The River

The River
Song
Artist	AURORA
Album	A Different Kind of Human - Step 2
Released	May 10, 2019
Genre	Alternative Electropop Art pop
Length	3:38
Label	Decca Records Glassnote Petroleum Records
Writer(s)	Aurora Aksnes Odd Martin Skålnes Magnus Skylstad
Producer(s)	AURORA Magnus Skylstad Odd Martin Skålnes Mark Ralph

Singles Chronology
Previous	"The Seed"
Next	"A Different Kind of Human"

A Different Kind of Human – Step 2 Chronology
Next	"Animal"

"The River" is the seventeenth single released by AURORA and the third single from A Different Kind of Human - Step 2. On May 10, 2019, the song was officially released worldwide.

Remix

A remix by Askjell followed on May 28, 2019. Parts of it do not appear in the original and are believed to be from the song's original version. A music video for the remix using different footage from the original video shoot was released the same day.

About the song

The song centers around people hiding or holding back their emotions because of the stigma surrounding being open, and fearing coming across as being weak. It talks about how letting our emotions out into the world proves that we are human and forms a part of what makes us human (being able to feel feelings and have emotions) and how sometimes letting them out can make you feel so much better afterward.

After the single's release, Aurora explained:

"It's quite a happy song… it's been a while since I've had a joyful song so it feels very nice. It was inspired by something quite sad as I looked at the suicide rates on this planet and apparently 73% of them were men and then I thought, why is that the case? Then I realized, obviously, it must be because of the feeling that you can't talk about your emotions and show that you're in pain because pain is often associated with weakness but you know, here in my world it's not, so the song is inspired by something quite sad but it is also happy because crying can be such a positive experience, especially afterwards when you actually feel a bit lighter. It's about that feeling to let off some steam as they say here in England."

Lyrics

• Transcribed
• Official

Hold your hands onto your chest and *
Tell me what you find
Out of you a sparrow comes and
Sees without its eyes

Don't forget who you are even though you are hurt
You are caught in a wire and soon it will burst

You can cry, drinking your eyes
Do you miss the sadness when it's gone?
And you let the river run wild
And you let the river run wild

I'm a shadow, I am cold and
Now I seek for warmth
Stitch your skin onto my skin and *
We won't be alone

Don't forget who you are even though you're in need
Like a bird in the night, your emotions deserves to be freed

You can cry, drinking your eyes
Do you miss the sadness when it's gone?
And you let the river run wild
And you let the river run wild

You can cry, drinking your eyes
I don't miss the sadness when it's gone!
And the feeling of it makes me smile
As I let the river run wild *

You can cry, you can cry, you can cry
To where the ocean is bigger
Become a part of the river
You can cry. You can cry. You can cry
Can you let the river run wild

You can cry, you can cry
You can cry. Drinking your eyes
Do you miss the sadness when it's gone?
And you let the river run wild
As you let the river run wild *

You can cry, you can cry
You can cry. Drinking your eyes
I don't miss the sadness when it's gone
And the feeling of it makes me smile
As I let the river run wild

You can cry. Drinking your eyes
Do you miss the sadness when it's gone?
And you let the river run wild
And you let the river run wild

Hold your hands up,
To your chest and tell me what you find.
Out of you, a sparrow comes
And sees without its eyes.

Don't forget who you are
Even though you are hurt
You are caught in a wire and soon it will burst

You can cry, drinking your eyes,
Do you miss the sadness when it's gone?
And you let the river run wild.
And you let the river run wild.

I'm a shadow, I am cold and
Now I seek for warmth.
Stitch your skin on to my skin and
We won't be alone.

Don't forget who you are even though you're in need.
Like a bird in the night, your emotions deserves to be freed

You can cry, drinking your eyes.
Do you miss the sadness when it's gone?
And you let the river run wild.
And you let the river run wild.

You can cry, drinking your eyes,
I don't miss the sadness when it's gone!
And the feeling of it makes me smile.
And I let the river run wild.

You can cry. You can cry. You can cry.
To where the ocean is bigger.
Become a part of the river.
You can cry. You can cry. You can cry.
Can you let the river run wild.

You can cry, you can cry
You can cry. Drinking your eyes,
Do you miss the sadness when it's gone?
And you let the river run wild.
And you let the river run wild.

You can cry, you can cry.
You can cry. Drinking your eyes,
I don't miss the sadness when it's gone
And the feeling of it makes me smile
As I let the river run wild

You can cry. Drinking your eyes.
Do you miss the sadness when it's gone?
And you let the river run wild.
And you let the river run wild.

Transcribed lyrics made by listening. Official lyrics copied from the thumbnail of the YouTube audio track. Differences are marked with *

Music video

A music video for the song was released on the same day of its release. It was directed by Nick Walters.

Trivia

• The single's cover photo was shot by Chris Swainston, you can see the photo shoot here.
• The symbols on the cover spell "emotional".
• The released song is a radio mix by Mark Ralph. Aurora noted on Instagram that her 'own version' was planned to be released on A Different Kind of Human - Step 2, but this never materialized. The released version is registered on various song repertoires under the alternate title: "The River Part 2".
• The song was promoted on TikTok with a video challenge (#youcancrychallenge and #TheRiverChallenge).
• The Petroleum Records version of the cover is a different edit: