<Tr> <Th> Songwriter (s) </Th> <Td> Patty Griffin </Td> </Tr> <P> "Up to the Mountain (MLK Song)" is a contemporary folk song written by Patty Griffin . The song touches upon emotions surrounding Martin Luther King, Jr.'s famous 1968 "I've Been to the Mountaintop" speech, given the day before his assassination in Memphis, Tennessee . Originally recorded by Solomon Burke in 2006 and Griffin herself in 2007, it has found greater prominence in performances and recordings since then by Kelly Clarkson and Jeff Beck, Susan Boyle, Crystal Bowersox, and Kree Harrison . </P> <P> The song has been variously described as "gospely" or "folkie spiritual". In writing about King, Griffin followed other songwriters, such as U2 with "Pride (In the Name of Love)" and "MLK", James Taylor with "Shed a Little Light", and Stevie Wonder, whose song "Happy Birthday" about King provided a boost in bringing about the Martin Luther King, Jr . Day national holiday . Griffin's take on King uses visual, naturalistic imagery to describe various states of mind expressed in the speech, but with a generality that could extend to other contexts as well: </P> <Dl> <Dd> Some days I look down, </Dd> <Dd> Afraid I will fall--</Dd> <Dd> And though the sun shines...</Dd> <Dd> I see nothing at all . </Dd> </Dl>

Though the sun shines i see nothing at all