The original version was recorded by Al Green as a track on his 1974 album, Al Green Explores Your Mind, produced by Willie Mitchell and featuring musicians Charles, Leroy and Mabon Hodges (The Hodges Brothers), drummer Howard Grimes, and the Memphis Horns. Green and Mabon "Teenie" Hodges wrote the song while staying in a rented house at Lake Hamilton, Arkansas, for three days in 1973 in order to come up with new material. According to Mitchell, Green wrote the words and Green and Hodges wrote the tune together. Green dedicated his performance on the record to "...Little Junior Parker, a cousin of mine, he's gone on but we'd like to kinda carry on in his name.."
According to one writer, "Green's song squares the singer's early religious convictions with more earthly interests", but when the singer became a pastor of the Full Gospel Tabernacle Church in 1976, he dropped the song from his repertoire.
Writing in The Independent in 1994, Tim de Lisle wrote: "Musically, it was much like any other track sung by Green and produced by Willie Mitchell, the Southern-soul maestro who ran Hi Records, the Memphis Horns and the Memphis Strings: R'n'B with lashings of subtlety, a light, easy, late-night sound, in which the strings, the horns, the organ, the guitars and that wild-honey voice blend into a single swinging, winning thing. It doesn't sound like a band playing: it sounds like a lot of instruments humming."
The record company, Hi Records, did not release Green's track as a single, but instead passed the song to his labelmate, Syl Johnson. Johnson's recording of the song, featuring most of the same musicians as on Green's version but with additional harmonica and a grittier vocal performance,
reached #48 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in 1975, and #7 on the U.S. Billboard R&B chart.
In 1976, Foghat made the first recording of the song by a rock band, on their album Night Shift. Two years later, it was recorded separately by Levon Helm and Bryan Ferry on solo albums, and then by the band Talking Heads on their second album More Songs About Buildings and Food. Their version, recorded with co-producer Brian Eno in Nassau, Bahamas, was edited and released as a single, and reached # 26 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in 1979,[4][8] as well as hitting the singles charts in Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Thomas Ryan wrote of Talking Heads' version that it "broadsided the status quo by combining the best ingredients of conventional pop music and classic soul music, stirring them together, and then presenting the mix in the guise of punk rock."
In the liner notes for Once in a Lifetime: The Best of Talking Heads, singer David Byrne writes: "Coincidence or conspiracy? There were at least four cover versions of this song out at the same time: Foghat, Bryan Ferry, Levon Helm, and us. More money for Mr Green's full gospel tabernacle church, I suppose. A song that combines teenage lust with baptism. Not equates, you understand, but throws them in the same stew, at least. A potent blend. All praise the mighty spurtin' Jesus." Live versions were included on Talking Heads' albums The Name of This Band is Talking Heads and Stop Making Sense.
"Take Me to the River" has also been covered by several other performers including Levon Helm, Diane Schuur, Tina Turner, The Blue Ox Babes, Annie Lennox, Toni Childs, Max on the Rox, Dave Matthews Band, Canned Heat, The Dresden Soul Symphony, Grateful Dead, Delbert McClinton, Maná, The Commitments, Gov't Mule, Guy Sebastian, Phish, The Gizmos, Element Of Crime, Alabama 3, Claudja Barry, Tom Jones and Eva Cassidy. Bruce Springsteen has used the chorus during live performances of the epic Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out.
In 2000, the tune was used in the popular animatronic singing toy "Big Mouth Billy Bass". The recording was arranged and produced for the toy's manufacturers, Gemmy Industries, by Al Thomas of Designer Music.[citation needed] According to Teenie Hodges, he made more money in royalties from that version than from any previous versions.
Take Me To The River
Al Green Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
After all these changes that you put me through
You stole my money and my cigarettes
And I haven't seen hide nor hair of you yet
I wanna know
Won't you tell me
Am I in love to stay?
Take me to the river
And wash me down
Won't you cleanse my soul
Put my feet on the ground
I don't know why she treated me so bad
After all the things that we could have had
Love is a notion that I can't forget
My sweet sixteen I will never regret
I wanna know
Won't you tell me
Am I in love to stay?
Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah
Hold me, love me, please me, tease me
'Til I can't, 'til I can't take no more
Take me to the river
I don't know why I love you like I do
After all the things that you put me through
The sixteen candles burning on my wall
Turning me into the biggest fool of them all
I wanna know
Oh, won't you tell me
Am I in love to stay?
I wanna know
Take me to the river
I wanna know
I want you to dip me in the water
I wanna know
Won't you wash me in the water
Wash me in the water
Wash me in the water
Won't you wash me in the water
Feeling good
"Take Me To The River" is a song performed by Al Green that was written by Al Green himself and Mabon "Teenie" Hodges, a guitarist and songwriter who was part of the Hi Rhythm Section of Memphis, Tennessee. The song was recorded in 1974 at Royal Recording Studio in Memphis and later released as a single in 1975.
The song is about a man who is trying to make sense of his feelings and relationship with a woman who has put him through a lot of changes. Despite all of her harmful actions towards him, he still feels a strong connection to her that he can't explain. He wants her to cleanse his soul and help him feel grounded, so he asks her to take him to the river and wash him down. The river serves as a symbol of purification and a fresh start.
The lyrics also include references to the singer's memories of his past, particularly his "sweet sixteen," who he will never forget. The sixteen candles burning on his wall represent the passage of time and how love can sometimes make us feel like fools. In the end, the singer still doesn't have all the answers he's looking for, but he's feeling good and hopeful that he can find some clarity.
Line by Line Meaning
I'd like to dedicate this song to little Junior Parker
I want to honor my cousin who has passed away and keep his memory alive through my music.
I don't know why I love you like I do
After all the changes that you put me through
You stole my money and my cigarettes
And I haven't seen hide nor hair of you yet
I am confused as to why I still have feelings for someone who has hurt me so much. They have even stolen from me and disappeared without a trace.
I wanna know
Won't you tell me
Am I in love to stay?
Hey, hey
Take me to the river
And wash me down
Won't you cleanse my soul
Put my feet on the ground
I need to figure out if these feelings are real and if I can commit to this person. I want to go to the river, be cleansed, and find clarity.
I don't know why she treated me so bad
After all the things that we could have had
Love is a notion that I can't forget
My sweet sixteen I will never regret
I am hurt by how this person has treated me, especially considering what our relationship could have been. However, I cannot forget how meaningful our experiences together were.
Hold me, love me, please me, tease me
'Til I can't, 'til I can't take no more
Take me to the river
I want this person to show me affection, even to the point where I cannot handle it anymore. I need to feel something intense and transformative, like the river's flow.
The sixteen candles burning on my wall
Turning me into the biggest fool of them all
I am reminded of my past mistakes and foolishness when I see the candles burning on my wall, representing my sixteenth birthday.
I wanna know
Oh, won't you tell me
Am I in love to stay?
I need to find out if my feelings are genuine and long-lasting.
I wanna know
Take me to the river
I wanna know
I want you to dip me in the water
I wanna know
Won't you wash me in the water
Wash me in the water
Wash me in the water
Won't you wash me in the water
Feeling good
I want the river to purify me and help me feel good. I want to fully immerse myself in the water and be refreshed, both physically and mentally.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Al Green, Mabon Hodges
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@beginningtosee7457
At 74 years young -this song is dangerous for me to listen to - I want to dance so bad -but have to be content to tapping my foot because my hip goes out every time I give in. Peace and Love all from Alabama.
@kg9831
Rock on man! I feel you about the hip thing 😂 haha 💃💃 dance anyway
@iChubbs_81
I dont know how to dance,but ill give it my best shot for you,boss…
I love all kinda of music..
Loud car audio and music are my drug of choice
@Dutch1954
With you here, back at ya with the same from California.
@charlesleach667
Yeah
@skeric87
Do you thang and keep tapping those feet... don't hurt nobody 🤣🤣💝
@josephkony3993
Got a fish on the wall and turns out he can sing. Craziest thing ever...
@WereWolves13
I Know it is I for many years I wonder who wrote it but now it shows
@BradenTheBeaverHTF
Those are called billy bass
@killerjoe5628
I wonder if Al Green gets a percentage from every fish that was sold, or just a flat fee for the rights to the song.