This beautiful acoustic original song can bring one to tears. I know for me personally; this song was released when I needed it the most. I had gone through a situation similar to what Rick is portraying in Arise. To me, this song is about a love not meant, a love that must run free. Two people who love each other dearly but both had to make the decision to cut off ties so that one could be happy and follow the path that calls out to them. Remember, a life not lived passionately is not a life well-lived.
In Arise, we get the sense that Rick is letting go of someone he truly loves so that they can be free and go where their heart wants them to be. He lets them go so that they can be happy. To me, this is pure yet painful love. Love is freeing, even if this love is no longer one that you can hold near. I too had to let a love go for them to chase their dreams and happiness—knowing it had to be without me.
You run free now along the stream
I will be a rover, turning the whole world over
Lonesome still but always true.”
In this verse, Rick is expressing that love sometimes means sacrificing what you want for the sake of others. He is being open and vulnerable by stating that while he is lonesome now that he let them go, his love has always been true. Letting someone go doesn’t mean what you shared didn’t matter—sometimes it is the opposite. His love was honest and true and now that they are gone, he feels their absence but is trying to find peace in knowing they are now free to go where their heart calls them to be, it’s a struggle for him hence him “turning the whole world over”—this change has left him uneasy.
“Arise to fill the hollow eyes,
And lift above the grip of these human ties
I will be a soldier fighting to get a little closer
Angry still but not so torn.”
Depression after loss is a weight all of us know and have carried after losing someone we love. A love no longer meant has a way of making us feel hollow and the last thing we want to do is arise with the sun and face the day. There is a struggle that comes with loss when you know they’re still within reach; it is a fight to get closer to them whenever you find yourself missing them and wishing they were near. To me, Rick is discussing the battle of letting them be free and wanting to keep them in his life, to not let them go. These human ties keep us close and in distance, we want them closer. Losing someone makes you angry, sad, confused, and hurt—here he is expressing his anger from the loss, but he’s not torn on his decision in doing what is right, which is allowing someone he loved the chance to find happiness elsewhere, no matter how much it hurts because seeing them chase happiness is worth the temporary feelings of sadness and anger. He must rise above this human tie and these feelings for the both of them.
“I will be a shepherd in the morning sun
I’ll pray into the night, beside each one
I will be an anchor below that drift
The light from above falling on my grip
And I will always keep you close.”
To me, this verse is stating that he will protect them and look out for them, even if from afar. If they need him for any reason, he will be there. His love is true, even in distance, he will keep them close to his heart and mind. He wishes them well and will always keep them close. Despite the distance, he will be the anchor they can relay on, something stable and unwavering—like his love for them.
You run free now along the stream.”
While it is a somber goodbye, he is finding peace with knowing they are finding happiness even if that means without him. I too, had to do this last year with someone I loved. I had to let them go for them to find their happiness. Strangely enough, I wrote a postcard for him with a very similar message.
You run so,
You run so,
You run so
Free.”
When he repeats himself by stating they’re running free, this is almost like a mantra, a way of saying that loss is OK because they’re free. He is accepting the loss with the happiness gained. The sacrifice made to see someone else thrive. By repeating that they’re running free and finding what sets their soul on fire, he is finding peace with that fact. Within sacrifice, there is a silver lining, and that silver lining is acceptance in knowing that to love, is to be free.
To love, is to be free, even in letting go.
