The song lyrics were written by the band Van Halen, as they were asked to write a song for the 1979 movie "Over the Edge" starring Matt Dillon. The movie (and the lyrics, although more obliquely) are about bored, rebellious youth with nothing better to do than get into trouble. If you see the movie, these lyrics will make more sense. It's a great movie if you grew up in the 70s/80s you'll definitely remember some of these characters from your own life. Fun fact, after writing the song, Van Halen decided not to let the movie use it.
You wanna swim in the river
I wanna dance in the summer
You've always been the believer
I'm always left to wonder
The water is rushing so fast
I think it will take us under
Oh, what thought did you recall
That would make you say my name?
The water's so deep
A friend says "Don't go"
But my mouth betrays me
And says "Hold on"
(And now I know)
This is the pain of believing
(The danger is real)
And there's no easy way out
(How did I get here?)
You trust too much in my bravery
It's my safety you're taking
We're gonna drown in the river
I cannot swim any farther
My blood is pumping so fast
To my heart and limbs underwater
Then I reach and find your hand in mine
And they say you will be saved, but no
I pull and I pull and I pull
But your foot, it's anchored deep
Your face tells me you won't be freed
(And now I know)
This is the pain of believing
(The danger is real)
And there's no easy way out
(How did I get here?)
You trust too much in my bravery
It's my safety you're taking
I decided long ago
Never let your loved ones know
Who you really are, who you really are
People want the truth but never want the scars
And now I'm here, my best friend dying
And I'm the one that's still lying
And you say it's gonna be okay
Over and over and over and over and over and over again
River, wash me clean
River, wash me clean
River, wash me clean
River, wash me clean
I wanna dance in the summer
You've always been the believer
I'm always left to wonder
The water is rushing so fast
I think it will take us under
Oh, what thought did you recall
That would make you say my name?
The water's so deep
A friend says "Don't go"
But my mouth betrays me
And says "Hold on"
(And now I know)
This is the pain of believing
(The danger is real)
And there's no easy way out
(How did I get here?)
You trust too much in my bravery
It's my safety you're taking
We're gonna drown in the river
I cannot swim any farther
My blood is pumping so fast
To my heart and limbs underwater
Then I reach and find your hand in mine
And they say you will be saved, but no
I pull and I pull and I pull
But your foot, it's anchored deep
Your face tells me you won't be freed
(And now I know)
This is the pain of believing
(The danger is real)
And there's no easy way out
(How did I get here?)
You trust too much in my bravery
It's my safety you're taking
I decided long ago
Never let your loved ones know
Who you really are, who you really are
People want the truth but never want the scars
And now I'm here, my best friend dying
And I'm the one that's still lying
And you say it's gonna be okay
Over and over and over and over and over and over again
River, wash me clean
River, wash me clean
River, wash me clean
River, wash me clean
Lyrics submitted by A7XWakingTheFallen
After the Devil Beats His Wife Lyrics as written by
Lyrics © Capitol CMG Publishing
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I'm mostly with EveryEmotion on this one. From the first time I heard the song, I've always thought that "this is the pain of believing, and there's no easy way out", in conjunction with "and they say you will be saved, but no...your face tells me you won't be free", meant that as a believer in Jesus Christ, you may share your faith with those whom you are close to and love, but sometimes they will reject and not believe, even to the point of death. For a believer in Jesus to have a loved one die that doesn't know Christ, it is one of the most painful feelings, even though they still have their joy in Christ, hence "after the devil beats his wife" and "you wanna swim in the river, I wanna dance in the summer". Also, the singer in the song could be experiencing the "pain of believing", because he is a Christian, but chose to not talk about it with his friend, for fear that it might not go over well, so he chose to hide his true self, but now is regretful for doing so, with his friend now dying or dead. I believe this can be seen in the bridge of the song; his decision to hide the Truth, because of his realization that "people want the truth but never want the scars", and now his regret seeing his "best friend dying" while he's "the one that's still lying", with him still feeling the "pain of believing" and regret, even with someone saying "it's gonna be OK" multiple times.
No amount of words can bring comfort when it comes to a believer in Christ having a loved one die outside of Christ, even if they shared the Gospel with them. This pain is even greater if they know they are partially at fault for not being real and sharing the Truth with their loved one before their death. "This is the pain of believing, and there's no easy way out."