MY CITY OF RUINS

Studio version

There's a blood red circle
On the cold dark ground
And the rain is falling down
The church door's thrown open
I can hear the organ's song
But the congregation's gone
My city of ruins
My city of ruins

Now the sweet bells of mercy
Drift through the evening trees
Young men on the corner
Like scattered leaves
The boarded up windows
The empty streets
While my brother's down on his knees
My city of ruins
My city of ruins

Come on rise up! Come on rise up!
Come on rise up! Come on rise up!
Come on rise up! Come on rise up!
Come on rise up! Come on rise up!

Now there's tears on the pillow
Darlin' where we slept
And you took my heart when you left
Without your sweet kiss
My soul is lost, my friend
Tell me how do I begin again?
My city's in ruins
My city's in ruins

Now with these hands
With these hands
With these hands
With these hands
I pray Lord
With these hands
With these hands
I pray for the strength, Lord
With these hands
With these hands
I pray for the faith, Lord
With these hands
With these hands
I pray for your love, Lord
With these hands
With these hands
I pray for the strength, Lord
With these hands
With these hands
I pray for your love, Lord
With these hands
With these hands
I pray for the faith, Lord
With these hands
With these hands
I pray for the strength, Lord

Come on, rise up!
Come on, rise up!

Written especially for the 2000 Asbury Park Christmas show benefit to help promote the revitalization of Asbury Park. Note the forceful, powerful refrain of "Come on, rise up!"

Reported to be rehearsed by Bruce with his Seeger Sessions Band on 13 Apr 2006 at the Convention Hall, Asbury Park, NJ. Some comments from the people who listened to the rehearsals:

• "Had some organ, horns and violin" [13 Apr]

Played during the first 2 of the 4 public rehearsal shows for The Seeger Sessions tour -- 20 and 24 Apr 2006 at the Convention Hall, Asbury Park, NJ.

The song was also played on 30 Apr 2006 at New Orleans Fair Grounds, New Orleans, LA, when Springsteen and the Seeger Sessions Band closed the first weekend of the New Orelans Jazz & Heritage Festival. According to Backstreets:

The emotional "My City of Ruins" that began the encore might as well have been written on that visit; during the song, the whole packed fairgrounds field had hands in the air. Bruce was clearly touched by the spontaneous reaction from this particular crowd; you could see it on his face, and he stepped to the mic and said, "Yes, yes, yes... Yes, yes, yes."

These lyrics refer to the studio version that was released on The Rising, the album that won a 2003 Grammy Award for Best Rock Album, and that was also nominated for Album Of The Year. Check also the 21 Sep 2001 version and the 17-18 Dec 2000 version.