dip me in your smooth waters
I'll go in
As a man with many crimes
Come up for air
As my sins flow down the Jordan
Oh, I want to come near and give you
Every part of me
But there is blood on my hands
And my lips are unclean
Take me to your river
I want to go
Oh, I go
Take me to your river
I want to know
I want to go want to go want to go
I want to know want to know want to know
(bis)
Take me to your river
I want to go
Lord please let me know
Take me to your river
I want to know
Leon Bridges - River



All comments from YouTube:

@Groddz

Johnny Depp quote: "People cry, not because they're weak. It's because they've been strong for too long."

@brayo001

Indeed

@chrissybumgarner6546

Makes sense 🤔

@joyh9980

So true

@christiannagerou8869

Maybe they were weak for not recognizing their feelings for long time, and finally found strength to feel, understand and accept them. It takes courage to look deep inside you and feel your soul..

@brandonaikens7140

181 More Replies...

@JT-lw1oh

People say good music is dead but it never will die. Your just looking in all the wrong places 👌🏻

@bethjackson2741

Realest comment ever.

@dylanwolf4986

beautiful.

@dylanwolf4986

so true

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