In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
There's a blood red circle
On the cold dark ground
And the rain is falling down
The church door's thrown open
I can hear the organ's song
But the congregation's gone
My city of ruins
My city of ruins
Now the sweet bells of mercy
Drift through the evening trees
Young men on the corner
Like scattered leaves
The boarded up windows
The empty streets
While my brother's down on his knees
My city of ruins
My city of ruins
Come on, rise up
Come on, rise up
Come on, rise up
Come on, rise up
Come on, rise up
Come on, rise up
Come on, rise up
Now there's tears on the pillow
Darlin', where we slept
And you took my heart when you left
Without your sweet kiss
My soul is lost, my friend
Tell me how do I begin again?
My city's in ruins
My city's in ruins
Now with these hands
With these hands
With these hands
With these hands, I pray Lord
With these hands
With these hands
I pray for the strength, Lord
With these hands
With these hands
Yeah, I pray for the faith, Lord
With these hands
With these hands
I pray for your love, Lord
With these hands
With these hands
I pray for the strength, Lord
With these hands
With these hands
I pray for your love, Lord
With these hands
With these hands
Pray for your faith, Lord
With these hands (oh yeah)
With these hands
I pray for the strength, Lord
With these hands (come on)
With these hands (come on)
Come on, rise up
Come on, rise up
Come on, rise up
Come on, rise up
Come on, rise up
Come on, rise up
Come on, rise up
Come on, rise up
Come on, rise up
Come on, rise up
Come on, rise up
On the cold dark ground
And the rain is falling down
The church door's thrown open
I can hear the organ's song
But the congregation's gone
My city of ruins
My city of ruins
Now the sweet bells of mercy
Drift through the evening trees
Young men on the corner
Like scattered leaves
The boarded up windows
The empty streets
While my brother's down on his knees
My city of ruins
My city of ruins
Come on, rise up
Come on, rise up
Come on, rise up
Come on, rise up
Come on, rise up
Come on, rise up
Come on, rise up
Now there's tears on the pillow
Darlin', where we slept
And you took my heart when you left
Without your sweet kiss
My soul is lost, my friend
Tell me how do I begin again?
My city's in ruins
My city's in ruins
Now with these hands
With these hands
With these hands
With these hands, I pray Lord
With these hands
With these hands
I pray for the strength, Lord
With these hands
With these hands
Yeah, I pray for the faith, Lord
With these hands
With these hands
I pray for your love, Lord
With these hands
With these hands
I pray for the strength, Lord
With these hands
With these hands
I pray for your love, Lord
With these hands
With these hands
Pray for your faith, Lord
With these hands (oh yeah)
With these hands
I pray for the strength, Lord
With these hands (come on)
With these hands (come on)
Come on, rise up
Come on, rise up
Come on, rise up
Come on, rise up
Come on, rise up
Come on, rise up
Come on, rise up
Come on, rise up
Come on, rise up
Come on, rise up
Come on, rise up
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
Standing On The Edge Of Summer
Thursday
Thursday
The Night We Met
Lord Huron
Lord Huron
This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines:
"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
"I had all and then most of you"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
"Some and now none of you"
Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship.
This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
Just A Little Lovin'
Dusty Springfield
Dusty Springfield
I don't think it's necessarily about sex. It's about wanting to start the day with some love and affection. Maybe a warm cuddle. I'm not alone in interpreting it that way! For example:
"'Just a Little Lovin’ is a timeless country song originally recorded by Eddy Arnold in 1954. The song, written by Eddie Miller and Jimmy Campbell, explores the delicate nuances of love and showcases Arnold’s emotive vocals. It delves into the universal theme of love and how even the smallest gesture of affection can have a profound impact on our lives." https://oldtimemusic.com/the-meaning-behind-the-song-just-a-little-lovin-by-eddy-arnold/
Punchline
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran sings about missing his former partner and learning important life lessons in the process on “Punchline.” This track tells a story of battling to get rid of emotions for a former lover, whom he now realized might not have loved him the same way. He’s now caught between accepting that fact and learning life lessons from it and going back to beg her for another chance.
Amazing
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.
2 months ago my friend died at the young age of 18. It was very tough on his family, friends and others. It was one of the most difficult things I have ever witnessed and can say it the whole week was a complete blur.
I listened to this song one day afterwards and i have never heard a song hit so close to home. The beginning reminded me so much of being at the funeral and seeing his casket being taken away, it was an emotional time in my life. And still is.
Every time I play this song I think of my friend. Come on Rise up!
@bearfan34 my thoughts are with you my friend
this song always brings me back to an intense personal experience. i love bruce springsteen. i love this song.
i live in N.J. so many refrences to locations bruce makes, i know about/have been there. i can say though, Asbury Park is being cleaned up (finally) and its starting to look like the old days. ive also been to the stone pony, where bruce got his start. the joint is so small, but there is just some power there that is un-explainable
I've been a Bruce fan for what seems like forever and I loved this song from the first time I heard it. It now has such special meaning to me as I am a recovering alcoholic. The imagery is so metaphorical with the "city" that is in ruins is my own soul and the "rise up" section to me is about overcoming and moving past the wreckage of my life that I caused myself and others. This song is such a testament to Bruce's song writing as the words work on a lot of different levels for different people. Whenever I think I can't go on this song gives me hope. I cherish what it does for me. Corny maybe but it's true. BRUUUUCE!
Though it's taken on new meaning after 9/11, Bruce wrote this one before then about the decay of Asbury Park. He performed it at the Clearwater festival in AP in August 2001.
You all are wrong. This song is about springsteens life origannaly although that sounds weird it is true. Also, many disasters happened after this song was made and all thought it was made for that disaster such as Katrina. I have visited new orleans and seen the destruction. THIS IS LIKE ITS THEME SONG!
Actually Cherub Rock, Bruce has taken on Asbury Park has his adopted hometown. And if u saw it at its lowest - and how far it had fallen - u'd understand. He didn't exagerate really, just put his emotions behind it.
Living in New Orleans for more than a year now, this song feels so appropriate as the city continues to recover from Katrina. It's amazing how accurate the imagery is; you drive down a street in New Orleans listening to this song and it's like being in the music video.
Love the "Come on rise up!" Resilient bunch these New Orleanians.
This is one of my favorite Bruce songs, because the first album of his that I really heard was The Rising, my mom played it all the time, and I fell in love. I connect with this song so greatly, my city - although clearly not as bad as Asbury Park - used to be so alive and fun. I was driving through the old neighborhood on halloween and looking back. I remembered when I was a kid, how packed the streets would be with kids and families, and the block party every year. This year I only saw a few kids out walking around, but mostly saw a bunch of creepy guys walking around, carrying guns. It's terrible the way things have to change.
That's kind of how my city is. We used to have this nice little theater in town where my family went all the time, and now gangsters hang around the now-closed doors. When my mom and I go on on the bike-paths through the back of town, it's not uncommon to catch a whiff of marijuana from some smokers nearby. You DO NOT walk through the bad parts of town alone at night, period, because in the past people who have were raped and their bodies were found days later. "My Hometown" turns into "Murder Incorporated". I do know exactly what you mean about "The Rising" being your first album, too. For me, my dad is the Springsteen fanatic of my parents, and he turned me into one too. My technical first that I remember has to be Live in Dublin and Magic/Working on a Dream. My dad played them over and over again, especially "If I Should Fall Behind", and I could never get tired of it. I really liked "Mrs. McGrath" back then because of my Irish heritage, and from then on Soozie's violin/fiddle has remained one of my favorite parts of the E Street Band.
kenf62, I've heard the same thing, but surely he changed it a bit since then? I mean, some of the imagery here seems top specific and apocalyptic for a song about a decaying N.J. city.
Great song, very moving. Love the gospel feel. I'm guessing that lots of people found this song very moving when it was released