• Take Me To The River

    I don't know why I love you like I do
    After all the changes you put me through
    You stole my money and my cigarette
    And I haven't seen hide nor hair of you yet

    I don't know
    Won't you tell me
    Why I don't understand (note 1)

    Take me to the river
    Won't you wash me down
    Won't you cleanse my soul
    Put my feet on the ground

    I don't know why she treated me so bad
    After all the things we could have had
    Love is a notion I can't forget
    My sweet sixteens I will never regret

    I don't know
    Won't you tell me
    Why I don't understand

    Take me to the river
    Drop me in the water
    Take me to the river
    Drop me in the water

    Hold me, love me, squeeze me (note 2)
    Till I can't, I can't take no more

    I don't know why I love you like I do
    After all the changes you put me through
    There's sixteen candles burning on my wall
    All telling me who's the fool of them all

    I don't know
    Who can tell me
    Why I don't understand
    No, no
    Tell me, tell me
    Why I don't understand
    Don't understand
    Don't understand
    Don't understand
    Don't understand

    Take me to the river
    Drop me in the water
    Take, take me to the river
    Drop me in the water
    Take, take me to the river
    I don't know
    Take, take me to the river
    I don't know
    I don't know
    [etc]

    Played by Bob Weir with Ratdog throughout the 1990s, and briefly with the Grateful Dead in 1995. These are the lyrics from the recorded version with Ratdog, though performances with the Grateful Dead were very similar.

    (1) Al Green's line here is "Am I in love to stay?"

    (2) Al Green sings "Hold me, love me, please me, tease me"

user picture
Default Avatar

Member for

17 years

Played by Bob Weir with Ratdog throughout the 1990s, and briefly with the Grateful Dead in 1995. These are the lyrics from the recorded version with Ratdog, though performances with the Grateful Dead were very similar.

(1) Al Green's line here is "Am I in love to stay?"

(2) Al Green sings "Hold me, love me, please me, tease me"

Lyrics By
Al Green
Mabon Hodges
Music By
Al Green
Mabon Hodges
Lyrics

I don't know why I love you like I do
After all the changes you put me through
You stole my money and my cigarette
And I haven't seen hide nor hair of you yet

I don't know
Won't you tell me
Why I don't understand (note 1)

Take me to the river
Won't you wash me down
Won't you cleanse my soul
Put my feet on the ground

I don't know why she treated me so bad
After all the things we could have had
Love is a notion I can't forget
My sweet sixteens I will never regret

I don't know
Won't you tell me
Why I don't understand

Take me to the river
Drop me in the water
Take me to the river
Drop me in the water

Hold me, love me, squeeze me (note 2)
Till I can't, I can't take no more

I don't know why I love you like I do
After all the changes you put me through
There's sixteen candles burning on my wall
All telling me who's the fool of them all

I don't know
Who can tell me
Why I don't understand
No, no
Tell me, tell me
Why I don't understand
Don't understand
Don't understand
Don't understand
Don't understand

Take me to the river
Drop me in the water
Take, take me to the river
Drop me in the water
Take, take me to the river
I don't know
Take, take me to the river
I don't know
I don't know
[etc]