In 1997, Ryan began a relationship with Young Life performing regularly throughout the U.S. at their more than twenty camps. By the end of 1998 he had released his debut record, Cry for Me, produced by Michael Aukofer at Word/Myrhh studios in Nashville. Cry is filled with a host of skilled contributors including Phil Keagy, Phil Madeira, and Cristi Johnson of Alathea and with such diverse instrumentation as Hammond organ, hammered dulcimer, and Celtic bagpipes.
The following year as audiences and attention grew larger for Long, two compilations featuring his music were released. Paste put out their Paste Music Sampler 1 containing “Face It Alone” from Cry for Me. Also that year, The Awakening Compilation, vol. 3 was released with Long’s title track from Cry for Me.
In 2000, Alathea recorded a version of “Gypsy”, originally co-written by Long and Brad Layher. That same year Ryan also recorded “Gypsy” on his new record, Waiting by the Window. Produced by Aukofer at the Whitehouse in Nashville, Waiting was later dubbed the ”Best Follow-up CD” of the year by Paste Music. Waiting, while having the same intimacy, capable cast, and dynamic instrumentation as Cry, really stands out for its soulful and bluesy melodies that move you as much as the stories they -----set the stage for do. As more critical acclaim came for Long, Grassroots Music added the opening cut from Waiting entitled “The Wind in Me” to their Dialects compilation for Americana/Folk.
For Send Up a Flare, recorded in 2003, Long worked with producer Ed Cash. Bringing in only three other musicians (Ken Lewis, Ben Shive, and Byron House), Cash focused on Long’s vocals and guitar. With this minimalistic approach, Ryan’s vibrant and stimulating music and his complex lyrical narratives lend obvious depth to Flare. Great advances in maturity are revealed on this record through his sincere vocals and inventive guitar accompaniments.
Although Ryan’s recordings have been filled with supporting artists, he has chosen throughout the years to travel as a solo artist. His personal and introspective lyrics and his intimately connecting stage presence have brought him an ever-increasing number of staunchly loyal fans and friends every year. Thanks to these folks Ryan has sold over 20,000 CD’s as an independent artist.
Ryan currently lives on Signal Mountain in Chattanooga with his wife Carmen and his daughter Rebecca, and son Carson.
Arise
Ryan Long Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I call across eternity
I am your God are you listening
Arise my Love and Come with me x2
Your heart is sore. Your feet are weary.
Your hope is gone. Your head is hung.
That you've become.
Arise my love and come with me.
Arise my love and come with me.
Arise and come and become what you believe.
Lay down your burdens my love and come with me.
Arise my love and come with me. X2
These lyrics from Ryan Long’s song Arise speak to a higher power calling out to a lost soul, urging them to shed their struggles and follow a new path. The imagery of calling across eternity and identifying oneself as “your God” suggests a spiritual undertone, with the divine reaching out to a wayward human. The lines “Your heart is sore, Your feet are weary” and “Leave behind the nothing that you’ve become” imply a sense of desperation, as if the subject is at a low point in their life and needs a source of comfort and guidance to find their way back to happiness.
However, amidst the bleakness and despair, there is a glimmer of hope in the repeated refrain “Arise my Love and Come with me”. This mantra is a powerful one, inviting the listener to shake off their burdens and walk a new path of enlightenment, to “become what you believe”. The emphasis on love, both in the repeated address “my Love” and the call to “Arise and come”, suggests that the divine presence is a compassionate one, offering solace and assistance to the lost soul. The song’s message is one of renewal, urging the listener to leave behind their past struggles and find a new beginning.
Line by Line Meaning
Beloved can you hear me
My dearest, can you hear my call?
I call across eternity
I reach out to you beyond the bounds of time.
I am your God are you listening
I am your creator, are you paying attention to me?
Arise my Love and Come with me x2
Stand up my beloved and join me, let us go together.
Your heart is sore. Your feet are weary.
Your heart is heavy with pain, your feet are tired with life's struggles.
Your hope is gone. Your head is hung.
You have lost all hope and your head is bent in despair.
Leave behind the nothing
Let go of the emptiness that surrounds you.
That you've become.
The sadness that has taken over you.
Arise and come and become what you believe.
Stand up, follow me, and be the person that you dream of.
Lay down your burdens my love and come with me.
Release all your troubles and issues, and join me.
Arise my love and come with me. X2
Stand up my beloved and join me, let us go together.
Contributed by Anthony D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.