The River
Bruce Springsteen & The E Stre Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
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 drive out of this valley down to where the fields were green
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 19th 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
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
Mary acts like she don't care
But I remember us riding in my brother's car
Her body tanned 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
Down to the river, my baby and I
Oho, down to the river we ride
Ooohooohooo...
The song begins by setting the scene of the singer's upbringing, which seems to have been in a working-class community. He then introduces Mary, his high school sweetheart, with whom he shares idyllic memories of driving out of the valley to a greener land and diving into the river. However, their romantic ambitions are cut short with an unexpected pregnancy, which leads to their hasty marriage at the courthouse. The song then jumps to the present, where the singer is struggling to make ends meet and feeling disillusioned about the value of his prior aspirations.
The river serves as a metaphor for the singer's shifting perspective on life. When he was young and in love, the river symbolized freedom and possibility. But now, with his dreams deferred, he realizes that the river is no longer something he can dive into, as it has "dried up." In the final verse, he questions whether his dreams and memories are "a dream (that) lied" or something "worse" that continues to haunt him.
Overall, the song captures the bittersweet nostalgia and disillusionment that comes with growing up and facing the realities of life. It's a powerful vehicle for expressing the complexities of ordinary people's experiences and the difficult questions they grapple with.
Line by Line Meaning
I come from down in the valley
I grew up in a place that's not fancy or wealthy
Where, mister, when you're young
In that place, when you're young like I was
They bring you up to do like your daddy done
You're taught to follow what your father did before you
Me and Mary we met in high school
I met my girlfriend Mary when we were in high school
When she was just seventeen
She was only 17 years old at the time
We'd drive out of this valley down to where the fields were green
We'd leave our hometown and go to a nicer, greener place
We'd go down to the river
Sometimes we'd go to the river
And into the river we'd dive
And go swimming in it
Oh, down to the river we'd ride
We'd also drive there sometimes
Then I got Mary pregnant
I got my girlfriend Mary pregnant
And, man, that was all she wrote
That changed things permanently and significantly
And for my 19th birthday I got a union card and a wedding coat
For my 19th birthday I received a union card and clothing to wear at my wedding
We went down to the courthouse
We got married at the courthouse
And the judge put it all to rest
The judge made it official
No wedding day smiles, no walk down the aisle
We didn't have a full celebration or ceremony
No flowers, no wedding dress
We didn't have any of the traditional, fancy wedding items
That night we went down to the river
After getting married, we went back to the river
And into the river we'd dive
And went swimming again
Oh, down to the river we did ride
We drove there again too
I got a job working construction for the Johnstown Company
I got a job doing construction work for a company called Johnstown
But lately there ain't been much work on account of the economy
But recently there hasn't been enough work due to the state of the economy
Now all them things that seemed so important
Now all the things that seemed really important before
Well, mister, they vanished right into the air
Are no longer there, and don't matter as much anymore
Now I just act like I don't remember
Now I try to forget about them
Mary acts like she don't care
My wife Mary acts like she isn't bothered either
But I remember us riding in my brother's car
Despite all that, I still remember another memory
Her body tanned and wet down at the reservoir
My girlfriend's body was sun-tanned and wet by the body of water called a reservoir
At night on them banks I'd lie awake
I used to stay up all night on the riverbank
And pull her close just to feel each breath she'd take
And hold her close so I could feel her breathing
Now those memories come back to haunt me
Now those memories have a painful edge to them
They haunt me like a curse
They trouble me deeply, like a curse
Is a dream a lie if it don't come true
I wonder, is a dream untrue if it doesn't actually happen
Or is it something worse
Or is it even worse than being untrue
That sends me down to the river
Despite everything, I still go back to the river
Though I know the river is dry
Even though I'm aware the river is no longer flowing
That sends me down to the river tonight
I'm going there again, tonight
Down to the river, my baby and I
I'll go there with my wife, even though things have changed so much
Oho, down to the river we ride
We'll return to the river as we always have
Ooohooohooo...
Lyrics continue, but these are non-verbal sounds
Contributed by Michael V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@mrc4545
If the camera person who filmed this ever reads this, I salute you, iconic videography.
@DarcyLane
Right?! I still think he should have done “I’m on fire” though 😂
@pekkahanninen5244
The steam is real, this is beautiful!
@mariannaswat5147
Piękna piosenka, utwory, które śpiewa to odzwierciedlenie wrażliwej duszy piosenkarza.
@freedomlover7469
It the video I always look for. Simply the BEST.
@annecolvard4571
Absolutely. True and captivating!!!❤
@iblamepikko
The line “now those memories come back to haunt me, to haunt me like a curse” always gives me hard goosebumps.
@kidofrock7
" is a dream a lie if it don't come true, or is it something worst"
@user-dx8bu3uc1m
The rest of the song too
@jimwilliams3816
Back when the album came out, I initially heard the line as “is a dream alive if it don’t come true,” which is actually pretty chilling too.