A Song-by-Song Review of Raising Up the Dead: Raising Up the Dead

She just wanted someone to fight
It helped to make her feel alive
Someone to hit, someone to love
Who couldn’t exist so high above

And she is waiting for the day
When he comes to her to say
That he is not a voice in her head
He’s raising up the dead

She’ll drive her car into the lake
Hoping she might see his face
He’s everywhere, then why not here
Why navigate, why even steer?

And she is waiting for the day
When he comes to her to say
That he is not a voice in her head
He’s raising up the dead

Alone under the stars
She’s walking all night
When you don’t know where you are
Following the light is not a choice

And she is waiting for the day
When he comes to her to say
That he is not a voice in her head
He’s not the father who fled
He’s not the things that they said
He’s raising up the dead

This song describes the hope of my weary faith so well. I cannot count the times I have wanted to just know that God is not a voice in my head, how many times I’ve walked under the stars, trying to follow the light. This is a real relationship with God – one where we can fight and argue with God, where we wrestle with God.

The music is also wonderful. The percussiveness of the strumming and the staccato of the drums bring the lyrics to life. Danielle’s sudden floating harmony on the final chorus sends shivers down my spine.

As a title track for the song, I think it fits perfectly. It encapsulates that theme of death and life. It calls for God in the midst of the messiness of existence. We want God to be real, but maybe the reality of God is more potent than we are ready for. What if God actually raised up the dead in our midst? What if our prayers were answered?