This song is about the grief of losing someone. It could be about a break up with a romantic partner, or the death or distance of any loved one. The lyrics deal evocatively with the physical and mental effects of grief—fatigue and insomnia, feeling numb and detached, crying jags and panic attacks.
...
[Intro]
(Part of me so tired)
[Verse 1]
I feel like a time bomb ticking away
This lump in my throat, it's been there for ten straight days
Constricting the air flow where the things I say
Get caught on the way to and from my brain
[Pre-Chorus]
And I'm tired all the time
But I'm staying up all night
[Chorus]
I'm filling up with vapour
But when the cold sinks in a little later (A little later)
I'm filling up with vapour
But when the cold sinks in a little later
A river will run
Oh-ooh, a river will
A river will
[Verse 2]
Passed out in front of the TV screen
Turn up the volume but I'm not listening
The dialogue is static and I start to panic
And the music fades
[Pre-Chorus]
Kate says in a message
"Girl, we can wade it through
Take deep breaths
Stay ahead of it"
But I'm drifting out of view
[Chorus]
I'm filling up with vapour
But when the cold sinks in a little later (A little later)
I'm filling up with vapour
But when the cold sinks in a little later
A river will run (A river will)
Oh-ooh, a river will run (A river will)
Oh-ooh, a river will run (A river will)
Oh-ooh, a river will (A river will)
A river will
(A river will)
[Bridge]
What a tryin' state
What a miserable birthday
What a shame this constant condensation
[Pre-Chorus]
I felt you pulling away from me
The burn in your eyes, I replay it constantly
You said try to be happy, try to be happy
[Chorus]
Oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh
A river will run (A river will, a river will)
Oh, a river will run (A river will, a river will)
River Run: Lvl 1 was written by Elizabeth Stokes.
River Run: Lvl 1 was produced by Jonathan Pearce.
The Beths released River Run: Lvl 1 on Fri Aug 10 2018.