'door to the river' is the title of a painting by abstract-expressionalist willem de kooning, made in 1960. it can be seen in new york, in the whitney museum of american art.the song door to the river [lyric] is about passing over to death (going through the door to the river). in this context, the river can be seen as a reference to the river styx, the river that the dead had to cross to enter hades, the world of the dead, according to greek myths.