Rivers are threaded through the lyrics of country music just as they are threaded through the natural country landscape.
We’ve collected some of the best country songs about rivers to add some serenity to your day, whether you’re contemplating your romance, religion, or wishing life’s currents would carry you far down the winding stream to a whole new era of being.
Country Songs About Rivers
1. Leon Bridges – River
Leon Bridges’ bluesy country track, River, looks at the life-giving source under a clear Christian light, anchoring his lyrical message in the theme of baptism.
This captivating track refrains from touching upon the cheesy connotations of Christian pop, instead executing a stylish musical balance of gospel inspiration and meditative blues.
This track has an addictive retro feel, elegantly composed of an acoustic guitar, tambourine and Pentacostal choir-style vocals, conjuring an enchanting and warming energy of faith and comfort.
River is written from a sinner’s perspective, detailing the soul-cleansing act of being baptised in the holy river, in hope of becoming closer to God,
“Tip me in your smooth water, I go in as a man with many crimes, come up for air as my sins flow down the Jordan. I wanna come near and give every part of me, but there is blood on my hands, and my lips are unclean. Take me to your river, I wanna go.”
2. Brad Paisley – River Bank
Brad Paisley’s contemporary country hit, River Bank, uses its picturesque metaphor to illustrate the joys of real living and the unbreakable spirit of friends bound by the love for adventure.
This is a track that laughs in the face of glitz and glamour, proving that you don’t need money to create your own version of the American dream; “We’re near the river and far from rich, but we have got each other and gas in the tank, we’re laughing all the way to the river bank.”
Backlighting Brad’s track is a story of unthinkable luck, making way for a song inspirited by hope and opportunity, whether you’re a reckless teen or an adventure-seeking adult;
“Well, I won 2 dollars on a scratch-off ticket, so I went back to the counter and I bought 2 more with it, and I won 10 bucks and that was just right, so I bought a six pack and a bag of ice.”
3. Chris Knight – Down The River
Chris Knight’s captivating track, Down The River, is outstandingly distinctive for the narrator’s gruff voice, giving an authentic, characteristic flair to this morbid track. Knight uses country’s classic storytelling technique to illustrate a gripping tale of river-borne murder and vengeance.
Down The River opens with a calm, picturesque scene, Knight’s warm acoustic tones setting what appears to be a breathtaking landscape for a track about fishing on the river.
But with each haunting, unchanged revolution of the verse’s ever-repeating chord progression, Knight gradually weaves his deathly twist within the story, masterfully reflecting the incessant need for revenge through the subtle yet maddening cyclicality of his once-beautiful harmony.
We wouldn’t dare ruin the complexity of this tale for you, so we’ll leave you to delve into Knight’s lyrical horror story alone.
4. Roger Miller – River In The Rain
Roger Miller’s River In The Rain is a cosy retro country track electrified by its classic guitar solos. Like a time capsule of his era, Miller layers his heart-warming piece with a plethora of lush, clean guitars, pianos and strings, topping his love song to the river with a deeply sentimental message.
River In The Rain’s lyrics reflect the meditations invoked by a body of water and by walks along the winding riverbanks, whilst summoning stunning imagery placing you directly in the narrator’s shoes, “River in the rain, sometimes at night you look like a long, white train, winding your way away from me, river, I’ve never seen the sea.”
This country track harbours a bluesy power-ballad feel within its chorus, shaping a song for anyone wishing the river would wash their sadness from them and carry it far from sight;
“When you’re out of hand and your muddy bubbles roll across my floor, carrying away the things I treasure hell there ain’t ain’t no way to measure, why I love you more than I did the day before.”
5. Jack Owen – Fishin’ On A River
Jack Owen’s bright-skied country track hides a heartbroken story behind its upbeat soundscape. Fishin’ On A River is set in a classic country scene of a bar drinker retreading his troubles; telling his story of preparing a perfect fishing trip with his wife, only to be abandoned at the last minute.
Owen cleverly threads a number of fishing references into this river track, fashioning an anthem for any outdoorsman having issues with their partner, “I’m sitting in a bar instead of fishing on a river, wetting my whistle instead of wetting my line, catching me a buzz, not catching me a bass, running up the tab instead of that Mercury 25.”
Owen’s most stunning fishing metaphor, however, is found submersed within his bridge; “I oughta be tired of throwing them back by now, but there I am letting her go.”
6. Garth Brooks – The River
This retro country track by Garth Brooks is about wading deep into life’s adventure and surmounting your fear of unforeseeable currents.
Brook’s emotive metaphor is planted in his first verse, “You know a dream is like a river, ever changing as it flows, and a dreamer’s just a vessel that must follow where it goes,” opening the floodgates for a free-spirited anthem of finding lasting equilibrium in both yourself and with nature.
The River captures that classic American ambience of freedom masterfully within its chorus, whilst embellished with a profound verse detailing the beauty of letting yourself get swept away by every one of life’s opportunities;
“I will sail my vessel ’til the river runs dry, like a bird upon the wind, these waters are my sky … Too many times we stand aside and let the waters slip away, ’til what we put off ’til tomorrow has now become today, so don’t you sit upon the shoreline and say you’re satisfied, choose to chance the rapids and dare to dance the tide.”