Swallowed Up (In the Belly of the Whale) Lyrics

[Verse 1]
I fell asleep on a dark and starlit sea
With nothing but the cloak of God's mercy over me

I come upon strange earth and a great black cave
I dreamt I awoke as if buried in my grave

[Chorus]
We've been swallowed up
We've been swallowed up
Disappeared from this world
We've been swallowed up

[Verse 2]
The bones of sailors from the north and sailors from the east
Lay high in a pyre in the belly of a beast
A beast should you wander in its path upon your ship and your flesh he'll sup
You'll disappear from this world until you've been swallowed up


[Chorus]
We've been swallowed up
We've been swallowed up
Disappeared from this world
We've been swallowed up

[Bridge]
We trusted our skills and our good sails
Our faith that with God the righteous in this world prevail
[Chorus]
We've been swallowed up
We've been swallowed up
Disappeared from this world
We've been swallowed up
We've been swallowed up
We've been swallowed up
Disappeared from this world
We've been swallowed up

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About

Genius Annotation

The first bonus track in Springsteen’s Wrecking Ball, “Swallowed Up (In The Belly Of The Whale)” highlights the economic and psychological devastation of the 2008 Recession.

Using the story of Jonah and the Whale as a backdrop, the melody and rhythm imitate the ocean and make the listener feel like they’re on the surface of the water and the lyrics are something to fall asleep to. However, the lyrics turn gloomy and ambiguous, and the message, using the ocean as a metaphor, can be about the political landscape as well as about depression.

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