"Rise Above This" (3:23) (released February 19, 2008) is the second single from rock band Seether's fourth album Finding Beauty in Negative Spaces (October 23, 2007). The first single was "Fake it."

"Rise Above This" reached #1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart and #58 on the Canadian Hot 100.

Seether released a digital release called "Rhapsody Originals-Seether" (October 14, 2008) that featured "Rise Above This" and three other Seether songs.

A few weeks before the release of Finding Beauty in Negative Space, lead singer Shaun Morgan's brother Eugene Welgemoed killed himself by jumping out a hotel window on Monday, August 13, 2007. "Rise Above This" was used as a tribute to Eugene. The music video for the song was also a tribute to Eugene. Seether made a deal with the organization Kids Help Phone whereby for every time the video is viewed on the Kids Help Phone website, Seether will make a donation to the charity. Bassist Dale Stewart said he hoped the music video would "reach someone and maybe make a little bit of a difference in someone's life." Stewart said that "It wasn't an easy shoot, but the director was really good, thoughtful and supportive. It was an emotional day but in many ways, was sort of therapeutic in a way." Reportedly the shooting of the video had to be shot three times because Shaun Morgan would start crying and couldn't stop. The official music video is 3:30 in length.

The story below is of my own creation and elaborates on the music video. Parts of the video's storyline are changed. To see the music video for this song, go here.


The young man stands on the ledge on the top of his 14-story apartment building. He is 20 years old. He gazes at a picture in his hand. A picture of his family. The day is sunny but inside the man there are only dark storm clouds obscuring the sky and making everything pitch black.

Take the night and darken everything around me,
Call the clouds, and listen closely, I'm lost without you

The young man misses his family of five. They were always there for him when he was growing up. Two siblings and his parents: they all gave him support and love, and he misses them terribly. Growing up in the big city with so many people he's not alone, but he still feels lonely. His neighbors are all too busy and he never sees them. He can't seem to make friends no matter how hard he tries. And he hasn't felt inclined to try all that hard. When he had his family he had so much but now it feels like he has nothing.

Call your name everyday
When I feel so helpless
I'm fallen down, but I'll rise above this (rise above this)

He prepares to jump. He feels the wind in his face and sees the little ants walking below on the street. Right now he has no concerns and no reservations. He thinks about his family one last time.

"Guys, I miss you so much. Allison-I miss your sweet smile and the way you always felt comfortable coming to talk to me when you had problems. Daniel-I loved having you as my big brother and all the things we did together-all the concerts, all the parties, all the movies. Mom and Dad-All the love you gave me and all the things you did for me. I miss you guys so much and I only know one thing to do." The man drops the picture of his family from his hand and it is blown away by the wind.

Hate your mind, regrets are better left unspoken
For all we know this void will grow
And everything's in vain, distressing you don't leave me open
Feels so right that I'll end this all before it gets me

Call your name everyday, when I feel so helpless
I'm fallen down (fallen down) but I'll rise above this (rise above this)

Call your name everyday when I seem so helpless
I'm fallen down (fallen down) but ill rise above this rise, rise above this now

Then it happens. Elsewhere in another city miles away, his family...they feel it.
At high school with her girlfriends Allison feels a terrible cold. It invades every part of her body, chilling her down to her heart and soul.
At a business meeting in the second city the man's father is staring at some business papers. The other employees at the meeting watch as a look of shock comes over the face of the father. His head snaps up and he stares at the wall across the room, seeing nothing yet staring intensely.
At the man's childhood home his mother is there putting away some groceries, milk in her hand. All of a sudden she feels an enormous anger for no reason. "No, no, no. You can't do this!" she thinks to herself. The thought comes from nowhere but suddenly it's everywhere.
At a studio in the city the man's brother Alan is playing lead guitar during a recording of the band's newest album. But then his body acts all by itself. His hands drop the guitar and he reaches out his arms as though reaching around someone in front of him and he puts his arms together, one on top of the other, and pulls them back as though in a stranglehold.

I'll mend myself before it gets me
I'll mend myself before it gets me
I'll mend myself before it gets me
I'll mend myself before it gets me

Call your name everyday
When I feel so helpless.
I'm fallen down (fallen down) but I'll rise above this (rise above this)
Forty eight ways to say that I'm feeling helpless, fallen down, and I'll?

Back on the roof of the building the forces all converge. One moment the man prepares to leap. The next moment his body goes completely cold, he hears his mother's voice say "No, no, no. You can't do this!" Then something amazing, something inexplicable happens. The man feels something pull him backwards, off-balance. He can't control his body and he falls backwards onto the roof. He is stunned. Then everything changes. The sun pierces the storm clouds. The picture of his family is physically gone from him but the image is burned into his mind. He thinks of his family-Allison, Alan, his parents-and he has a thought. "What am I doing?" The coldness inside him has been replaced by a great warmth, a warmth for his family, love and affection. He knows now that he can't take himself away from them and he can't take them away from himself. He could never do without them and they could never do without him. He thinks maybe things will be alright now...

Rise above this, rise above this, rise above this rise above this,
Rise above this now

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