I'll take your crystal ball And make this crystal clear, that I won't stand back And I won't drown right here I'll never wait I'll make a million mistakes But to be content is to be a disgrace they crawl in your head They dig in your bones if you let them, they won't let go They have no hope They have no soul if you let them they'll take yours I think it feels better on the other side Cause their grass is green and your grass is diseased Every day drowns in lethargy but to be content is to burn your way they crawl in your head They dig in your bones if you let them, they won't let go They have no hope They have no soul if you let them they'll take yours when you die you want the world to remember you for who you really are And when you die you want to love yourself cause you'll be all alone they crawl in your head They dig in your bones if you let them, they won't let go They have no hope They have no soul if you let them they'll take yours They crawl in your head Don't fear the unknown, cause you'll let them take control So let yourself go, and let yourself go don't you let 'em take you a hold



Lyrics submitted by LaDiablo

Track duration: 04:27

"River People" as written by Nathan D/leone Leone

Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.

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River People song meanings
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  • 0
    General Comment:actually, i think the song is talking about is like peer pressure, and them taking over your life, or maybe drugs. but this is the first time i've ever tried figuring out a song so i don't anything. sorry if this sounds dumb.:)
    Flag its0veron September 13, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:i don't know why, but i have an obsession over this song. it's scary. i can't stop listening to it.
    Flag mcrtheused1on July 22, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:music-addict -- You've beaten me to every single song... I was going to post on Here I Stand, Adalia, and now this one, on what Nathan said about them. But darn you beat me!

    So I'll just pretend that you didn't...


    Hey, everyone, Nathan said that this song is about integrity!!! WOW, did you know that??? I mean, totally, I never heard that before...

    ;-)
    Flag foundthevelvetsun7on May 18, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:"I'll take your crystal ball and make this crystal clear
    That I won't sit back and I won't drown right here"

    I was listening to this song again last night,and since the release of the first part of the auspice,I've een thinking much more deeply aout the meanings of the songs.
    those two lines ^^^ are particularly thought provoking.in my opinion at least.
    Who's saying them?it would APPEAR that they are addressed to Lucille,the town fortune teller.Is this Adalia speaking to her?Was she beyond the perfect society of madina when she disappeared for years-has she seen the river people?Is she using this knowledge to warn lucille of how the people of madina lake have been..obsessed and brainwashed?so-is this her saying that she wants out again?
    hmm..or is it someone else?...
    Flag another*teen*clicheon March 18, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:in an interview, it sounded like matthew said that we,the fans(/friends) are the river people...
    i always thought that the river people were the "they"in this song...so i saw the river people as critics,or so obsessive that they sort of sucked life from their idols...
    but maybe the river people are the victims in this song..maybe this is about society trying to mould us, take away our personalities so that we are all the same...is this whole song aimed at us?
    "to be content is to be a disgrace"- media portrayal-is this about how media pressures us to look/act a certain way?we shouldnt be happy with ourselves but always aim higher?

    They crawl in your head, they dig in your bones
    If you let them they won't let go
    They have no hope, they have no soul
    If you let them then they'll take yours

    they will "crawl in your head"-try to convert you,"dig in your bones"-reshape you and plant their own ideas.they have no souls,because they've given in like everyone else.and now they want you to be just like them.

    "You think it feels better on the other side
    'Cause their grass is green and your grass is diseased
    Every day drowns in lethargy
    But to be content is to burn your wings
    Restless, faceless you've lost your mind"
    maybe this is to the river people who are tempted to give in-they see the perks of fitting in-the social scene etc.. and your "grass is deseased"-in being different you are isolated.if you give in to the pressure,and be like everyone else,you become"faceless" and lose your mind-you lose your SELF.

    "When you die you want the world to
    Remember you for who you really are
    And when you die you want to love yourself 'Cause you'll be all alone"
    Like a final plea from madina lake to their fans,the river people.basically its saying you should live life as yourself,not pretending to be something else,so that people can remember you properly,as unique.if you dont,you will resent yourself for being so false.and in the end you'll be "all alone"- the crowd you follwed wont be there anymore,they will all fade away....and so faking it was pointless anyway...
    Flag another*teen*clicheon February 28, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:this is matthews favourite,and i think its nathans too...
    lol
    Flag another*teen*clicheon February 25, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I think it could be about how the residents of Madina Lake fear the river people,m and that's why 'River People' isn't said in the lyrics.

    Also I think jealousy does come into it. With
    "their grass is green and your grass is diseased"
    and also with:
    "When you die you want the world to
    Remember you for who you really are"
    I think that may refer to celebrities like Adalia disappearing, and how it can maybe overshadow others?
    I'm not sure.

    But
    "They crawl in your head, they dig in your bones"
    When Adalia disappeared, everybody was a suspect, and maybe that means no-one trusts each other.
    "restless, faceless"
    everyone's worrying, everyone's the same?

    Also, about the
    "I'll take your crystal ball and make this crystal clear that i won't sit back and I won't drown right here"
    There's a fortune teller in Madina Lake named Lucielle, who is thought of as crazy and Pandora taunts her.
    After Adalia's disappearance, Pandora disappears [maybe she fled?]: maybe that refers to 'I won't sit back and I won't drown right here' because Pandora [from what I've found out] made friends with Adalia to get herself in her headlines, with Adalia gone, she'd be a suspect and would fall back down into nothing. ["drown right here"]: maybe that meant she wasn't going to sit back and let it happen.

    The way it's described here, the River People sound like Dementors. I suppose they do have hoods.
    Flag WheresAdaliaon February 17, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Are the residents of Madina Lake too interested about the case of Adalia?
    I think this song may be about how the people of Madina Lake are questioning the suspects of the case of Adalia, not giving them the privacy they once had.
    Flag Pointofgravityon November 28, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:The band said that this song is pretty much about integrity...
    Flag music-addicton August 28, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:ohh, i forgot to mention i got that idea because he said that
    "Cause their grass is green, and your grass is deseised"

    Like, The grass is always greener on the other side :]
    Flag IrSpudPls?on August 20, 2007   Link

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