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  1. Tracks
  2. Leon Bridges
  3. Coming Home (Deluxe)
  4. River
River by Leon Bridges

SINGLE

Leon Bridges

River

Release date: 22nd June 2015

From Coming Home (Deluxe)
Track 10
3:59
R&B/SoulMusicSoul
Spotify Apple Music More on Leon Bridges

About This Track

'River' draws on the imagery of baptism and spiritual cleansing, Leon Bridges casting himself as a traveller seeking redemption. The lyric frames distance and moral weight in plain terms: ten thousand miles from home, blood on his hands, lips that aren't clean. His mother's voice recurs in the darkness, urging surrender to a higher power, and the song builds its plea around the Jordan River as a site of renewal.

The arrangement is spare and patient, allowing Bridges' vocal to carry the devotional tone without excess. The repeated refrain ('I wanna go, I wanna know') functions as both mantra and prayer, the simplicity lending the track a hymnal quality that suits its subject. Released in June 2015 on 'Coming Home (Deluxe)', the song runs just under four minutes and has accumulated significant streaming numbers, its period-soul aesthetic grounded in gospel tradition rather than pastiche.

"River" is a single by Leon Bridges, from the album Coming Home (Deluxe), released 22nd June 2015. The track is 3:59 long. It's filed under R&B/Soul. Full lyrics are available below. Dork has published 6 articles about Leon Bridges.

About the Artist

Leon Bridges

Leon Bridges

Lyrics

River

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 ya
Every part of me
But there is blood on my hands
And my lips aren't clean

In my darkness I remember
Momma's words reoccur to me
"Surrender to the good Lord
And he'll wipe your slate clean"

Take me to your river
I wanna go
Oh, go on
Take me to your river
I wanna know

Tip me in your smooth waters
I go in
As a man with many crimes
Come up for air
As my sins flow down the Jordan

Oh, I wanna come near and give ya
Every part of me
But there is blood on my hands
And my lips aren't clean

Take me to your river
I wanna go
Go on
Take me to your river
I wanna know

I wanna go, wanna go, wanna go
I wanna know, wanna know, wanna know
Wanna go, wanna go, wanna go
Wanna know, wanna know, wanna know
Wanna go, wanna go, wanna go
Wanna know, wanna know, wanna know

Take me to your river
I wanna go
Lord, please let me know
Take me to your river
I wanna know

Lyrics provided by LRCLIB

View full lyrics page →

Track details

From Coming Home (Deluxe)

3:592015Single
Listen
Album
Coming Home (Deluxe)
Coming Home (Deluxe)
Leon Bridges
23rd June 2015
Track number
10
Release year
2015
  1. 1Coming Home
    3:26
  2. 2Better Man
    2:21
  3. 3Brown Skin Girl
    3:27
  4. 4Smooth Sailin'
    3:07

More from Leon Bridges

Albums & EPs

Leon
Leon
2024
Gold-Diggers Sound
Gold-Diggers Sound
2021
Good Thing
Good Thing
2018
Spotify Sessions
Spotify Sessions
2015
So Long (From The Motion Picture Concussion)
So Long (From The Motion Picture Concussion)
Laredo
Laredo

Explore

More tracks by Leon Bridges

  1. A Merry Black Christmas
    3:04
  2. Ain't Got Nothing On YouLeon
    3:27
  3. Can't Have It AllLeon
    2:40
  4. Chrome Cowgirl
  5. Elegantly Wasted
  6. Ghetto HoneybeeLeon
    3:56
  7. God Loves EveryoneLeon
    2:35
  8. Hold On
  9. IvyLeon
    3:14
  10. LaredoLeon
    3:17

Showing 10 of 20

If you like Leon Bridges

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Black Pumas

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Curtis Harding

Curtis Harding

Son Little

Son Little

  • 5Shine
    3:39
  • 6Lisa Sawyer
    4:05
  • 7Flowers
    2:57
  • 8Pull Away
    3:02
  • 9Twistin' & Groovin'
    4:14
  • 10River
    3:59
  • 11There She Goes
    2:36
  • 12Daisy Mae
    2:57
  • 13Mississippi Kisses
    2:24
  • 14Here In My Arms
    2:07
  • 15Outta Line
    2:03
  • —Brown Skin Girl
    3:27
  • —Pull Away
    3:02
  • —River
    3:59
  • —Better Man
    2:21
  • —Smooth Sailin'
    3:07
  • —Coming Home
    3:26
  • —Here In My Arms
    2:07
  • —Twistin' & Groovin'
    4:14
  • —Daisy Mae
    2:57

    • Credits

    Production & Engineering

    Writer
    Austin Jenkins, Chris Vivion, Joshua Block, Leon Bridges
    Lyricist
    Leon Bridges
    Composer
    Austin Jenkins, Chris Vivion, Joshua Block
    Producer
    Niles City Sound
    Vocals
    Leon Bridges
    Acoustic Guitar
    Leon Bridges
    Assistant Engineer
    Ryan Joseph
    Background Vocals
    Ansley Dougherty, Brittni Jessie, Njia Martin, Paul Andrade, Shon Gardner, Tyesha Simpson
    Mastering Engineer
    Joe LaPorta
    Mixing Engineer
    Niles City Sound
    Recording Engineer
    Niles City Sound
    READ MORE ABOUT LEON BRIDGESREAD MORE ABOUT LEON BRIDGESREAD MORE ABOUT LEON BRIDGESREAD MORE ABOUT LEON BRIDGES
    READ MORE ABOUT LEON BRIDGESREAD MORE ABOUT LEON BRIDGESREAD MORE ABOUT LEON BRIDGESREAD MORE ABOUT LEON BRIDGES
    Kaiser Chiefs, Leon Bridges and Alessi Rose have joined Latitude Festival 2025
    News

    Kaiser Chiefs, Leon Bridges and Alessi Rose have joined Latitude Festival 2025

    Kaiser Chiefs, Leon Bridges, and Air join the 2024 Latitude Festival lineup, with Kaiser Chiefs celebrating their 20th anniversary at Suffolk's Henham Park.

    30 Jan 2025 • 10:00 am
    Leon Bridges announces new album 'Leon' and shares lead single 'Peaceful Place'
    News

    Leon Bridges announces new album 'Leon' and shares lead single 'Peaceful Place'

    The full-length is due this October.

    12 Aug 2024 • 9:16 am
    Leon Bridges rounds up friends and family for his new 'Sweeter' video
    News

    Leon Bridges rounds up friends and family for his new 'Sweeter' video

    It was filmed in the neighbourhood Leon grew up in.

    17 Jun 2020 • 11:54 am
    Leon Bridges has surprise-released a stunning new track: ‘Sweeter’ with Terrace Martin
    News

    Leon Bridges has surprise-released a stunning new track: ‘Sweeter’ with Terrace Martin

    Originally set for a future album project, it’s now a timely and powerful track for here and now

    8 Jun 2020 • 4:23 pm
    Leon Bridges has a great night out in his new video for 'Beyond'
    News

    Leon Bridges has a great night out in his new video for 'Beyond'

    The record features on his new album, 'Good Thing'.

    31 May 2018 • 7:09 pm
    Leon Bridges announces a big ol' tour for later this year
    News

    Leon Bridges announces a big ol' tour for later this year

    He's playing Brixton and other places that aren't London

    5 Apr 2018 • 7:31 pm