The politically charged, old-timey bluegrass track “Rising Up” carries a gothic country vibe, with haunting lyrics evoking apocalypse and an outro featuring dueling fiddle and mandolin. Written during the 2016 presidential election, the song has gained renewed urgency, drawing on metaphors of floodwaters, destruction, and the chilly, winding roads of Northern California.

“I was sitting in a Los Angeles café when a torrential rainstorm came down,” Nolan recalls. “Nick Cave was playing on the radio, and it sounded like his voice was dripping down the walls. The 2016 election was underway, and it was clear Trump was going to win. I was donating money, phone banking, going to protests and rallies. I was really caught up in it all. The kind of rain we got was so uncommon that people were worried the LA River might flood. Folks were sandbagging their homes. I felt overwhelmed by this deluge—both the rainfall and the political adversity—and silenced by the storm and the tense political climate.”

Personnel:
Rosy Nolan: vocals, acoustic guitar
Julian McClanahan: fiddle, backing vocals
Billy Lupton: mandolin, backing vocals
Ryan Posner: double bass
Jim Doyle: drums
Produced by Rosy Nolan
Co-Producers: Heather Anne Lomax and Jason Hiller
Engineered, Mixed, and Mastered by Jason Hiller at Electrosound Recordings (Los Angeles, CA)
© & ℗ 2025 Rosy Nolan / Treble in Mind Music (ASCAP)
all rights reserved

Lyrics

The hooks are missing from under the bar
The porcelain mug is cracked
My fingertips are sticky from breakfast
This shirt barely covers my back

I'm sitting up real high on a barstool
Just waiting for someone to call
Nick Cave bleeds out through the ceiling speakers
Then drips down the cafe walls

The water is rising up
And drowning the sound of my voice
It breaks down ever barricade
Leaves nothing left to destroy, to destroy

I'm ignoring the paper on the counter
Can’t bear the news these days
Shaking my head wherever I go
At this country in disarray

These Angelenos can't handle the rain
They slow to a crawl down the highway
I'm from up north where clouds clutter the sky
On bad roads we quicken our drive

The water is rising up
And drowning the sound of my voice
It breaks down ever barricade
Leaves nothing left to destroy

The water is rising up
And drowning the sound of my voice
It breaks down ever barricade
Leaves nothing left to destroy, to destroy