An alternative take on Creed Lyrics Song 3 - "Higher"

On this Ash Wednesday we all are thinking of how we might draw closer to God. So imagine, if you will that it’s August of 1999, and you hear this new single on the radio called "Higher", a lead single release from Creed’s second album called Human Clay. This rock band has done the single most effective spreading of an idea to everyone ever documented in the post modern era. Creed is a power metal band who is re-united and set to begin touring in the spring, and I am so happy and excited to see them again. The music of Creed is melodic, and hard hitting with a clear relatable lyric that asks some of the most profound questions of existence. The lyrics of “Higher” is straight out of the prayer “The Our Father” where it says thy kingdom come. The imagery of this song through the singers dreams is “The Beatific Vision” of eternity that we the faithful look forward towards every day. These lyrics allows the listener to vividly imagine our desire to be in heaven and how all things will be made new there. As we lay out this song, any actual lyrics will be in both bold and italicized to denote them as the actual song lyrics as we progress through the song. Let us begin with the chorus and then the verses.

Chorus-

Can you take me Higher? To a place where blind men see. Can you take me Higher? To a place with golden streets. While this particular chorus is very self-explanatory in what is being asked, what the faithful see here is our desire for the beatific vision that will come when we get to heaven. C. S. Lewis said, “It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this one.” God commands us to be heavenly minded, and doing so will give us the perspective and motivation to live on earth as he has commanded us (Heb. 11:26-27). Heaven’s New Jerusalem is filled with magnificent beauty, including streets of gold and buildings of pearls, emeralds and precious stones (Rev. 21:19-21). The reference to a place where blind men see in the chorus has a direct correlation to the following bible passage, “…He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”(Revelation 21:4) hence, the blind man sees.

Verse 1-

When dreaming I'm guided to another world, time and time again. While this opening line might feel like a new age idea that some call Astral Projection; the faithful more fully understand this as a spiritually prophetic occurrence that has traditionally been reserved for mystics having visions, or dreams of things like heaven, hell, and purgatory. The beauty of this line is an understanding that one need not be a mystic, or prophet to be able to experience these same phenomena as it simply requires faith and an open mind to how God may be speaking to us in dreams or otherwise. At sunrise I fight to stay asleep, 'Cause I don't want to leave the comfort of this place. 'Cause there's a hunger, a longing to escape from the life I live when I'm awake. So let's go there, let's make our escape, come on, let's go there. Let's ask can we stay? According to newadvent.org; “Mysticism, according to its etymology, implies a relation to mystery. In philosophy, Mysticism is either a religious tendency and desire of the human soul towards an intimate union with the Divinity, or a system growing out of such a tendency and desire. As a philosophical system, Mysticism considers as the end of philosophy the direct union of the human soul with the Divinity through contemplation and love, and attempts to determine the processes and the means of realizing this end.”…” God has gratuitously elevated human nature to a supernatural state. He has assigned as its ultimate end the direct vision of Himself, the Beatific Vision.” https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/10663b.htm Here the lyrics are absolutely, and correctly profound in the suggestion, “Let’s ask can we stay?” because to stay within the Beatific Vision is our hearts desire after all.

Verse 2 -

Although I would like our world to change, it helps me to appreciate those nights and those dreams. But, my friend, I'd sacrifice all those nights if I could make the Earth and my dreams the same. The only difference is to let love replace all our hate. The second verse ties the beatific vision into a neat bow with a profound thought of sacrifice, and love. Here the lyric is directly going to this idea of thy kingdom come from the prayer  “The Our Father” in that we find that the one singing is willing to give up all the dreams to make them a reality here and now in the waking world. The coolest thing of this verse is not just that it is presenting a problem but also a solution that is both practical, and real. The true difference is Love in all things and this lyric is the way to realize heaven on earth in the here and now. Interestingly the signer here is expressing a very heavenly desire for the entire earth to know, accept and live the experiences of the signers dreams, which is “The Beatific Vision.” The reality is that we through grace onto good works are the bringers of the heavenly kingdom to this life and change this world to the new heaven and new earth by allowing God to move through us. It is the actions of God in us that replace hate with Love and those actions of Love grow heaven on earth in the reality of our here and now existence. Creed has done something with this song that will forever be etched into my very being as it expresses what I and possible numerous others know to be true and what we also desire in our hearts.

Reprise -

Up high I feel like I'm alive for the very first time. Set up high I'm strong enough to take these dreams, and make them mine. Set up high I'm strong enough to take these dreams, and make them mine. The reprise begins with up high and that is yet another reference to the Beatific Vision where we and all things will be made new and so the singer expresses aptly that they feel alive for the very first time, and then goes on to state how much strength is gained from access to God’s grace in the Beatific Vision and how thru Him there is nothing that we the faithful cannot accomplish. This is so incredibly open, true and relatable that there is no other way to describe the lyrics of this powerful rock hit as a clarion call to unit ourselves through Love to realize the dream of heaven. This call is to allow God, Creator of the universe to create the new world we seek through us all as one big family of the faithful. When I think of all these things while listening to this song I get goose bumps every time without fail. That feeling is one of joy, encouragement and great hope that there is a way to be the change that you seek in the world. Creed - thank you for this most awesome gift of music & rock on.