Angels of the Disappeared
(Words and Music by Rick Springfield)

I send it out, a prayer tonite
To all the angels of the disappeared
May they sleep in your arms tonite
And may they know they're not forgotten here
And the angels of the disappeared
Are on a city corner or a downtown subway train
And the world is watching and waiting to say

Welcome home to you
Welcome home to you

The highways run, the cities glare
Looking for God's fingerprints somewhere
And every night the alarm is set
So you can remember what you can't forget
And the angels of the disappeared
Watch a southern highway and a mid western trailer park
And a town is watching and waiting to say

Welcome home to you
Welcome home to you
God knows dreams come true
Welcome home to you

We take the precious thing and we break it apart
there's no such thing as an unchangeable heart

And the angels of the disappeared�
are walking hand in hand with the vanished ones tonite
And a heart is watching and waiting to say

Welcome home to you
Welcome home to you
God knows dreams come true
Welcome home to you

And the angels of the disappeared
Oh they're busy tonite

(total playing time 3:16)

Song Facts: This can be found on shock/denial/anger/acceptance.� Rick performed this song for the first time In Milwaukee, WI on 5/20/03, before the cd was ever released.� The little boy saying "I love you" at the end of the song, is one of Rick's sons.

Footnote - the background picture was taken in Milwaukee, WI on 5/20/03 by Renata Hearn during the performance of the song (almost a year before the cd was released)

According to US

I write this with a heavy heart. Never has a RS song touched me so much as this one. I'm all about Rick writing about love, lust, sex and whatever else makes me swoon. But when he hits me at a spot such as this...well I was really at a loss for words. I just cried.

His voice sounds like it's cracking on the first line, "I send it out, a prayer tonight.." Right away I'm choked up. Disclaimer: I'm a sappy person ever since giving birth. Freakin' phone commercials make me tear up. Hearing someone else get choked up, or even crying...I'm a goner. Hand me the tissue. "May they sleep in your arms tonite and may they know they're not forgotten here" This is sort of the same type of prayer I send up whenever I hear a news story of a kidnapped and/or lost child. I hate this part of the world we live in, that the innocent must suffer for the sins of the not-so-innocent.

I cannot imagine the heartbreak of losing a child. I hope I never have to know. I think I hear Rick saying that a bit in this song too. I also watched the news relentlessly during the disappearance of Elizabeth Smart, and I know Rick was inspired by her story to write this song. I did not know her or her family, but I shed tears of joy when she was found alive. Too many times it is not a happy ending for the family. I have also read the book "The Lovely Bones" (way before Rick mentioned it) and I don't see the correlation to that as much as the Smart saga. Maybe for the idea of the angels watching over the disappeared, but that's it for me. 

I love the break in this song where the news report kicks in. Gives it a more "real" feeling, if that's possible. I swear this lady sounds like one of my local newscasters! :-) I also feel that the performance on the CD is better than any live performance I've seen of this song. I do not skip this track because of that reason. My favorite part of this song? The very end....Rick's child's voice saying, "I love you". Yes, he is such a sap. And I love him for it. - Michelle  P.

For some reason, I always want to call this song "Children of the Disappeared", which I think just goes to show that I'm not quite getting it. I finally broke down and read The Lovely Bones, hoping it would give me more insight into this song. I really liked the book, except for the ending, I wasn't really thrilled with that, and I kind of understand more where the "angels" is coming from, but I'm still not tying it into this song very well. To me the "angels" of the disappeared are the ones that died and are looking out for the living. Yet there's a message of hope for some of the missing that they will return, which if they are still alive, they haven't made it to angel status yet. This song just doesn't gel for me, and therefore it doesn't really grab me or touch me or even make me that sad because I guess I just don't get it. It seems like it should fall in the "My Father's Chair" category, but it just doesn't feel as personal, so it doesn't work as well for me.

The "I love you" at the end by Rick's little boy is absolutely precious and it seems to serve as a reminder that his kids are safe and how precious they are to him. - rlh

That beautiful and powerful voice is enough to bring anyone to tears. It is so heavenly for such a sad song. With all of the children missing in the world, it's almost a comfort to think that they may have angels looking over them. 

"To all the angels of the disappeared, may they sleep in your arms tonight, and may they know they're not forgotten here"� I always hoped for those kids in this sort of situation that they know in their little hearts that someone is looking for them and their families will never give up on them. When I think about my two children, hearing this song, it's very emotional. This is a very somber song for this CD, and it slows it down immensely. However, I love the music, and the guitar playing is awesome! - Amy L.