The River
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band Lyrics

I come from down in the valley
I come from a working-class background

Where, mister, when you're young
It's a place where young people are raised in a certain way of life

They bring you up to do like your daddy done
Children are expected to follow in their fathers' footsteps

Me and Mary we met in high school
I met my future wife in high school

When she was just seventeen
She was only 17 years old at the time

We drive out of this valley
We left our hometown

Down to where the fields were green
To a place where there were more opportunities and a better life

We'd go down to the river
We used to spend time by the river

And into the river we'd dive
We used to swim in the river

Then I got Mary pregnant
I got my girlfriend pregnant

And man, that was all she wrote
That was the point of no return for us

And for my nineteenth birthday
On my 19th birthday

I got a union card and a wedding coat
I joined a union and got married

We went down to the courthouse
We got married at the courthouse

And the judge put it all to rest
The judge finalized our marriage

No wedding day smiles, no walk down the aisle
We didn't have a traditional wedding ceremony

No flowers, no wedding dress
We didn't have any decorations or special clothes

That night we went down to the river
After our marriage, we returned to the river

And into the river we'd dive
We swam in the river again

I got a job working construction
I found work as a construction worker

For the Johnstown Company
I worked for the Johnstown Company

But lately there ain't been much work
But there haven't been many job opportunities lately

On account of the economy
Because of the state of the economy

Now all them things that seemed so important
Things that used to be important don't matter anymore

Well mister they vanished right into the air
They disappeared

Now I just act like I don't remember
I try to forget about the past

Mary acts like she don't care
My wife acts as if she's not affected by our situation

But I remember us riding in my brother's car
I remember us driving around together

Her body tan and wet, down at the reservoir
I remember her body being tan and wet from swimming

At night on them banks I'd lie awake
I used to lie awake at night on the river banks

And pull her close just to feel each breath she'd take
I would hold her close to feel her breath

Now those memories come back to haunt me
Now those memories are painful to me

They haunt me like a curse
They torment me

Is a dream a lie if it don't come true
Is a dream false if it doesn't become reality?

Or is it something worse
Or is there something more painful than a false dream?

That sends me down to the river
That draws me back to the river

Though I know the river is dry
Even though I know the river is no longer there

That sends me down to the river tonight
That draws me back to the memory of the river tonight

Down to the river
Back to the memory of the river

My baby and I
With my wife by my side

Oh, down to the river we ride-ide
Back to the memory of us riding down to the river