The Sound of Tears Lyrics

Redemption from desire
Desires a lonely crier
AstaghfiruLlaha inn Allaha Dhu Karamin (I ask forgiveness of God! Truly God possesses generosity)
Wa rahmatin lilladhi qad taba min zalali (And compassion for the one who turns away after his errors)
In the timeless time, before our time
When You called us forth to bear witness
Following the devout
I answered “Yes, without the shadow of a doubt”
Your Spoken Word, was what I’d heard
As I stumbled into wakefulness
As we gathered about
It stirred me within as it shook me without
And the years they passed till the day at last
I awoke with a cry – oh, the pain of severance!
And then I felt it again, and again
But there was a mercy that was hidden in the pain
Ravenous desire, a burning fire
Who am I to claim a share in deliverance?
I can always explain
But my time’s running out, and my guilt is plain
Oh One Who hears, the sound of tears
As they quench the thirst of the earth that I pray on
My Lord, forgive me
I have failed the covenant that I had taken on
Oh One Who sees, my arrogant knees
As they kiss the ground in the hopes of redemption
My Lord, forgive me
I have failed the covenant that I had taken on
As I took the trust, on ruz-e-alast
The mountains quaked at the consequences
As I pledged to obey
The Earth cried over the ones who’ll go astray
As our ships set sail, and worldly veils
Sent us drifting to our distances
The mind did lose The Way
But the heart kept reminding of yesterday
Now here I am, a broken man
I’ve earned the fate that Your justice regulates
Dry, empty hands
Don’t stop the flow of the hourglass’ sand
Oh Free of Need, You have decreed
Your mercy descends on the one who supplicates
Raised, empty hands
Plead mercy, my Lord, plead a generous hand
Oh One Who hears, the sound of tears
As they quench the thirst of the earth that I pray on
My Lord, forgive me
I have failed the covenant that I had taken on
Oh One Who knows the song of those
Who wail in remorse at the sting of separation
My Lord, forgive me
I have failed the covenant that I had taken on
Forgive me and relieve me
And a wing of hope, do give me
Just a wing of fear that’s with me
Won’t get me near the Promised Land
Redemption from desire
Desires a lonely crier
Your closeness I aspire
But I can’t carry on if you don’t take my hand
Oh One Who hears, the sound of tears
As they quench the thirst of the earth that I pray on
My Lord, forgive me
I have failed the covenant that I had taken on
Oh One Who sees, my arrogant knees
As they kiss the ground in the hopes of redemption
My Lord, forgive me
I have failed the covenant that I had taken on
Rabbana dhalamna anfusana, wa illam taghfir lana (O Lord, we have wronged ourselves, and if You do not forgive us)
Wa tarhamna, la nakunanna min al-khasirin (And have mercy on us, we shall certainly be among the lost)
Oh One Who knows the song of those
Who wail in remorse at the sting of separation
My Lord, forgive me
I have failed the covenant that I had taken on

Language
English

Songwriter
Nader Khan

Inspiration
A song of repentance, based loosely on a section of the Hizb al Kabir of Imam Abul-Hasan al Shadhili, the Qasidah of Repentance from the Diwan of Shaykh Muhammad ibn Al-Habib (where the first two Arabic lines come from), the very first couplet of Maulana Rumi`s Mathnawi, and a few other readings. The “covenant” being referred to in this song, is to be found in Sura al An`am [7:172] of the Qur`an, an event sometimes referred to in Persian Islamic literature as “Ruz-e-alast”, but can be taken to refer to any oath, promise, or responsibility. The prayer at the end of the song is the prayer of Adam and Eve as they took responsibility for their misjudgment, also from Sura al A’raf [7:23].