You used to call me wicked
I used to call you friend
They say your life is wild
Compared to what lifestyle?
You must have many things to remember
'Cause nothing else in your life has really changed
Everything is almost like it was before
And I don't want to do this anymore

When you lose your sight
Love is like a river
And there's nothing to see
Love is like a river
She was just like me
Love is like a river
And suddenly the day comes

Some call it love 
Some say they're above that
Well, I believed in love 
I called it worth it

Some call me all the time
Love is like a river
Well, love is like a river
Love is like a river
And when you lose your sight
And suddenly the day comes

Everything all around me is electric now
But I haven't burned a candle in a real long time
And only when your heart says it's over does it die
Well, love is like a river running 
Straight back to the sea
Straight back

Some call it love 
Some say they're above it, above that
Well, I believed in love 
I called it worth it, worth it

Well, some call me all the time
Love is like a river
I say you can't stay home and give up the fight
Love is like a river
"I think you're uptight, lady, ooh, out of sight"
That's just what I wanted to hear, ooh, out of sight

You know you can't stay home
In the middle of the night
Love is like a river
You can't say no in the middle of the night
Love is like a river
"I think you're uptight, lady, ooh, out of sight"
And you can't say no in the middle of the night
Love is like a river
"Well, I think you're uptight, lady, uptight, lady 
Ooh, out of sight, out of sight, baby"

---

WEBMISTRESS speculates:

This song is definitely not a highlight of the album. I'm not really sure who the "you" is here - Lindsey? Some unknown guy? Some hypothetical guy? Who knows. If it's Lindsey, she could be talking in the first lines about how, since he's left, that's pretty much all that's changed - he's not in FM anymore. I don't really get Stevie's analogy that "love is like a river" when "you lose your sight"? Apparently, though, she's singing about deep love that went wrong. She believed in it, but the day came when it had to end. Still, she "called it worth it." Did he, or did he see it as something destructive, that he was above? (This is a similar sentiment to the line "And can you tell me, was it worth it?" in Silver Springs.) I think when she contrasts her "electric" lifestyle with "candles" she is referring to the romance going out of her life, because she's too busy with all the trappings of celebrity.

But she maintains that love doesn't die until the heart gives up all hope. Has her heart given up all hope of Lindsey? He seems to have given up on her at this point. Still, for her, that love is still flowing, like a river, straight back to the sea. This line brings to mind the song Straight Back which also maintains that their love is not over - but she uses that line so much it seems to be a favorite representation of love for her. We see it in Crystal and Trouble in Shangri-La as well. Since those songs are about Lindsey in whole or in part, I think that once again Stevie is talking about him, claiming that love will never be over - it will always drive her, like a magnet, "to the sea."

As for the end, here's my take on it: when she says "You can't say no in the middle of the night," I think she might be referring to not being able to say no to sex from Lindsey. She can't turn him down, but she doesn't want to leave it at that - she's not going to "give up the fight" for true love.

 

MIKE speculates:

As Stevie says in a May 1994 radio interview in support of STREET ANGEL, this song is about Joe Walsh. Stevie relates how incredulous she was when Joe dumped her, telling her that her life was just too crazy and wild, to which Stevie snapped back, "Compared to WHAT lifestyle?!", referring to the former
Eagle's notorious partying reputation.

Stevie's love relationship with Joe inspired many of her songs, and is very evident in "Love Is Like A River."