Up Where We Belong
Joe Cocker Lyrics


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Who knows what tomorrow brings
In a world few hearts survive
All I know is the way I feel
When it's real, I keep it alive

The road is long
There are mountains in our way
But we climb a step every day

Love lift us up where we belong
Where the eagles cry
On a mountain high
Love lift us up where we belong
Far from the world below
Up where the clear winds blow

Some hang on to used to be
Live their lives looking behind
All we have is here and now
All our lives, out there to find

The road is long
There are mountains in our way
But we climb a step every day

Love lift us up where we belong
Where the eagles cry
On a mountain high
Love lift us up where we belong
Far from the world we know
Where the clear winds blow

Time goes by
No time to cry
Life's you and I
Alive today

Love lift us up where we belong
Where the eagles cry
On a mountain high
Love lift us up where we belong
Far from the world we know
Where the clear winds blow

Love lift us up where we belong
Where the eagles cry




On a mountain high
Love lift us up where we belong

Overall Meaning

The song Up Where We Belong by Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes is a love ballad that talks about how love can lift us up from the difficulties and uncertainties of life. The first verse sets the mood of uncertainty by asking who knows what tomorrow brings in a world where only a few hearts survive. However, the singer knows that when love is real, they keep it alive. The second verse talks about how some people cling to the past, while the singer emphasizes that all they have is the present to find out what life has in store for them.


The chorus is the heart of the lyrics, where the idea of how love can lift us up is introduced. The road of life is long and there are mountains in our way, but we climb a step every day, making progress with the help of love. The image of eagles crying on a mountain high is a metaphor for freedom and the release from the burdens of the world below. The clear winds represent new beginnings and a fresh start. The song ends with hope and the affirmation that life is for living and we need to embrace today and let love lift us up where we belong.


Line by Line Meaning

Who knows what tomorrow brings
It's uncertain what the future holds


In a world few hearts survive
The world is tough and broken-hearted people are plenty.


All I know is the way I feel
I am aware of my emotions


When it's real, I keep it alive
As long as it's genuine, I nourish it


The road is long
The journey is bound to take time.


There are mountains in our way
We'll encounter obstacles along the way


But we climb a step every day
We keep making progress every day


Love lift us up where we belong
Love elevates us to where we're meant to be.


Where the eagles cry
A place that's high and free.


On a mountain high
A location that's elevated


Far from the world below
We're in a place that's above the mundane


Up where the clear winds blow
Where the refreshing winds prevail


Some hang on to used to be
Some folks cling to the past


Live their lives looking behind
And are constantly looking back.


All we have is here and now
We can only rely on the present.


All our lives, out there to find
The rest of our lives are out there waiting for us to discover.


Time goes by
Time passes quickly


No time to cry
There's no point in dwelling on failures


Life's you and I
Life belongs to you and me


Alive today
We're alive right now




Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Jack Nitzsche, Buffy Saint-Marie, Will Jennings

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

@murphyeguaoje8077

My siblings and I first heard this song in the 1980s when we were young growing up in Nigeria. It was on one of the local radios and the rich voices and tone of the total music just got into our spirits and made us cry. Yes we didn't understand or total hear the full words but those we hears were more than enough to hold us captivated.

For days we would have our little transistor radio turned to the station hoping the song would be played again but it wasn't for a long time. We didn't know who the singers were as some of us thought it was kenny Rogers (he was popular in Nigeria then) and Dolly parton (she was also popular). Then one cool evening after we already gave up any hope of hearing the song again. The radio dj said: "due to popular demands from listeners who have written countless letters requesting for this song to be played again, so we going to play it twice back to back". Our elder brother said it got to be that song so he grabbed his Sonny Walkman with cassette in it that could record and placed it by the speaker of our transistor radio. We all kept quiet and waited. The moment the song started he pressed the record button and we had it recorded. To us it felt like we had conquered the world. We were sooooo full of joy. And we played it almost everyday and for no reason it would make us cry. But on that day we realized it was the songers we thought we knew but two lovely voices unknown to our part of the world.

I haven't heard of this song for over 30 years until now but it still makes me cry even as a grown up man.

For real the mountains might be rough to climb but we climb a step by step

Their voices is like mixing lovely cream and chocolate to produce very rich tea.
Thanks to the two of them for bringing so much joy and love to a world like ours.



All comments from YouTube:

@leenarae7734

Lost my dad recently. A week before he passed he heard the chorus of this song in his head. He said he didn't know why, he hadn't heard it since childhood. Shortly later he passed. Love lifted him up where he belonged. Later that evening we saw his face in the clouds. Welcome home dad... I love you

@tinaquinn9042

Omg that's beautiful ♥️

@desireejaikaran1858

I can't get this song out of my head. ❤

@carlosreis5322

😢

@christopherphillips8027

Clap your hands with me if you still love this song as I do in 2023. After 40 years, this song is still great.

@athda197907

❤❤❤❤ still listen to it

@karenwong1281

This song was playing on the radio when I brought my husband home from the hospital. I will never forget that day because he was smiling and feeling good. He passed away two months later from liver cancer. We had 31 beautiful years together 😢❤️

@larrybill2661

I’m so sorry about the lost of your husband I pray that God should guide and protect you from evil and give you good earth and long life!!

@larrybill2661

🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

@israelking504

May the memories you share continue to give you strenghth to carry on.

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