Released: 2018
“River” by Bishop Briggs is a thunderous pop ballad that speaks of a passionate, intense love that is both destructive and healing, akin to the fierce current of a river. The song bathes in metaphoric language to express the arduous adventure of love; a journey that’s rough, chaotic, but at the same time, endlessly beautiful.
The track kicks off with a repetitive chorus “Like a river, like a river,” building a sense of imminence. Here, Briggs likens love to a river; something forceful and relentless, asking her lover to “run her like a river” -a compelling expression of wanting to be loved deeply, even consumed by that love.
The lines “How do we fall in love? Harder than a bullet could hit you. How do we fall apart? Faster than a hairpin trigger” allude to the paradox of love; it’s magnificent and yet precarious. Love here is painted as something powerful, intense, and yet, equally dangerous.
Moving on, “Don’t you say, don’t you say it. One breath, it’ll just break it” perhaps speak of the fragility within this tumultuous love. Words, in Briggs’s perspective, hold the power to either build or break a relationship.
The lyrics “Shut your mouth, baby, stand and deliver. Holy hands, will they make me a sinner?” dial up the raw passion. The metaphor of ‘holy hands’ could suggest the sanctity of their love even if it leads her to ‘sin’, ie. the actions taken due to intense passion could be morally or culturally seen as a sin, but she is ready to embrace it.
The second verse “Tales of an endless heart. Cursed is the fool who’s willing. Can’t change the way we are. One kiss away from killing,” continues to weave a narrative of a love that’s all-consuming and immortal, yet riddled with danger. It paints the picture of lovers dancing on the edge, tempting fate with their passionate encounters.
Briggs then commands “Choke this love ’til the veins start to shiver/ One last breath ’til the tears start to wither” signaling an almost suicidal surrender to the power of love. Love here, is a sweet poison that pushes you to your boundaries and still leaves you begging for more.
The whole song oscillates between extreme passion, surrender, intense longing, and looming danger. The journey of love in “River” isn’t a leisurely stroll along a placid stream; instead, it’s a wild ride down a raging river, brimming with a heady mix of pleasure and pain. All in all, “River” speaks to the warrior in love, one willing to dive headfirst into the tempestuous floods of passion, disregarding the perilous risks involved. So, let’s keep rowing this boat and see where love takes us!
