Speakout Advanced p 92. The River. Extra Listening

On the topic of changes in your life, you can listen to this song.

The River is a song written and recorded by Bruce Springsteen, it is a classic outline (description) of someone who has to re-adjust his dreams quickly. He has to face life as it is, which is not precisely a world of his imagination. Throughout the song the river is viewed as a symbol for the dreams of the future. The narrator keeps his hopes alive even as they realistically begin to fail.

That sends me down to the river,
Though I know, the river is dry.
It sends me down to the river, tonight



THE RIVER

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN

I come from down in the ___________
Where mister, when you’re young
They _________________ to do like your daddy done
Me and Mary we met in high school
When she was just seventeen
We ______________ out of the valley down to where the fields were green
We ______________down to the river
And into the river we ________________
Oh oh down to the river we _________________

Then I got Mary __________
And, man, that was all she wrote
And for my 19th birthday I got a ___________ card and a wedding coat
We went down to the courthouse
When the judge put it all to rest
No wedding day smiles, no walk down the __________
No flowers, no wedding dress
That night we went down to the river
And into the river we _____________
Oh, oh down to the river we _____________

I got a job working ___________ for the Johnstown Company
But lately there ain’t been no work on ___________ of the economy
Now all them things that seemed so important
Well, mister they just __________ right into the air
I just act like I don’t remember
Mary acts like she don’t care
But I remember riding in my brother’s car
Her body __________ and wet down at the reservoir
At night on them banks I ________________
And pull her close just to feel each breath she ______________
Now those memories come back to haunt me
They haunt me like a __________
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 ___________
sends me down to the river tonight
Down to the river
My baby and I
Oh down to the river we ride

KEY

THE RIVER

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN

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 drive out of the valley down to where the fields were green

We’d go down to the river

And into the river we’d dive

Oh, oh down to the river we’d ride



Then I got Mary pregnant

And, man, that was all she wrote

And for my 19th birthday I got a union card and a wedding coat

We went down to the courthouse

when the judge put it all to rest

No wedding day smiles, no walk down the aisle

No flowers, no wedding dress

That night we went down to the river

And into the river we’d dive

Oh down to the river we’d ride



I got a job working construction for the Johnstown Company

But lately there ain’t been no work on account of the economy

Now all them things that seemed so important

Well, mister they just vanish right into the air

I just act like I don’t remember

Mary acts like she don’t care

But I remember 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 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

sends me down to the river tonight

Down to the river

My baby and I

Oh down to the river we ride