Redemption Day Lyrics
I've wept for those who suffer long
But how I weep for those who've gone
Into rooms of grief and questioned wrong
But keep on killing
It's in the soul to feel such things
But weak to watch without speaking
Oh what mercy sadness brings
If God be willing
[Chorus]
There is a train that's heading straight
To heaven's gate, to heaven's gate
And on the way, child and man
And woman wait, watch and wait
For redemption day
[Verse 2]
Fire rages in the streets
And swallows everything it meets
It's just an image often seen
On television
Come leaders, come you men of great
Let us hear you pontificate
Your many virtues laid to waste
And we aren't listening
There is a train that's heading straight
To heaven's gate, to heaven's gate
And on the way, child and man
And woman wait, watch and wait
For redemption day
[Verse 3]
What do you have for us today
Throw us a bone but save the plate
On why we waited until so late
Was there no oil to excavate
No riches in trade for the fate
Of every person who died in hate
Throw us a bone, you men of great
[Chorus]
There is a train that's heading straight
To heaven's gate, to heaven's gate
And on the way, child and man
And woman wait, watch and wait
For redemption day
[Outro]
It's buried in the countryside
It's exploding in the shells at night
It's everywhere a baby cries
Freedom
Freedom
Freedom
About
A cover of the 1996 Sheryl Crow original, Cash’s Redemption Day cover is one of the 60+ songs he recorded in the months leading up to his death – and like so many of his cover songs, he brought such a personal touch and the kind of sincere, sad vocal gravitas that it’s easy to forget it’s a cover at all. Cash and Crow (someone start a cover band for their songs with that name, pronto) became quite close in the last years of Cash’s life, so it’s also a personal tribute in this case.
The lyrics also take on a different light in the context of the Cash cover from the original. Crow’s original was a lament on the Bosnian crisis and the lack of America’s involvement, and it has been widely reported since his death that in the months leading up to his death Cash was disturbed by the possible outbreak of the Iraq War, and generally took an anti-war stance while remaining supportive of the men and women actually called on to fight those wars. Not only is the song a personal affirmation of fate, but a general lament on war and bloodshed.
For a man who famously declared he was the biggest sinner of all – and not with pride, like Crowley – the emphasis on redemption in this song is a powerful image, especially faced with rapidly declining health as Cash was.
Q&A
Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning
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- 10.Aloha Oe
