"The Rising" lyrics

"The Rising"

Can't see nothing in front of me
Can't see nothing coming up behind
Make my way through this darkness
I can't feel nothing but this chain that binds me
Lost track of how far I've gone
How far I've gone, how high I've climbed
On my back's a sixty pound stone
On my shoulder, a half-mile line

Come on up for the rising
Come on up, lay your hands in mine
Come on up for the rising
Come on up for the rising tonight

Left the house this morning
Bells were ringing and filled the air
I was wearing the cross of my calling
On wheels of fire, I come rolling down here

Come on up for the rising
Come on up, lay your hands in mine
Come on up for the rising
Come on up for the rising tonight

There's spirits above and behind me
Faces gone black, eyes burning bright
May their precious blood bind me
Lord, as I stand before your fiery light

I see you Mary in the garden
In the garden of a thousand sighs
There's holy pictures of our children
Dancing in a sky filled with light
May I feel your arms around me
May I feel your blood mix with mine
A dream of life comes to me
Like a catfish dancing on the end of the line

Sky of blackness and sorrow (A dream of life)
Sky of love, sky of tears (A dream of life)
Sky of glory and sadness (A dream of life)
Sky of mercy, sky of fear (A dream of life)
Sky of memory and shadow (A dream of life)
Your burning wind fills my arms tonight
Sky of longing and emptiness (A dream of life)
Sky of fullness, sky of blessed life (A dream of life)

Come on up for the rising
Come on up, lay your hands in mine
Come on up for the rising
Come on up for the rising tonight


Thanks to loftis for adding these lyrics.
Thanks to Brett for correcting these lyrics.
Writer(s): Bruce Springsteen
"The Rising" was written as a response to the terrorist attacks in the USA on the 11th September 2001. The song tells a story of a firefighter climbing up the staircase at the World Trade Center.
Bruce Springsteen said of the song on Nightline upon the album's release, "One of the most powerful images of the 11th, that I'd read in the paper, some of the people coming down were talking about the emergency workers who were ascending. The idea of those guys going up the stairs, up the stairs, ascending, ascending. I mean you could be ascending a smoky staircase; you could be in the afterlife, moving on."
This song won "Best Rock Song" and "Best Male Rock Vocal Performance" at the 2003 Grammy Awards. Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band performed this song during the show.
You May Also Like
Meat Loaf - "Bat Out Of Hell" The sirens are screaming and the fires are howling Way down in the valley tonight. There's a man in the shadows with a gun in his eye And a blade shining, oh, so bright. There's evil in the air and...
Billy Joel - "Goodnight Saigon" We met as soul mates on Parris Island We left as inmates from an asylum And we were sharp, as sharp as knives And we were so gung ho to lay down our lives We came in spastic like tameless horses We...
Journey - "Don't Stop Believin'" Just a small-town girl Livin' in a lonely world She took the midnight train goin' anywhere Just a city boy Born and raised in South Detroit He took the midnight train goin' anywhere A singer in a...
R.E.M. - "It's The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)" That's great! It starts with an earthquake Birds and snakes, an aeroplane and Lenny Bruce is not afraid Eye of a hurricane, listen to yourself churn World serves its own needs, don't mis-serve your...
Mark Knopfler - "What It Is" The drinking dens are spilling out There's staggering in the square There's lads and lasses falling about And a crackling in the air Down around the dungeon doors The shelters and the queues...