Miley Cyrus Says the Meaning Behind Her ‘River’ Lyrics Is ‘F***ing Nasty’
After releasing her global hit “Flowers,” Miley Cyrus has another single—well, a whole album, really—for us to play on repeat. The bop is called “River,” and Cyrus dropped a fresh new music video for it at midnight, coinciding with the debut of her long-awaited album Endless Summer Vacation.
Cyrus teased what “River” is about in a clip for her upcoming concert special on Disney+.
“It was a time in my life where I was going through just a lot emotionally and personally, and I guess all my songs kind of evolve,” she says. “They can start as something that was a trouble, like, it just feels like it’s an April shower. It never stops raining. And then it started raining down like love.”
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She also joked about how the song’s upbeat feel and ’80s vibe may mask its explicit content at first. “‘River’: sometimes we just need a dance floor banger, a.k.a. they don’t want me to talk about the fact that the song is about [redacted],” she explains before getting bleeped out.
“It’s fucking nasty,” Cyrus reiterates. “It’s nasty.” That considered, it’s a surprise Disney will be broadcasting the song. (Her concert special, Miley Cyrus – Endless Summer Vacation (Backyard Sessions) debuts on Disney+ Friday at 1 p.m. EST/10 a.m. PST.) But with lines like “You’re just like a river / You go on forever” and “You could be the one, have the honor of my babies,” one could probably guess what she’s alluding to.
Directed by Jacob Bixenman, the accompanying black-and-white visuals are sleek and sexy, featuring Cyrus dancing in a mini dress in a crowd of shirtless bodies in the rain.
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Read the full “River” lyrics below, courtesy of Genius. The song was written by Cyrus, Justin Tranter, Thomas Hull, and Tyler Johnson, and produced by Johnson and Kid Harpoon.
[Verse 1]
I got a new dress just to meet you downtown
Can you walk me through the park just to show it off?
I can pull my hair back in that tight way that you like
If you wrap me in your arms and never stop[Pre-Chorus]
Heart beats so loud that it’s drownin’ me out
Livin’ in an April shower
You’re pourin’ down, baby, drown me out (Ooh, ooh, ooh)[Chorus]
You’re just like a river (Ooh, ooh, ooh)
You’re just like a river (Ooh, ooh, ooh)
You go on forever
You’re just like a river[Verse 2]
Blowing bubbles in the bath, I can’t stop from thinking lately
You could be the one, have the honor of my babies
Hope they have your eyes and that crooked smile
Was a desеrt ‘fore I met you, I was in a drought[Pre-Chorus]
Heart bеats so loud that it’s drownin’ me out
Livin’ in an April shower
You’re pourin’ down, baby, drown me out (Ooh, ooh, ooh)[Chorus]
You’re just like a river (Ooh, ooh, ooh)
You’re just like a river (Ooh, ooh, ooh)
You go on forever
You’re just like a river[Post-Chorus]
You’re never runnin’ dry (Oh)[Bridge]
I feel you everywhere
Your face is all in my hair (Hair)
Covered up in your sweat
It turns me on that you care, baby
Your love, it flows just like a river[Chorus]
You’re just like a river (That’s what you are)
You’re just like a river (That’s what you are)
You’re just like a river (That’s what you are)
You’re just like a river
You’re just like a river (Heart beats so loud that it’s drownin’ me out)
You’re just like a river (Livin’ in an April shower)
You go on forever (You’re pourin’ down, baby, drown me out)
You’re just like a river
Erica Gonzales is the Senior Culture Editor at ELLE.com, where she oversees coverage on TV, movies, music, books, and more. She was previously an editor at HarpersBAZAAR.com. There is a 75 percent chance she’s listening to Lorde right now.