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  1. Tracks
  2. Lights
  3. The Listening
  4. River
River by Lights

TRACK

Lights

River

Release date: 21st September 2009

From The Listening
Track 3
3:04
PopMusic
Spotify Apple Music More on Lights

About This Track

'River' by Lights is a 2009 pop track from the album 'The Listening'. The lyrics set a wide-eyed, slightly uncanny scene of cities and landscapes breaking down and transforming, with a weary sense of things losing their freshness. Over that vision of decay and wonder, the speaker longs for something lasting, then turns to a river as a guide and route out of time, asking to be taken and carried. One line puts the wish plainly, “Take me river, carry me far”.

"River" is a track by Lights, from the album The Listening, released 21st September 2009. The track is 3:04 long. It's filed under Pop. Full lyrics are available below. Dork has published 1 article about Lights.

About the Artist

Lights

Lights

Lyrics

River

Out across cities, I see buildings turn into piles
And watch the world in wonder as mountains turn into tiles
And trees losing their leaves and their faces becoming tired
I wish I could discover something that doesn't expire
Come and stumble me

Take me river, carry me far
Lead me river, like a mother
Take me over to some other unknown
Put me in the undertow

Such other things that make a kingdom rumble and shatter
The same dynamic that another day would never matter
It really just depends on who's giving and who's receiving
And things that don't make sense are always a little deceiving
Come and humble me

Take me river, carry me far
Lead me river, like a mother
Take me over to some other unknown
Put me in the undertow

I wanna go where you're going
A follower, following
Changing, but never changed
Claiming, but never claimed

Take me river, carry me far
Lead me river, like a mother
Take me over to some other unknown
Put me in the undertow

Take me river, carry me far
Lead me river, like a mother
Take me over to some other unknown
Put me in the undertow

Take me river, carry me far
Lead me river, like a mother
Take me over to some other unknown
Put me in the undertow

Lyrics provided by LRCLIB

View full lyrics page →

Track details

From The Listening

3:042009
Listen
Album
The Listening
The Listening
Lights
22nd September 2009
Track number
3
Release year
2009
  1. 2Drive My Soul
    3:21
  2. 3River
    3:04
  3. 5Ice
    2:56
  4. 6Pretend
    3:23

More from Lights

Albums & EPs

A6EXTENDED
A6EXTENDED
2026
A6
A6
2025
dEd
dEd
2023
PEP
PEP
2022
Skin&Earth Acoustic
Skin&Earth Acoustic
2019
Skin&Earth
Skin&Earth
2017

Explore

More tracks by Lights

  1. Right Through You ('Mile End Kicks' - Music Inspired by the Motion Picture)
    2:59
  2. ALIVE AGAINA6EXTENDED
    3:42
  3. ALIVE AGAINA6
    3:42
  4. ANGELINAA6EXTENDED
    2:54
  5. CLINGYA6
    3:25
  6. COME GET YOUR GIRLA6EXTENDED
    3:42
  7. DAMAGEA6
    3:21
  8. DAY TWOA6
    4:10
  9. DRINKS ON THE COASTA6
    3:18
  10. EDUCATIONA6EXTENDED
    3:50

Showing 10 of 20

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Say Lou Lou

Say Lou Lou

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CHVRCHES

Purity Ring

Purity Ring

Fickle Friends

Fickle Friends

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Luna Shadows

7The Last Thing On Your Mind
3:20
  • 8Second Go
    3:16
  • 9February Air
    3:48
  • 10Face Up
    3:26
  • 11Lions!
    3:17
  • 12Quiet
    3:14
  • 13Pretend (Reprise)
    3:05
  • 14Saviour (Adam Young Remix)
    3:17

    • Credits

    Production & Engineering

    Writer
    Lights, Thomas “Tawgs” Salter
    Producer
    Lights, Thomas “Tawgs” Salter
    Mastering Engineer
    João Carvalho
    READ MORE ABOUT LIGHTSREAD MORE ABOUT LIGHTSREAD MORE ABOUT LIGHTSREAD MORE ABOUT LIGHTS
    READ MORE ABOUT LIGHTSREAD MORE ABOUT LIGHTSREAD MORE ABOUT LIGHTSREAD MORE ABOUT LIGHTS
    Tegan and Sara have released new single ‘Our Year’ with Lights
    News

    Tegan and Sara have released new single ‘Our Year’ with Lights

    Tegan and Sara’s first new music since 2022 arrives with Lights, producer Felix Cartal and a new video.

    25 Sept 2026 • 4:54 am
    Tegan and Sara have announced new single ‘Our Year’ with Lights and Felix Cartal
    News

    Tegan and Sara have announced new single ‘Our Year’ with Lights and Felix Cartal

    The Canadian duo’s first new song since 2022 will arrive with a video on Friday 25th September.

    19 Sept 2026 • 7:33 pm
    Lights shares new single 'Alive Again' ahead of sixth studio album
    News

    Lights shares new single 'Alive Again' ahead of sixth studio album

    The haunting new wave-inspired track comes ahead of new full-length 'A6'.

    8 Feb 2025 • 1:10 pm
    Lights: "Creativity is not formulated by genre; it's formulated by fucking mood swings"
    Features

    Lights: "Creativity is not formulated by genre; it's formulated by fucking mood swings"

    One of music’s most ambitious artists, Lights has spun her ever-expanding world of music, comics and stories into her stripped-back full-length, ‘Skin&Earth Acoustic’.

    18 Jul 2019 • 9:29 am
    Lights: "I'm able to open up this whole new side of me"
    Features

    Lights: "I'm able to open up this whole new side of me"

    "A young woman is in a post-apocalyptic world where the last bastion of humanity lives. It's an oasis in the middle of a wasteland, and there's an insan...

    26 Sept 2017 • 12:57 pm