Live 21 Sep 2001 version
[Spoken intro:] This is a prayer for our fallen brothers and sisters.
There is a blood red circle on the cold dark ground
And the rain is falling down
The church door's thrown open, I can hear the organ's song
But the congregation's gone
My city of ruins
My city of ruins
Now the sweet bells of mercy drift through the evening trees
Young men on the corner like scattered leaves
The boarded up windows, the empty streets
And my brother's down on his knees
My city of ruins
My city of ruins
Come on rise up, come on rise up
Come on rise up, come on rise up
Come on rise up, come on rise up
Come on rise up
Now's there's tears on the pillow, darling, where we slept
And you took my heart when you left
Without your sweet kiss my soul is lost, my friend
Tell me how do I begin again
My city's in ruins
My city's in ruins
Now with these hands, with these hands
With these hands, with these hands
I pray, Lord (with these hands, with these hands)
I pray for the strength, Lord (with these hands, with these hands)
I pray for the faith, Lord (with these hands, with these hands)
We pray for your love, Lord (with these hands, with these hands)
I pray for the lost, Lord (with these hands, with these hands)
I pray for this world, Lord (with these hands, with these hands)
I pray for the strength, Lord (with these hands, with these hands)
I pray for the strength, Lord (with these hands, with these hands)
Come on, come on
Come on rise up, come on rise up
Come on rise up, come on rise up
Come on rise up, come on rise up
Come on rise up, come on rise up
Come on rise up, come on rise up
Come on rise up
The above lyrics are for the live 21 Sep 2001 version of MY CITY OF RUINS at Sony Music Studios in New York City, NY, during the "America: A Tribute To Heroes" benefit concert. Bruce Springsteen opened the concert with an acoustic version of MY CITY OF RUINS, played on guitar and harmonica, accompanied on backing vocals by Steven Van Zandt, Patti Scialfa, Clarence Clemons, Soozie Tyrell, Lisa Lowell, Dee Holmes, and Layonne Holmes.
The "America: A Tribute To Heroes" benefit concert was created by the heads of the four major American broadcast networks; Fox, ABC, NBC, and CBS. They selected Joel Gallen to produce and run the show. Actor George Clooney organized celebrities to perform and to staff the telephone bank. The concert was broadcast live on 21 Sep 2001, uninterrupted and commercial-free, by the four major American television networks and all of the cable networks in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon in 2001.
Done in the style of a telethon, the concert featured twenty-one national and international artists performing on a dark stage illuminated by hundreds of candles and various actors and other celebrities delivering short spoken messages to raise money for the victims and their families, particularly the New York City firefighters and New York City police officers. The money raised amounted to over $200 million, and was given to the United Way's September 11 Telethon Fund.
"America: A Tribute To Heroes" was released as an album and home video on 04 Dec 2001.
Please contact me if you have higher resolution scans of the U.S. issue of the America: A Tribute To Heroes DVD, or if you know of any other official releases that include Bruce Springsteen's live 21 Sep 2001 version of MY CITY OF RUINS.
Any additions, comments, or corrections to this page are welcome. You can contact me at or via the below form.
List of available versions of MY CITY OF RUINS on this website:
MY CITY OF RUINS [Album version]