Intro
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I come from down in the valley, where mister when you're young
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They bring you up to do like your daddy done
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Me and Mary we met in high school, when she was just seventeen
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We'd ride out of that valley down to where the fields were green
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We'd go down to the river, and into the river we'd dive
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Oh down to the river we'd ride
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Then I got Mary pregnant, and man that was all she wrote
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And for my nineteenth birthday I got a union card and a wedding coat
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We went down to the courthouse, and the judge put it all to rest
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No wedding day smiles no walk down in the aisle, no flowers no wedding dress
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That night we went down to the river, and into the river we'd dive
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On down to the river we did ride
Solo
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I got a job working construction for the Johnstown Company
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But lately there ain't been much work on account of the economy
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Now all them things that seemed so important
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Well mister they vanished right into the air
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Now I just act like I don't remember, Mary acts like she don't care
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But I remember us riding in my brother's car
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Her body tan and wet down at the reservoir
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At night on them banks I'd lie awake
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And pull her close just to feel each other breath she'd take
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Now those memories come back to haunt me, they haunt me like a curse
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Is a dream a lie if it don't come true, or is it something worse that sends me
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Down to the river though I know the river is dry
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That sends me down to the river tonight
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Down to the river, my baby and I, oh down the river we'd ride
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Oh oh oh oh oh oh
I come from down in the valley, where mister when you're young
They bring you up to do like your daddy done
Me and Mary we met in high school, when she was just seventeen
We'd ride out of that valley down to where the fields were green
We'd go down to the river, and into the river we'd dive
Oh down to the river we'd ride
Then I got Mary pregnant, and man that was all she wrote
And for my nineteenth birthday I got a union card and a wedding coat
We went down to the courthouse, and the judge put it all to rest
No wedding day smiles no walk down in the aisle, no flowers no wedding dress
That night we went down to the river, and into the river we'd dive
On down to the river we did ride
I got a job working construction for the Johnstown Company
But lately there ain't been much work on account of the economy
Now all them things that seemed so important
Well mister they vanished right into the air
Now I just act like I don't remember, Mary acts like she don't care
But I remember us riding in my brother's car
Her body tan and wet down at the reservoir
At night on them banks I'd lie awake
And pull her close just to feel each other breath she'd take
Now those memories come back to haunt me, they haunt me like a curse
Is a dream a lie if it don't come true, or is it something worse that sends me
Down to the river though I know the river is dry
That sends me down to the river tonight
Down to the river, my baby and I, oh down the river we'd ride
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
Traducción literaria al español — fiel al sentimiento del autor, no es cantable.
Vengo del valle, donde señor cuando eres joven
Te enseñan a hacer lo que hizo tu padre
Mary y yo nos conocimos en la secundaria, cuando ella tenía solo diecisiete
Salíamos de ese valle hacia donde los campos eran verdes
Íbamos al río, y en el río nos zambullíamos
Oh, al río íbamos a montar
Luego dejé a Mary embarazada, y hombre eso fue todo lo que escribió
Y para mi cumpleaños diecinueve obtuve una tarjeta del sindicato y un traje de boda
Fuimos al juzgado, y el juez lo dejó todo en paz
Sin sonrisas de boda, sin caminar por el pasillo, sin flores, sin vestido de novia
Esa noche fuimos al río, y en el río nos zambullimos
Al río fuimos a montar
Conseguí un trabajo en construcción para la Compañía Johnstown
Pero últimamente no ha habido mucho trabajo por la economía
Ahora todas esas cosas que parecían tan importantes
Bueno, señor, se desvanecieron en el aire
Ahora solo actúo como si no recordara, Mary actúa como si no le importara
Pero recuerdo cuando íbamos en el auto de mi hermano
Su cuerpo bronceado y mojado en el embalse
Por la noche en esas orillas me quedaba despierto
Y la acercaba solo para sentir cada aliento que tomaba
Ahora esos recuerdos vuelven a atormentarme, me atormentan como una maldición
¿Es un sueño una mentira si no se hace realidad, o es algo peor lo que me envía
Al río aunque sé que el río está seco
Eso me envía al río esta noche
Al río, mi amor y yo, oh al río íbamos a montar
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
Traducción literaria al italiano — fiel al sentimiento del autor, no es cantable.
Vengo da giù nella valle, dove signore quando sei giovane
Ti crescono per fare come ha fatto tuo padre
Io e Mary ci siamo conosciuti al liceo, quando lei aveva solo diciassette anni
Ci allontanavamo da quella valle fino a dove i campi erano verdi
Andavamo giù al fiume, e nel fiume ci tuffavamo
Oh giù al fiume andavamo a correre
Poi ho messo incinta Mary, e amico, quella fu la fine della storia
E per il mio diciannovesimo compleanno mi ritrovai con una tessera sindacale e un abito da sposo
Siamo andati al municipio, e il giudice ha messo tutto a tacere
Niente sorrisi da sposi, niente navata da percorrere, niente fiori, niente abito da sposa
Quella notte siamo andati giù al fiume, e nel fiume ci siamo tuffati
Giù al fiume siamo andati a correre
Ho trovato lavoro nell'edilizia per la compagnia di Johnstown
Ma ultimamente non c'è stato molto lavoro a causa della crisi economica
Ora tutte quelle cose che sembravano così importanti
Beh signore, sono svanite nell'aria
Ora faccio finta di non ricordare, Mary fa finta di non importargliene
Ma io ricordo noi che giravamo sulla macchina di mio fratello
Il suo corpo abbronzato e bagnato giù al lago artificiale
Di notte su quelle rive rimanevo sveglio
E la stringevo a me solo per sentire ogni respiro che prendeva
Ora quei ricordi tornano a tormentarmi, mi tormentano come una maledizione
Un sogno è una bugia se non si avvera, o è qualcosa di peggio che mi spinge
Giù al fiume anche se so che il fiume è in secca
Che mi spinge giù al fiume stanotte
Giù al fiume, la mia ragazza e io, oh giù al fiume andavamo a correre
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
Traducción literaria al portugués — fiel al sentimiento del autor, no es cantable.
Eu venho lá do fundo do vale, onde quando você é jovem
Te criam pra seguir os passos do seu pai
Eu e Mary nos conhecemos no colégio, quando ela tinha só dezessete anos
A gente saía daquele vale até onde os campos eram verdes
Íamos até o rio, e no rio a gente mergulhava
Ah, íamos até o rio, íamos
Aí Mary engravidou, e cara, foi aí que tudo mudou
No meu aniversário de dezenove anos ganhei uma carteira de trabalho e um paletó de casamento
Fomos até o cartório, e o juiz resolveu tudo ali mesmo
Sem sorrisos no altar, sem caminhada pelo corredor, sem flores, sem vestido de noiva
Naquela noite fomos até o rio, e no rio a gente mergulhava
Ah, fomos até o rio, fomos
Consegui um emprego na construção civil, na Johnstown Company
Mas ultimamente não tem aparecido muito serviço por causa da economia
Agora todas aquelas coisas que pareciam tão importantes
Cara, sumiram no ar
Agora eu finjo que não me lembro, Mary finge que não liga
Mas eu me lembro da gente andando no carro do meu irmão
O corpo dela bronzeado e molhado lá na represa
À noite, naquelas margens, eu ficava deitado acordado
E a puxava pra perto só pra sentir cada respiração dela
Agora essas memórias voltam pra me assombrar, me assombram como uma maldição
Um sonho que não se realiza é uma mentira, ou é algo ainda pior que me leva
Até o rio, mesmo sabendo que o rio está seco
Que me leva até o rio esta noite
Até o rio, eu e minha amada, ah, até o rio a gente ia
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
Armónica — próximamente
We are preparing the chords
The story behind
"The River" is a song written and performed by Bruce Springsteen, along with the E Street Band, in 1979. This piece is the title track of his fifth album and became a successful single in some parts of Europe in 1981, reaching number 24 in Ireland, number 25 in the Netherlands, and entering the top 10 in both Sweden and Norway. Depending on the country, the B-side of the single was either "Independence Day" or "Ramrod". Initially, "The River" was to be part of an earlier and shorter version of the album, which was provisionally titled The Ties That Bind. The recording of the song took place at The Power Station, a studio in New York City, on August 26 and 29, 1979. During its first live performance that same year, Springsteen mentioned that the inspiration for the song came from "my brother-in-law and my sister". In the 2012 biography titled Bruce, written by Peter Ames Carlin, an interview with Ginny, Springsteen's sister, is included, in which she states that the song accurately describes her early life with her husband Mickey, to whom she remains married. In his 2016 autobiography, Springsteen confirmed that the song is a tribute to his sister and his brother-in-law. The song is characterized by a harmonica part that is unsettling and, in certain respects, anticipates the style of his next album, Nebraska. The imagery of the chorus and the end of the song were inspired by lines from Hank Williams's 1950 hit "Long Gone Lonesome Blues". The portrayal of economic hardship intertwined with local culture also anticipated the popularity of heartland rock in the 1980s. Writer Robert Hilburn described the song as "a classic sketch of someone who must quickly readjust his dreams, facing life as it is, not a world of his imagination". Throughout the song, the river is presented as a symbol of future dreams, keeping the narrator's hope alive even as these expectations begin to fade. In 2015, Springsteen expressed that he considers "The River", "Point Blank", "Independence Day", and "Stolen Car" to be "the heart and soul" of the album The River. "The River", along with other songs from the album such as "Wreck on the Highway" and "Stolen Car", are said to mark a new direction in his songwriting: these ballads, imbued with a sense of hopelessness, anticipate his next album, Nebraska. Springsteen has noted that "Wreck on the Highway" is one of the songs that reflects a shift in his compositional style, connecting The River with Nebraska. Although "The River" was not released as a single in the United States, it was released in April 1981 in several Western European countries. It reached number 35 on the UK Singles Chart, number 24 on the Ireland Singles Chart, number 10 on the Sweden Singles Chart, number 6 on the Denmark Top 20, and its best position was number 5 on the Norway Singles Chart. In the United States, the song received considerable airplay on album-oriented rock stations and became one of Springsteen's best-known songs. It was included in his 1995 and 2003 greatest hits compilations, as well as in the European edition of the 2009 compilation Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band Greatest Hits.
