1. Lyrics Breakdown
When the role is called up yonder
I hope you see me there
It's in the water
It's where you came from
It's in the water
It's where you came from
And the crowd begins to wonder
And they cry to see your face
It's in the water...
It's in the story
It's where you came from
The sons and daughters
In all their glory
It's gonna shape them
And when they clash
And come together
And start rising
Just drink the water
Where you came from...
Where you came from
You're the rose
That was called from yonder
Never sold yourself away
It's in the water...
It's in the story
It's where you came from
The sons and daughters
In all their glory
It's gonna shape them
And when they clash
And come together
And start rising
Just drink the water
Where you came from...
Where you came from
And when they clash
And come together
And start rising
Just drink the water
Where you came from...
Where you came from

2. The starting lyric, “When the role is called up yonder, I hope you see my
there”, refers to a hymn that the members of the band will have sang during
their time at church. The lyric of the hymn is “When the roll is called up yonder
I‟ll be there”.This small alteration in the lyric could refer to the way that the
band used to live simple lives at a church but now have been tainted by the
evils of the world. As south-Americans that grew up with a father as a
travelling preacher the members of the band will have learned a variety of
songs that contrast to the style of music that the band play.
The song further refers to religion as the next paragraph has a theme of
water; this carries on throughout the song. This mention of water and
“…where you came from” relies on waters of baptism and how in Christianity it
is often believed that if someone is truly sorry then they can wash away their
sins.
The chorus continues to mention the theme of water and baptism by referring
to „‟the story‟‟ presumed to be the story of life. “The sons and daughters, In all
their glory, It‟s gonna shape them” refers to the ways that religion, most likely
Christianity, can shape „the sons and daughters‟ of god through the words of
the bible, this is another possible meaning to “It‟s in the story” as the bible is a
list of stories.
The tempo of the song then reverts back to the original slower pace that the
verse goes to. This verse comments on how each individual is made in the
image of god and is therefore beautiful, comparable to a rose. The lyrics then
repeat the initial tone of the hymn lyric. “Never sold yourself away” could show
how many people have turned their back on religion and god and have
embraced capitalism and „sold themselves‟ for material possessions.
The final 6 lines of the chorus are repeated in a more forceful way as the
climax of the song approaches. The lyrics refer to the end of the world, the
apocalypse, in which, like the song, everything will come to an end and
people will “come together and start rising” to heaven.
It is obvious that this song refers to the band member‟s religious roots and the
ways that the outside world has tempted them as it has to many other people.
It is portraying what many modern people perceive to be everyday life to be
unholy and how they should return to “where they came from” in the past
when people were much more religious.