Can't see nothin' in front of me
Can't see nothin' 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 of 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 ringing filled the air
I was wearin' the cross of my calling
On wheels of fire I come rollin' 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

Li, li, li, li, li, li, li, li, li, li, li, li, li, li, li, li, li

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

Li, li, li, li, li, li, li, li, li, li, li, li, li, li, li, li, li

I see you Mary in the garden
In the garden of a thousand sighs
There's holy pictures of our children
Dancin' 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 dancin' on the end of my 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 burnin' wind fills my arms tonight
Sky of longing and emptiness (a dream of life)
Sky of fullness, sky of blessed 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

Li, li, li, li, li, li, li, li, li, li, li, li, li, li, li, li, li


Lyrics submitted by metallifreak

The Rising Lyrics as written by Bruce Springsteen

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

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The Rising song meanings
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    General Comment

    From everything I've read about Bruce (a lot), he was raised as a Catholic but rejected Catholicism a long time ago...he claims it is oppresive and extremely judgmental...Bruce is for the every day man trying to rise above his circumstances. His mention of Mary is not one relating to the Catholic focus on the virgin..."she" comes up in many songs. He says he uses Mary because it is an everyday female name...common. How do you explain "Mary dances across the porch as the radio plays" in Thunder Road or "Meet Me at Mary's Place...(we're gonna have a party)...meet me in Heaven, perhaps???? Or, of course,the River..."I got Mary pregnant..." No, I am not an atheist or agnostic because I don't believe these things...just know what I've read about him...

    brucejuiceon March 10, 2012   Link

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