Long before the beach and the ocean, songwriters had the river. Water in song means baptism, escape, hard work and the steady pull of something always moving. This list follows it from a Mississippi riverbank to a gospel wade-in.
Updated 2026
The River by Bruce Springsteen 1980
A young couple's hopes carried down to a river that runs dry.
Proud Mary by Creedence Clearwater Revival 1969
Rolling on the river, leaving a hard city life behind.
Take Me to the River by Al Green 1974
Soul and salvation tangled up at the water's edge.
Moon River by Andy Williams 1962
A wistful drift toward whatever waits downstream.
Smoke on the Water by Deep Purple 1972
The most famous riff in rock, sparked by a fire over a lake.
Waterfalls by TLC 1995
A warning, wrapped in a hook, not to chase the dangerous thing.
River Deep - Mountain High by Ike & Tina Turner 1966
Love measured against the deepest water there is.
Many Rivers to Cross by Jimmy Cliff 1969
A weary soul still wading through hardship toward home.
Big River by Johnny Cash 1958
Chasing a woman down the length of the Mississippi.
Down by the River by Neil Young 1969
A dark, sprawling jam set on a riverbank.
Wade in the Water by Traditional 1901
An old spiritual that carried coded messages to freedom.
Ol' Man River by Paul Robeson 1936
The river rolling on, indifferent to all the toil beside it.