River
Deborah Joy Winans Lyrics
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For so long
My heart′s been far from you
Ten thousand miles gone
Oh, I wanna come near
And give you every part of me
But there's blood on my hands
And my lips aren′t clean
Momma's words; reoccur to me
Surrender to the good Lord
And he'll wipe your slate clean
(And I′ll say)
Take me to the river
I wanna go
(Take me)
Take me to the river
I wanna go
Dip me in your smooth waters
And I′ll go in
As a woman with many crimes
Come up for air
As my sin flow down the Jordan
Oh, I wanna come near
And give you every part of me
But there's blood on my hands
And my lips aren′t clean
(So please)
Take me to the river
I wanna go
(Yes I do)
(Take me to the river)
Take me to your river
I wanna know
(I wanna know)
(Please Lord)
Take me to the river
I wanna go
(Oh, take my hand)
Take me to the river
I wanna know
(I wanna know about yah)
(I wanna know all about you)
Take me to the river
I wanna go
(Oh, Jesus)
Take me to the river
I wanna go
(Oh, Take me)
Take me to the river
I wanna go
The lyrics to Deborah Joy Winans's song River explore the idea of redemption and cleansing oneself of their sins. The song starts with the singer admitting that they have been traveling down a long road away from the Lord and that their heart is far from Him. They recognize that they are in need of redemption and want to give themselves fully to the Lord. However, they admit that there is blood on their hands and their lips aren't clean, representing the sins they have committed. In the darkness, the singer remembers their mother's advice to surrender to the good Lord and have their slate wiped clean.
The singer then asks to be taken to the river, where they can be cleansed of their sins. They want to be dipped in the smooth waters and come up for air as a woman with many crimes, but with their sins flowing down the Jordan. The singer still admits to having blood on their hands and their lips not being clean, but they are asking for forgiveness and for the Lord to take them to the river and make them clean.
Overall, the song is a powerful plea for redemption and cleansing. It evokes themes of guilt and inadequacy, but ultimately offers hope for forgiveness and salvation.
Line by Line Meaning
Been traveling these wide roads
For so long
I have been on this journey for a very long time, traveling on wide roads.
My heart′s been far from you
Ten thousand miles gone
My heart has been very distant from you and I feel like I have traveled ten thousand miles away from you.
Oh, I wanna come near
And give you every part of me
But there's blood on my hands
And my lips aren′t clean
I want to be close to you and give you everything I have, but I feel guilty for the things I have done and for not being pure.
In the darkness I remember
Momma's words; reoccur to me
Surrender to the good Lord
And he'll wipe your slate clean
In my darkest moments, my mother's advice to surrender to the Lord and have my sins forgiven comes to mind.
(And I′ll say)
Take me to the river
I wanna go
(Take me)
Take me to the river
I wanna go
I am requesting to be taken to the river, as it symbolizes a place of spiritual cleansing and renewal, and I really want to go there.
Dip me in your smooth waters
And I′ll go in
As a woman with many crimes
Come up for air
As my sin flow down the Jordan
I want to be fully immersed in your peaceful and serene waters, and as I do that, I want to be relieved of my sins.
Oh, I wanna come near
And give you every part of me
But there's blood on my hands
And my lips aren′t clean
(So please)
Take me to the river
I wanna go
Once again, I want to be close to you, but I feel unworthy and impure, and therefore I am requesting to be taken to the river for cleansing.
(Yes I do)
(Take me to the river)
Take me to your river
I wanna know
(I wanna know)
(Please Lord)
Take me to the river
I wanna go
I am very eager to go to your river and I really want to know more about it while requesting the Lord to take me there.
(Oh, take my hand)
Take me to the river
I wanna know
(I wanna know about yah)
(I wanna know all about you)
Take me to the river
I wanna go
I want the Lord to hold my hand and take me to the river where I can get to know more about him and learn all about his ways.
(Oh, Jesus)
Take me to the river
I wanna go
(Oh, Take me)
Take me to the river
I wanna go
I am calling out to Jesus to take me to the river, as I am really eager to go there.
Contributed by Natalie I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@rashadking5324
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 you every part of me
But there's blood on my hands
And my lips aren't clean
In the darkness I remember
Momma's words; reoccur to me
Surrender to the good Lord
And he'll wipe your slate clean
(And I'll say)
Take me to the river
I wanna go
(Take me)
Take me to the river
I wanna go
Dip me in your smooth waters
And I'll go in
As a woman with many crimes
Come up for air
As my sin flow down the Jordan
Oh, I wanna come near
And give you every part of me
But there's blood on my hands
And my lips aren't clean
(So please)
Take me to the river
I wanna go
(Yes I do)
(Take me to the river)
Take me to your river
I wanna know
(I wanna know)
(Please Lord)
Take me to the river
I wanna go
(Oh, take my hand)
Take me to the river
I wanna know
(I wanna know about yah)
(I wanna know all about you)
Take me to the river
I wanna go
(Oh, Jesus)
Take me to the river
I wanna go
(Oh, Take me)
Take me to the river
I wanna go
@alexanderdean1117
Jesus took me to the river and began to talk to me about how he was going made me whole again. Hallelujah thank you Jesus for talking to me
@Kate_Ntombela
This song brought me closer to the Lord like never before I am born again Thank You Jesus 🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽
@LadyDos2008
You know...It is such a blessing that the Lord Almighty God can find you anywhere. I recorded this series, and decided to sit down and watch it tonight. As soon as this song started, I was drawn. And moved to tears. I got up, and walked towards the tv, (which had become an altar), and all I could do was kneel and pray. That's Power!
I am so grateful that I was born to parents that raised me up to know and love Jesus. Listening to this over and over, and all I want to say is THANK YOU.
@TigerLIL-yo3gq
you know when I first heard the song took me down memory lane to my first alter experience, I must have played that scene a 100 times what a beautiful song fit so well with coming to or coming back to Christ
@davidskeete5166
LadyDos2008 so true..got me when said the lord is like a bunch of emails that say i miss you...come home..God is good..all the time
@lehi147
Amen.
@marcusgale1590
While watching this episode I had tears coming down my face I had a similar experience to grace I was a leader of the dance ministry and always a certain worship song like this would make me come to the alter and fall to my knees and balling ,it’s amazing how Gods,Holy spirit can touch us at any time ,
@WalterRodrigobariloche
I know about that...
@bishoplocklear2769
Im ready for the churched to open back I wanna repent for what I have done I wanna give my soul back to God I wanna have that clean soul again I wanna be re born amen
@unwindwithonica4995
who else has been a church dropout like me and wants to go back because of this song.