Hymn For The Missing
Red Lyrics


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I tried to walk together
But the night was growing dark
Thought you were beside me
But I reached and you were gone
Sometimes I hear you calling
From some lost and distant shore
I hear you crying softly for the way it was before
Where are you now
Are you lost
Will I find you again
Are you alone
Are you afraid
Are you searching for me
Why did you go I had to stay
Now I'm reaching for you
Will you wait, will you wait
Will I see you again

You took it with you when you left
These scars are just a trace
Now it wonders lost and wounded
This heart that I misplaced

Where are you now
Are you lost
Will I find you again
Are you alone
Are you afraid
Are you searching for me
Why did you go I had to stay
Now I'm reaching for you




Will you wait, will you wait
Will I see you again

Overall Meaning

In the song "Hymn For The Missing," Red (US) sings about the pain and loneliness of losing a loved one. The lyrics express the frustration of looking for someone who is no longer there, searching for a way to bring them back. The first verse talks about the feeling of being alone and lost, walking in the dark without the company of the person who was supposed to walk beside. The singer hears the distant cries of their loved one, wishing they could go back to the way things were.


The chorus is a plea for answers, asking where the loved one could be, whether they are lost and alone, and whether they are searching for the singer as well. The second verse brings up the idea of scars left behind. The singer feels wounded and lost, unable to find their old self, without the heart they misplaced. The song ends on a hopeful note, with the singer reaching out for their loved one and hoping to see them again.


Overall, "Hymn For The Missing" is a poignant song that addresses the overwhelming emotions that come with loss and the hope for reunion with a loved one.


Line by Line Meaning

I tried to walk together
I attempted to journey with you


But the night was growing dark
However, the evening was becoming gloomy


Thought you were beside me
I believed you accompanied me


But I reached and you were gone
While reaching out, I discovered you were no longer there


Sometimes I hear you calling
On occasion, I hear you beckoning me


From some lost and distant shore
From some faraway and forgotten coastline


I hear you crying softly for the way it was before
I hear you subtly weeping for the past


Where are you now
Where are you currently located


Are you lost
Are you directionless


Will I find you again
Will I reunite with you at a later time


Are you alone
Are you by yourself


Are you afraid
Are you frightened


Are you searching for me
Are you looking for me


Why did you go I had to stay
Why did you depart while I had to remain


Now I'm reaching for you
Now I'm seeking you out


Will you wait, will you wait
Will you be patient, will you be patient


Will I see you again
Will I encounter you again


You took it with you when you left
You took it along when you departed


These scars are just a trace
These wounds are only remnants


Now it wonders lost and wounded
Now it roams aimlessly, feeling afflicted


This heart that I misplaced
This heart that I misplaced




Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JASEN RAUCH, ROB GRAVES

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

Aidyl Negoy

Okay, I've not seen my interpretation of the song anywhere online, but the more I think about it, the more poetic it sounds, and it makes an already amazing song even more incredible. Please bear with me.

This beginning of the song is clearly the despairing, pitiful cries of someone who has lost a dearly beloved, and who is struggling to move on. Be it a father who lost a daughter, or husband who lost a soulmate, this person is in a world of pain, flooded with memories of the dearly departed. And even in that pain, he is more concerned with that departed person's well being than his own ("Are you alone / Are you afraid / Are you searching for me"). It's the purest form of love. Over and over, this man keeps asking "Will you wait, will you wait", until he sighs one last time, in complete resignation and exhaustion: "Will I see you again?" With that, the man is spent, at around the 3:30 mark. He is done.

That's when the song gets INCREDIBLY interesting, when the music suddenly comes to a halt and changes course. Because that is when this dearly departed person ACTUALLY ANSWERS BACK!

All of a sudden - at the 3:40 mark - we have a new, female voice leading the way and answering his call. Except, there are no more earthly, human words for the rest of the song. This voice seems to assure the man that yes, she's heard him all along, and yes, they will be reunited.

Back and forth, back and forth they go, in a duet that literally transcends words, almost crying in a mix of relief, joy and sorrow, in a loving embrace that's set for eternity.

I can't tell if at this point (after the 3:30 mark), the man is alive, or is already in Heaven with his loved one. But I'm inclined to think it's the latter. Because the sudden halt in the music seems to me like his time on Earth is done, and because of the way he talks to her without actual words for the remainder of the song. Either way, all his years of living a restless life without his soulmate are done. His questions are finally answered.

Yes, he will see her again. Yes, they will be together in Paradise.

Because with Christ in your life, death is not the end.

(apologies for the slightly poetic description - even that is insufficient to capture the total beauty of this masterpiece by Red. God bless!)



Starlight Emiko

Those first two lyrics kill me every time.

I used this song to describe my former best friend. When I lost him I was in such a bad shape that I didn't make friends at all.

Only last year did I finally manage to heal past wounds and found new friends to love...

I hoped my best friend would come back but it's clear to me now that there are new people in my life for me to love...

And my best friend and I will meet again in the next life.



miss amelia

I tried to walk together
But the night was growing dark
Thought you were beside me
But I reached and you were gone
Sometimes I hear you calling
From some lost and distant shore
I hear you crying softly for the way it was before
Where are you now
Are you lost
Will I find you again
Are you alone
Are you afraid
Are you searching for me
Why did you go I had to stay
Now I'm reaching for you
Will you wait, will you wait
Will I see you again
You took it with you when you left
These scars are just a trace
Now it wonders lost and wounded
This heart that I misplaced
Where are you now
Are you lost
Will I find you again
Are you alone
Are you afraid
Are you searching for me
Why did you go I had to stay
Now I'm reaching for you
Will you wait, will you wait
Will I see you again



Derpy Werewolf

Rest In Peace my beautiful husky Stardust. You stood by my side for 5 years.


You were and still are my best friend. I'll never forget the memories we shared. And the last day you lived. Watching that car carelessly take your life away. My world shattered.


You were the best dog anyone could have asked for. And I was so happy that I was your owner. You won't be forgotten. I love and miss you.


-Dez



All comments from YouTube:

Ben Anderson

This song makes me think of all those hundreds of missing children who have yet to be found. And my belief that, one day, somehow, some way, we will bring them home.

One day.

雪愛と平和

Wow I'm literally crying now 😭

Heavenly Rose

😭😭😭😭😭

sandra fraser

Evil should not prevail.... it just can't for these missing angels

Music Syndrome

I got a friend who lost his daughter 5 years ago he used to think that she'll return someday till he stopped

Sireniral

That makes me so sad

39 More Replies...

Fulla M.

My brother went missing back in 2006 after the war in Iraq, he was 17 years old. I used to listen to this song a lot to be reminded of him. It’s been 17 years now and he’s gone, we found nothing so we had to consider him dead. I will always remember him 💔 RIP 😢

Jennifer Walsh

God bless your Brother, Yourself and your Family, until you’re reunited.🙏❤️

Fulla M.

@Jennifer Walsh Thank you, I really appreciate this ❤️🙏🏻

Michelle

I am so sorry your loss and understand the pain.. I just lost my only son age 28. He was not only my son but best friend. I miss my old life. The one I had with him in it. Everyday is a challenge and the heart aches and grieving never ends for me until my last breath. I'm forever grateful to have only had him 28 years of his life and proud to have been his mother. I cant imagine how you and your family get past that never knowing.. my heart goes out to you and your family god bless 🩷

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