Annie Lennox
Annie Lennox
Annie Lennox
Annie Lennox
Annie Lennox
Annie Lennox
Annie Lennox
Annie Lennox
Annie Lennox
Annie Lennox
Annie Lennox
“Take Me to the River” is the second track from Annie Lennox’s cover album, Medusa.
The song was originally performed by Al Green, though Lennox made numerous small changes to the lyrics and reworked the chorus to better fit her New Wave genre.
[Verse 1]
I don't know why I love you like I do
All the changes you put me through
Take my money and my cigarettes
I haven't seen the worst of it yet
[Pre-Chorus]
I wanna know
Can you tell me?
I'd really love to stay
[Chorus]
Take me to the river
Drop me in the water
Take me to the river
Dip me in the water
Washing me down, washing me down
Washing me down, washing me down
[Verse 2]
I don't know why you treat me so bad
Think of all the things that we could have had
Love is a notion, and I can't forget
My sweet sixteen, I'll never regret
[Pre-Chorus]
I wanna know
Can you tell me?
I'd really love to stay
[Chorus]
Take me to the river
Drop me in the water
Take me to the river
Dip me in the water
[Bridge]
Love me, squeeze me
Love me, tease me
'Til I can't, 'til I can't
'Til I can't, 'til I can't
[Verse 3]
I don't know why I love you like I do
All the trouble you put me through
Sixteen candles blowing on the wall
And here I am, the biggest fool of all
[Pre-Chorus]
I wanna know
Can you tell me?
I'd really love to stay
[Chorus]
Take me to the river
Drop me in the water (Come on, come on, come on)
Dip me in the water
(Oh yeah, you got to take me in the river)
Drop me in the river (Come on)
Dip me in the water (Now take me in the water, yeah)
Drop me in the river
(You got to drop me in the river, come on, come on)
Push me in the water (Push me in the water now, come on)
Drop me in the river
Take Me to the River was written by Al Green & Mabon “Teenie” Hodges.
Take Me to the River was produced by Stephen Lipson.
Annie Lennox released Take Me to the River on Mon Mar 06 1995.
In a 1995 preview of Medusa with The Independent, Annie Lennox explained why she covered “Take Me to the River”:
This was actually inspired by the Talking Heads version [1978]. I needed to sing gospel/soul and I’m not the church-going kind, so I have to take the opportunity when I can.