Garvey has stated that lyrically this song was inspired by the film 'Junebug', in particular a scene where one of the main characters sings an a capella hymn. Apparently, 'The River' was intended to be a song "with a hymnal feel, without it necessarily belonging to God."
In light of this, it is possible that the river in the song is seen almost as a replacement for God. Nature (embodied by the river) becomes the object of worship instead of God. This theme of religious practice is also reflected in the idea of confessing to the river (which is referred to as 'he') and the metaphor for death at the end of the song. In the same way that God is supposed to lead us to the next life, the river leads us to the sea, the inevitable destination, representative of something big and unknown at the end of the journey.
Garvey has stated that lyrically this song was inspired by the film 'Junebug', in particular a scene where one of the main characters sings an a capella hymn. Apparently, 'The River' was intended to be a song "with a hymnal feel, without it necessarily belonging to God."
In light of this, it is possible that the river in the song is seen almost as a replacement for God. Nature (embodied by the river) becomes the object of worship instead of God. This theme of religious practice is also reflected in the idea of confessing to the river (which is referred to as 'he') and the metaphor for death at the end of the song. In the same way that God is supposed to lead us to the next life, the river leads us to the sea, the inevitable destination, representative of something big and unknown at the end of the journey.