Josh Groban - You Raise Me Up Lyrics
Lyrics
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.
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.
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.
There is no life - no life without its hunger; Each restless heart beats so imperfectly; But when you come and I am filled with wonder, Sometimes, I think I glimpse eternity.
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.
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.
You raise me up to more than I can be.
Video
Josh Groban - You Raise Me Up (Official Music Video) [HD Remaster]
Meaning & Inspiration
Josh Groban’s version of this track arrived on November 11, 2003, as a centerpiece of his album Closer, and it has since become a staple at weddings and funerals alike. While some argue the lyrics describe human romance or friendship, the imagery of standing on mountains and walking on stormy seas points directly to the kind of supernatural support we only find in the presence of the Almighty. When the singer admits that his heart beats imperfectly, he is confessing the very reality Paul articulated in Romans 7 regarding the struggle with the flesh. We are all restless, seeking fulfillment in things that inevitably fail us, but the lyrics describe a stillness in silence that mimics the invitation found in Psalm 46:10 to be still and know that He is God.
The claim that someone raises him up so he can walk on stormy seas is a clear nod to the account in Matthew 14, where Peter only stayed above the waves as long as his eyes remained fixed on Christ. When the lyrics declare he is strong while on those shoulders, it mimics the imagery of the Good Shepherd who leaves the ninety-nine to carry the one lost sheep home. It is a striking picture of grace. The song hits a deeper theological note when it claims the singer is raised to more than he can be on his own. That is the essence of sanctification, the process where our brokenness is replaced by His strength, exactly as promised in 2 Corinthians 12:9. We are incapable of traversing the turbulent waters of this life alone, but we are granted impossible courage when we lean on the One who sustains us. The fleeting glimpse of eternity mentioned in the bridge confirms that the hunger mentioned in the lyrics is actually a God-shaped vacuum that only the Creator can satisfy. If we truly grasp that our insufficiency is the exact space where His power begins, we stop trying to climb the mountain on our own legs and finally let the Savior do the heavy lifting.