TAKE ME TO THE RIVER

Original Al Green version

[Spoken:] I'd like to dedicate this song to Little Junior Parker, a cousin of mine who's gone on, but we'd like to kind of carry on in his name, by singing.

I don't know why I love you like I do
After all the changes that you put me through
You stole my money and my cigarettes
And I haven't seen hide nor hair of you yet

I want to know
Won't you tell me
Am I in love to stay?
Yeah!

Take me to the river
And wash me down
Won't you cleanse my soul
Put my feet on the ground

I don't know why she treated me so bad
After all those things that we could have had
Love is a notion that I can't forget
My sweet sixteen I will never regret

I want to know
Won't you tell me
Am I in love to stay?
Ah, ah!

Hold me, love me, please me, tease me
Till I can't, till I can't, can't take no more
Oh, hey!
Take me to the river

I don't know why I love you like I do
After all the things that you put me through
The sixteen candles burning on my wall
Turning me into the biggest fool of them all

I want to know
Won't you tell me
Am I in love to stay?
Ah!

I want to know
Take me to the river
I want to know
Want you to dip me in the water
I want to know
Won't you wash me in the water, there
Wash me in the water, there
Wash me in the water
Won't you wash me in the water
Oh, oh!
Feeling good

Info

TAKE ME TO THE RIVER is a song written by Al Green and Mabon Hodges and originally released by Al Green on his 1974 album Al Green Explores Your Mind. The above lyrics are for the original Al Green version of TAKE ME TO THE RIVER as released in 1974.

Al Green -- Explores Your Mind

LP - Hi Records (SHL 32087) - USA, 1974

Bruce Springsteen's Version

Bruce Springsteen has never performed TAKE ME TO THE RIVER live in full, but he often played a snippet of it in the midsection of TENTH AVENUE FREEZE-OUT during The Reunion Tour. See the live 27 Jun 2000 / 01 Jul 2000 version of TENTH AVENUE FREEZE-OUT for an example.

Credits

Thanks Jake (ol'catfishinthelake at BTX and Greasy Lake) for the lyrics help.

Available Versions

List of available versions of TAKE ME TO THE RIVER on this website:

Page last updated: 07 Apr 2017