Luke O’Hanlon – The River Only Flows One Way | Lyrics
9 LOUNGES TEAM
6/27/2025


The River Only Flows One Way
Moving fast down the deep, deep river
I held my breath and held your hand too tight
You were a child I was an Indian giver
And all the gifts that I gave I wrapped in candle light
You were young but the world was younger
I was old as my eyes and older than my teeth
We were cold and we were fighting hunger
One of us a liar and the other a thief
My heart was dark but the night was darker
When you asked what I was thinking I was thinking about you
There beneath the moon like a saint or martyr
Or an ugly sister squeezing in their sister’s shoe
This river flows like rolling thunder
This river flows both night and day
This river flows with a powerful hunger
Kid you know this river only flows one way
Out here beyond the towns and cities
There is nobody to tuck you in or say your prayers
Nobody will tell you if your hair looks pretty
And if your heart breaks like a dry branch then nobody cares
Inside the whale there is a pretty good book shelf
And a table and a chair and an electric light
Nobody knocking on the door and no mobile signal
Nobody asking you for change or asking for a light
I found my voice in a shell from the sea shore
I found my courage in the hollow of a tree
I found my heart in the jeans on the floor
Of your bedroom on that night I said I’d lost my key
This river flows like rolling thunder
This river flows both night and day
This river flows with a powerful hunger
Kid you know this river only flows one way
Writer(s): Luke O'Hanlon

