And you are no longer river to me
And you are no longer river to me
Though your coursing remain
Eager to acquaint me
And you are no longer docile stream
And you are no longer docile stream
Though your patience proves you into ease

And once this spark met kindling
Forgets its gentle ambling
Becoming heat, becoming steam
Becoming luminescent glee
Atoms splinter, sparkling
Alive and nimble symmetry
And all along, this glistening
Blankets we and everything
Shadows dance triumphantly
A wordless whisper sighs and pleas
Little deaths envelope thee
You and I and a flame make three
You and I and a flame make three
You and I and a flame make three

And you are not glassy bay to me
And you are not glassy bay to me
Though my tired fleet abides in your gentle breeze
And you are now vast and open sea
And my mind travels you endlessly
And you beckon, toss and toss and swallow me

And once this spark met kindling
Forgets its gentle ambling
Becoming heat, becoming steam
Becoming luminescent glee
Atoms splinter, sparkling
Alive and nimble symmetry
And all along, this glistening
Blankets we and everything
Shadows dance triumphantly
A wordless whisper sighs and pleads
Little deaths envelop thee
You and I and a flame makes three
You and I and a flame make three
You and I and a flame make three
You and I and a flame make three
You and I and a flame make three
You and I and a flame make three
You and I and a flame make three
You and I and a flame make three
You and I and a flame make three
You and I and a flame make three
You and I and a flame make three
You and I and a flame make three


Lyrics submitted by jjjonatron

River Lyrics as written by Miles Seaton Dana Janssen

Lyrics © SC PUBLISHING DBA SECRETLY CANADIAN PUB.

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

River song meanings
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10 Comments

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  • 0
    General Comment

    this is a gorgeous song. great job with the lyrics. a couple things i hear a little differently:

    becoming heat, becoming steam becoming luminescent glee atoms splinter, sparkling // little deaths envelop thee

    symbolicmilkon February 19, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    sex, clearly. amazing song, amazing record.

    Also, its definitely

    "And once this spark met kindling"

    "Becoming heat, becoming steam"

    And maybe "Becoming luminescent glee" instead of luminescently

    robbnthahoodon February 19, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    ambilene apparently isnt a word, i believe its "ambling" or leisurely stroll

    robbnthahoodon February 23, 2009   Link
  • 0
    Song Meaning

    not necessarily about sex. Perhaps it's more spiritual

    uncomfortablepanton February 24, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Though my tired fleet abides in your gentle breeze

    I'm also hearing: And you are now vast and open sea

    shampoo suicideon March 10, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    this kind of makes sex not seem so awkward

    tab1eon April 02, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    i've heard this song on the radio, what band does it? i've been searching all over for them, but i can't find there name.

    beccanonsenseon April 06, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    this song is obnoxiously sexual, but still really spiritual. why does sex have to be something less than spiritual? that vocal melody is the catchiest damn thing, but it sounds really hokey if you just whistle it... LOVE AK/FAM.

    jeremiahjohnsonon January 02, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    This song is definitely sexual. The lyrics use a lot of nautical and water images to represent sexual feelings or situations, such as:

    "Though my tired fleet abides in your gentle breeze And you are now vast and open sea And my mind travels you endlessly And you beckon, toss and toss and swallow me"

    Also, there is a line that says "Little deaths envelope thee." "Little deaths" is a reference to the French notion of "la petite mort," which is a term for orgasm, often a female orgasm.

    tacocaton February 09, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Definitely about sex, but more importantly about a relationship's development into a family... and about the breadth of a person within relationship... verse verse, the body of water referenced jumps from river, to bay, to ocean. This is a metaphor for the depth of the individual in the relationship, as if there is so much still to explore. The sex leads the two to three... i.e. a child/family. Love this song so much. My wife and I danced to it at our wedding. Thanks Akron Family.

    owen101051on November 05, 2015   Link

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