The River is the fourteenth 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.
Release and versions
Two official versions of the song exist so far. On May 10, 2019, a remix version was issued as a single along with a music video. The remix was handled by Askjell. The same day, the album version of the song was made available as a pre-order single for those who pre-ordered the album in iTunes or other platforms.
About the song
The song centres around people hiding or holding back their emotions because of the stigmatism that it comes 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 afterwards.
"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."-AURORA[1]
Lyrics
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? (Gone)
And you let the river run wild (Gone)
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? (Gone)
And you let the river run wild (Gone)
And you let the river run wild
You can cry (You can cry)
Drinking your eyes
I don't miss the sadness when it's gone (Gone)
And the feeling of it makes me smile (Gone)
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, you can cry)
Drinking your eyes
Do you miss the sadness when it's gone? (Gone)
(You can cry, you can cry, you can cry)
And you let the river run wild (Gone)
And you let the river run wild
You can cry
(You can cry, you can cry, you can cry)
Drinking your eyes
(To where the ocean is bigger)
I don't miss the sadness when it's gone (Gone)
And the feeling of it makes me smile (Gone)
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
Music Video
AURORA - The River