Lyrics
Verse 1
By the rivers of Babylon
Here we sit and weep
Remembering days in Zion singing the Lord’s song
Verse 2
On the willows we hung our harps
Captives wishing to be free
They ask us to sing with gladness
The songs of Zion
Chorus
Bring us back, bring us back
How can we sing in a foreign land
Bring us back
Tag
אִם-אֶשְׁכָּחֵךְ יְרוּשָׁלִָם-- תִּשְׁכַּח יְמִינִי
Im eshkachech yerushalayim tishkach yemini
(If I forget you, Jerusalem, may my right hand forget its skill)
Chorus
Bring us back, bring us back
How can we sing in a foreign land
Bring us back
Video
Meaning & Inspiration
Bring Us Back is a lament and prayer drawn from Psalm 137. The first verse sits by the rivers of Babylon weeping and remembering the days in Zion, and the second hangs harps on the willows, captives wishing to be free, asked to sing the songs of Zion. The chorus asks how the people can sing in a foreign land, and begs to be brought back.
A tag quotes the Hebrew of Psalm 137:5, Im eshkachech Yerushalayim tishkach yemini, with the translation, "If I forget you, Jerusalem, may my right hand forget its skill." The song follows Psalm 137:1-6 closely, and its prayer for return recalls Psalm 126:1 and Jeremiah 29:10-14. Spare and mournful, the song uses a few lines of Scripture to express longing, and the Hebrew gives it a connection to Jerusalem.
Related Scripture
- Psalm 137:1-6 Exiles by the rivers of Babylon weep and remember Zion.
- Psalm 126:1 When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion, the people were like those who dream.
- Jeremiah 29:10-14 God promises to bring the exiles back after seventy years.