River by Bishop Briggs Lyrics Meaning – Navigating the Currents of Love and Passion
Lyrics
Like a river, like a river, sh-
Like a river, like a river
Shut your mouth and run me like a river
How do you fall in love?
Harder than a bullet could hit you
How do we fall apart?
Faster than a hairpin trigger
Don’t you say, don’t you say it
Don’t say, don’t you say it
One breath, it’ll just break it
So shut your mouth and run me like a river
Shut your mouth, baby, stand and deliver
Holy hands, will they make me a sinner?
Like a river, like a river
Shut your mouth and run me like a river
Choke this love ’til the veins start to shiver
One last breath ’til the tears start to wither
Like a river, like a river
Shut your mouth and run me like a river
Tales of an endless heart
Cursed is the fool who’s willing
Can’t change the way we are
One kiss away from killing
Don’t you say, don’t you say it
Don’t say, don’t you say it
One breath, it’ll just break it
So shut your mouth and run me like a river
Shut your mouth, baby, stand and deliver
Holy hands, will they make me a sinner?
Like a river, like a river
Shut your mouth and run me like a river
Choke this love ’til the veins start to shiver
One last breath ’til the tears start to wither
Like a river, like a river
Shut your mouth and run me like a river
Like a river, like a river, sh-
Like a river, like a river, sh-
Like a river, like a river
Shut your mouth and run me like a river
Hey! Oh, oh-oh-oh, oh!
Hey! Oh, oh-oh-oh, oh! (like a river)
Hey! Oh, oh-oh-oh, oh, oh!
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh! (like a river)
Like a river
Shut your mouth, baby, stand and deliver (like a river, like a river)
Holy hands, will they make me a sinner? (like a river, like a river)
Like a river, like a river
Shut your mouth and run me like a river
Choke this love ’til the veins start to shiver (like a river, like a river)
One last breath ’til the tears start to wither (like a river, like a river)
Like a river, like a river
Shut your mouth and run me like a river
In the fierce waters of love and defiance, Bishop Briggs’ ‘River’ swells with a tumultuous blend of emotional depth and raw power. Released in 2016, this song quickly rose up the charts to become an anthem of strength and self-assertion. But beyond the spellbinding beats and Briggs’ commanding voice, ‘River’ harbors a deeper meandering of meaning.
At first glance, ‘River’ stands out as a song of empowerment, a call to arms for those deep within the throes of a passionate love affair. Yet as one dives beneath its surface, the lyrics reveal an undercurrent of vulnerability and the dangerous gamble of giving oneself over to the fast-flowing rapids of desire.
The Push and Pull of Love’s Powerful Tides
Briggs crafts an intense narrative comparing the forces of love to the unstoppable flow of a river. The opening lines immediately submerge the listener in the theme, ‘Like a river, like a river, sh- / Shut your mouth and run me like a river.’ This stark request to ‘shut your mouth’ suggests a wordless understanding and the potency of actions over words in matters of the heart.
The song’s driving rhythm paired with the singer’s dynamic inflection reinforces the sense of urgency and raw emotion associated with falling in love. It’s this earthy, elemental force, both constructive and destructive, that holds the potential to carve new paths and alter landscapes irreversibly – much like love itself.
An Elegy for the Doomed: Tales of an Endless Heart
Digging deeper into Briggs’ lyrics, there is a strong sensation of foreboding, a sentiment of love’s potential for self-destruction. ‘Tales of an endless heart / Cursed is the fool who’s willing’ evokes the idea that lovers are often beguiled into a trap, the sacrifice and risk intrinsic in the pursuit of emotional connection.
Falling in love is painted as a perilous act, as lethal as a bullet and as quick to disintegrate as a ‘hairpin trigger.’ The recognition of this hazard does not act as a deterrent; instead, it raises the stakes, emphasizing how significant the consequences can be when one dares to love.
The Dichotomy of Sin and Salvation in Passionate Love
Briggs further intertwines the imagery of religious redemption and sin with the desires of the flesh. ‘Holy hands, will they make me a sinner?’ she inquires, drawing attention to the sanctified nature of love that shares space with the damning consequences of passion.
The mention of ‘holy hands’ delivering one into sin is paradoxical, challenging the notions of purity and profanity. The song crafts a sensual narrative where love’s righteousness is questioned, and its power to redeem is countered by its capacity to corrupt.
Choke This Love: The Hidden Meaning Behind Agony and Ecstasy
There is a masochistic pleasure woven into the words as Briggs implores her lover to ‘Choke this love ’til the veins start to shiver.’ The act of choking, typically violent and suppressive, is recast as an intense demonstration of love’s grip, a force so powerful it verges on the edge of agony and ecstasy.
Briggs encapsulates the push-pull of a tumultuous relationship, where the shimmering moments of togetherness are equally shadowed by the potential for pain. It’s in this balance between surrender and dominance that ‘River’ finds its true hidden meaning, a testament to the passionate and sometimes punishing dance of intimacy.
Unforgettable Lines: Shiver, Wither, and the Promise of Forever
Perhaps the most memorable and piercing lines arrive as the song crescendos towards its climax, ‘One last breath ’til the tears start to wither.’ The poetic use of ‘wither’ speaks to an ending, a natural decay of something that once held vitality, a metaphor for the fading of love or the end of a powerful experience.
Yet, even as the song explores the potential decline of passion, there remains a lasting impression, the indelible mark left by love’s river. As ‘River’ concludes, Briggs confidently decrees the title as an imperative, a closing command that encapsulates her message – to experience love fiercely and deeply, even if it means enduring its inevitable ebb and flow.
