Redemption Day Lyrics
I've wept for those who suffer long
But how I weep for those who've gone
Into rooms of grief and questioned wrong
But keep on killin'
It's in the soul to feel such things
But weak to watch without speaking
Oh, what mercy sadness brings
If God be willing
[Chorus]
There is a train that's headed straight
To heaven's gate, to heaven's gate
And on the way, child and man
And woman wait, watch and wait
For redemption day
[Verse 2]
Fire rages in the streets
And swallows everything it meets
It's just an image often seen
On television
Come leaders, come you men of great
Let us hear you pontificate
Your many virtues laid to waste
And we aren't listening
What do you have for us today?
Throw us a bone but save the plate
On why we waited 'til so late
Was there no oil to excavate?
No riches in trade for the fate
Of every person who died in hate
Throw us a bone, you men of great
[Chorus]
There is a train that's headed straight
To heaven's gate, to heaven's gate
And on the way, child and man
And woman wait, watch and wait
For redemption day
[Outro]
It's buried in the countryside
Exploding in the shells at night
It's everywhere a baby cries
Freedom
Freedom
Freedom
Freedom
Freedom
About
Crow wrote “Redemption Day” after a visit to the war-damaged Bosnia with First Lady Hillary Clinton. Considering what she witnessed there, she said this about writing the track:
“I really experienced something I’d never seen before, which was what it looks like to be in a war-torn area and meet people who had suffered through that,”
Then considered more on America’s decisions:
“Part of [Clinton’s] goal was to speak to the women and children in those villages. The moment we went into Bosnia, the whole genocide was happening in Rwanda and we sat back and watched it, yet Bosnia seemed to be kind of a stronghold in Europe and we needed the military presence there. I came home really struck by the question of why we invest in some countries, and other countries we don’t.”
Q&A
Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning
Country icon Johnny Cash did a cover of “Redemption Day,” changing the lyrics to be more personal. Crow felt deeply honored to have Cash cover her song, and said this about it:
- 1.Maybe Angels
- 3.Home
- 6.Redemption Day
- 10.Oh Marie
- 11.Superstar
- 12.The Book
- 13.Ordinary Morning
- 14.Free Man
- 15.Sad Sad World