I Rise
Lyrics
[Spoken intro by Emma Gonzalez:]
Us kids don't know what we're talking about
That we're too young to understand how the government works
We call BS!
I'm going through it, yeah
I know you see the tragic in it
Just hold on to the little bit of magic in it
I can't break down now
I can't take that now
Died a thousand times
Managed to survive
I can't break down now
I can't take that
I rise, I rise
I rise up above it, up above it
I rise, I rise
I rise up above it all
There's nothing you can do to me that hasn't been done
Not bulletproof, shouldn't have to run from a gun
River of tears ran dry, let 'em run
No game that you can play with me, I ain't one
'Cause I'm going through it, yeah
I know you see the tragic in it
Just hold on to the little bit of magic in it
I can't break down now
I can't take that now
Died a thousand times
Managed to survive (I managed to survive)
I can't break down now
I can't take that
I rise, I rise
I rise up above it, up above it
I rise, I rise
I rise up above it all
I managed to survive
Freedom's what you choose to do with what's been done to you
No one can hurt you now unless you want them to
No one can hurt you now unless you love 'em too
Unless you love 'em too
'Cause I'm going through it, yeah
I know you see the tragic in it
Just hold on to the little bit of magic in it
I can't break down now
I can't take that
I rise, I rise
I rise up above it, up above it
I rise, I rise
I rise up above it all
Yeah, we gonna rise up
Yeah, we gonna rise up
Yeah, we gonna get up
Yeah, we gonna get up
Yeah, we gonna get up
Yes, we can, we can get it together
We'll rise up, we can get it together
Yeah, we gonna rise up
Yeah, we gonna rise up
Yeah, we gonna get up
Yeah, we gonna get up
Yeah, we gonna get up
Yes, we can, we can get it together
We'll rise up, we can get it together
Credits
Written by Madonna, Jason Evigan, and Brittany Talia Hazzard
Produced by Madonna and Jason Evigan
Album
Song
'I Rise' was made available for download and streaming on May 3, 2019 as a preview of the album Madame X. The song reads as a political manifesto, referencing the battle of the Parkland students against gun violence in the USA (using part of a speech by survivor Emma Gonzalez as intro), but it's also hailed as an LGBT anthem.
On Madonna's birthday (Aug. 16, 2019), a remix package was released for 'I Rise' with edits from DJLW, DJ Kue, Offer Nissim, Thomas Gold, Daybreakers, and DJ Irene & The Alliance. This scored Madonna her 48th #1 hit in the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart.
Video
Initially, 'I Rise' didn't get a music video. At its release, a video was uploaded to Madonna's Youtube channel, showing a looped black and white clip of Madonna dancing in slow motion.
On June 19, 2019 TIME released a video based on 'I Rise', directed by Peter Matkiwsky, telling the story of a global population fighting for rights, recognition and survival.
Tour
This album closer also served as the finale on the Madame X Tour. Madonna and her dancers stood together as militants on stage, fist in the air, often with a rainbow flag. On the screen we see images of worldwide protests against gun violence, racism ad homophobia, but also of freedom fighters. Eventually they made their way off stage, into the crowd, walking out the theater in an emotional but powerful singalong.