Psalms 40:2-3
He lifted me up from the pit of despair, out of the miry clay; He set my feet upon a rock, and made my footsteps firm. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the LORD.
Berean Standard Bible, public domain. Read all of Psalms 40
40 songs meet this passage
Coming Home (feat. Skylar Grey) · Diddy - Dirty Money & Skylar Grey
resonates with Psalms 40:2-3
A cry of rescue from a pit followed by thanks, which is the shape of the song's closing gratitude after naming loss and failure.
“you was there when I was drowning”
In Your Way · Alex Jean
resonates with Psalms 40:1-2
The image of being pulled from drowning echoes the psalmist's rescue from the pit and miry clay.
“Lift me up, let me go”
The Catalyst · LINKIN PARK
resonates with Psalms 40:1-2
A cry to be lifted out of a pit of despair mirrors the psalmist's plea to be drawn up from the mud and set on solid ground.
“I hope some day I'll make it out of here”
lovely · Billie Eilish & Khalid
resonates with Psalms 40:1-2
Both voice a hope for rescue that hasn't yet arrived, waiting patiently in the pit rather than pretending it isn't there.
“No way out, no one to come and save me”
Something in the Water · Carrie Underwood
resonates with Psalms 40:1-2
The cry of someone trapped and hopeless mirrors the psalmist's wait for the Lord to lift him from the pit.
“Fix me!”
Master of Puppets · Metallica
strains against Psalms 40:1-2
The psalmist cries out and is drawn up from the pit by God; the song's cry for help is met only with laughter, no rescuer appears.
Tennessee Whiskey · Chris Stapleton
resonates with Psalms 40:1-2
The pattern of being pulled up out of a pit mirrors this psalm's language, though here the rescuer is a person, not God.
Dead and Gone (feat. Justin Timberlake) · T.I.
resonates with Psalms 40:1-2
The chorus's image of traveling a long road trying to find the way home mirrors this psalm's cry of being pulled up out of a pit onto solid ground.
Don't Let Me Fall · B.o.B
strains against Psalms 40:1-2
David's security comes from being lifted by God onto a rock; this song's plea against falling has no one to catch it, only hope that gravity holds off.
Animal I Have Become · Three Days Grace
resonates with Psalms 40:1-2
Crying out to be lifted from a pit one cannot climb out of alone is the same posture of dependence on rescue.
“I need a miracle”
Don't Let Me Down (feat. Daya) · The Chainsmokers
resonates with Psalms 40:1-2
The cry for urgent rescue mirrors the psalmist's wait for God to lift him from the pit, though here the object of hope is left undefined.
“Rescue me from the mire”
Do I Have to Say the Words? · Bryan Adams
strains against Psalms 40:1-2
The psalmist cries this exact plea to God and is lifted from the pit; here the same cry is aimed at a lover, who can offer companionship but not that kind of rescue.
“Talk us down from the ledges”
That's What Love Is For · Amy Grant
resonates with Psalms 40:1-2
Love rescuing from the edge recalls the psalmist's image of being lifted from a desperate, precarious place.
“Maybe your love for me, truly rescued me”
Someone to Love (feat. Babyface) · Jon B.
strains against Psalms 40:1-2
Scripture locates ultimate rescue from the pit in God's patient deliverance; the song places that same rescuing power in a romantic partner.
Adia · Sarah McLachlan
resonates with Psalms 40:1-2
The longing to be rescued and lifted out of misery echoes the psalmist's cry for deliverance, though here a friend stands in the rescuer's place.
Otherside · Red Hot Chili Peppers
strains against Psalms 40:1-2
David's rescue from the pit has a named deliverer; this song stays suspended in the slide without ever naming who or what might pull the narrator out.
“There's no way that you can save me”
Forgot About Dre (feat. Eminem) · Dr. Dre
strains against Psalms 40:1-2
Where the psalmist testifies that God lifted him from the pit, Eminem's verse brushes off any hope of rescue as a lost cause.
It's Been Awhile · Staind
strains against Psalms 40:1-2
The psalm ends with the writer lifted from the pit; this song stays circling in repetition without a resolution or rescue beyond human companionship.
“Hoping one day you'll come and rescue me”
I Tried (feat. Akon) · Bone Thugs-N-Harmony featuring Akon
resonates with Psalms 40:1-2
This is the cry of someone waiting on God to pull them from the mire, almost word for word the posture of this psalm.
“There's nowhere to go”
Snow (Hey Oh) · Red Hot Chili Peppers
strains against Psalms 40:1-2
The psalmist's cry is answered with rescue from the pit; the song's narrator remains stuck in the snow with no stated way out.
“Dug my way out, blood and fire”
F****n' Perfect · Pink
resonates with Psalms 40:1-2
The image of being pulled up out of struggle mirrors the psalmist's cry of being lifted from the pit, though here the rescue is self-driven.
“You came to me when I was at my lowest”
I Need a Doctor (feat. Eminem & Skylar Grey) · Dr. Dre
resonates with Psalms 40:1-2
Being lifted from a pit by someone who 'breathed new life' parallels this psalm's picture of being drawn up from the mire.
“now it's time to build from the bottom of the pit”
It's Time · Imagine Dragons
resonates with Psalms 40:1-2
The imagery of rising from a low place to something new mirrors this psalm of being lifted out of the pit.
Lose Yourself · Eminem
strains against Psalms 40:1-3
The psalmist's rescue from the pit comes through waiting on God; this song's rescue comes entirely through self-reliant grit, with no outside helper in view.
“I just can't keep living this way”
Not Afraid · Eminem
resonates with Psalms 40:1-3
The cry to break from a destructive cycle and stand on firmer ground mirrors the psalmist's rescue from the pit, even though here the rescue is self-attributed.
“I remember back when I was low as a rug”
GOOD DAY · Forrest Frank
resonates with Psalms 40:1-3
The testimony of being lifted from a low place into new song mirrors this psalm's pattern of rescue and praise.
HOPE · NF
resonates with Psalms 40:1-3
Like the psalmist waiting patiently and being lifted from the pit, NF describes rock bottom giving way to a new direction.
Save Me · Jelly Roll
resonates with Psalms 40:1-3
The whole song's posture, waiting and crying out from a pit of despair without yet seeing the way out, mirrors the psalmist's unresolved cry for rescue.
“Try to put me underground”
Liar · Jelly Roll
resonates with Psalms 40:1-3
The psalmist's rescue from the pit and new song mirrors the defiant rising the chorus declares against despair's pull downward.
“I'll remember the way that you saved me”
I'll Remember (Theme from the Motion Picture "With Honors") · Madonna
resonates with Psalms 40:1-3
Like the psalmist recalling rescue from a pit, the singer looks back gratefully on being drawn out of brokenness into stability.
“I sure enough couldn't have survived without you”
Thank You · Boyz II Men
resonates with Psalms 40:1-3
A song of thanksgiving for being lifted out of trouble, much like the singer's testimony of survival through someone's steady support.
Tubthumping (Radio Edit) · Chumbawamba
strains against Psalms 40:1-3
Where the Psalm's rescue from the pit comes from God who sets feet on a rock, this song's rising comes from sheer defiance and another round of drinks, with no one it credits for the lift.
“You picked me up when I was down”
All My Life · K-Ci & JoJo
resonates with Psalms 40:1-3
Though addressed to a human partner here, the language of being lifted from a low place recalls the psalmist's testimony of God's rescue, showing how human love can reflect divine care.
Music of My Heart · NSYNC
resonates with Psalms 40:1-3
The whole song's shape, being drawn from despair into song and freedom through another's steady care, echoes this psalm's pattern of rescue turned into praise.
“Save me, call my name and save me from the dark”
Bring Me to Life · Evanescence
resonates with Psalms 40:1-3
A cry to be drawn up and given a new song fits this plea to be called out of darkness and despair.
“People don't usually come back this way”
Lighters (feat. Bruno Mars) · Bad Meets Evil
resonates with Psalms 40:1-3
The song's testimony of climbing out of a 'dark' pit mirrors this psalm's picture of being lifted from the mud and given a new song.
“I climbed from the bottomless pit of hell”
REAL ONES NEVER DIE · Kid Cudi
resonates with Psalms 40:2
Echoes the psalmist's testimony of being lifted from a pit of despair onto solid ground, a picture of rescue mid-struggle.
Cosmic Warrior · Kid Cudi
resonates with Psalms 40:2
The image of a dramatic leap away from a confining wall mirrors the psalmist's picture of being drawn out of a pit, a turning point toward freedom.
Angel · Sarah McLachlan
resonates with Psalms 40:2
The image of being lifted out of the pit and set on solid ground is almost exactly the rescue this lyric is reaching for.
“I took a dive”
On the Way Down · Ryan Cabrera
resonates with Psalms 40:2
The picture of falling into a pit finds its answer in being lifted out, which is exactly the turn this song makes.