Lyrics
Verse
When I am down, and, oh, my soul so weary
When troubles come and my heart burdened be
Then I am still and wait here in the silence
Until You come and sit awhile with me
Chorus
You raise me up so I can stand on mountains
You raise me up to walk on stormy seas
I am strong when I am on your shoulders
You raise me up to more than I can be
Chorus
You raise me up so I can stand on mountains
You raise me up to walk on stormy seas
I am strong when I am on your shoulders
You raise me up to more than I can be
Chorus
You raise me up (Up) so I can stand on mountains (Stand on mountains)
You raise me up to walk on stormy seas (Stormy seas)
I am strong (I am strong) when I am on your shoulders (Ooh-ooh)
You raise me up to more than I can be
Chorus
You raise me up (Up) so I can stand on mountains (Stand on mountains)
You raise me up to walk on stormy seas (Stormy seas)
I am strong when I am on your shoulders
You raise me up to more than I can be
Outro
You raise me up to more than I can be
Musician resource
You Raise Me Up Chords
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Meaning & Inspiration
The song pictures a person at a low point, weary and waiting in silence, who finds strength through the presence of another. Its repeated line about being lifted up to more than the singer could be alone carries the idea that endurance comes from outside oneself, whether that support is understood as a friend, a loved one, or God.
The images of standing on mountains and walking on stormy seas make the plea sound like impossible ground made reachable. Because the lyric addresses its helper without naming anyone, the song can be heard as a prayer as easily as a tribute.
Read alongside Scripture, it can be connected cautiously to passages about God as a source of strength for the weary. Isaiah 40 speaks of renewed strength for those who wait on the Lord, and Psalm 40 describes being lifted out of a pit and set on a rock. The lyric itself stays open-ended, so the biblical link is a matter of reading rather than stated doctrine.
Related Scripture
- Isaiah 40:31 Those who wait on the Lord are promised renewed strength.
- Psalm 40:2 The psalmist is lifted from a pit and set on a rock.