Josh Garrels was a great find through some Spotify exploration that yielded solid folk songs and in his case as Wikipedia puts it a “nontraditional exploration of Christian themes.” I found his music in 2018, by then he had six albums out. It’s fun to find an artist with at least three albums out to see what they’ve done over the years, and it’s at that point you can really get to know an artist, at least in terms of the themes they focus on and the point of view they often take.
Many people, my own family included, have asked me how I find these bands they’ve never heard. Well I shall divulge the secret publicly; hint, it’s not a big secret. I use Spotify artist and playlist radio a lot. Quite commonly I’m content to listen to playlists I’ve curated, but I’ll go on long streaks of venturing out. That’s how my music tastes have slightly broadened and significantly deepened. My journey into indie / folk music began with a playlist. The playlist contained 6 full albums: Sigh No More, Babel, and Wilder Mind by Mumford and Sons, The Lumineers and Cleopatra by The Lumineers, and Silhouettes & Sand by Jake Scott (then Tossing Copper). I knew I thoroughly enjoyed these albums, and still do, and wanted to listen to more music like this. For the next few months, I listened to the playlist radio and as I heard songs I liked I added them to the playlist. Eventually the playlist was self-sufficient and I removed the initial material. I’ve done this a few times with a few different genres and it has yielded good results each time. This was the 23rd song to be added to that playlist, which is now sitting at a modest 76 songs for just over 5 hours. Honestly, right now I want to simultaneously add more songs to it, maybe double it, and on the other hand I want to fine tune this to the best of the best. Who knows we may have two more playlists on our hands. I currently have 8 public playlists on Spotify and if you’d like to check them out I’ve linked my Spotify account at the bottom of the article.
Alright, enough about my Spotify habits, you came to hear a good song and maybe read what I think about it. It’s always interesting to me when artists start the song with the chorus since most lyricists use the chorus as the punchy, catchy surprise after the verses. Here it’s used to put the listener in the right mindset before diving deep into the realities of this confusing life.
The first verse hits a theme in philosophy and even in the songs I’ve written about. Where Were You also features the struggle in balancing the injustice in the world. Truthfully, I don’t want to turn this political or beat a dead horse, but with all the news focused on racial injustice it’s easy to relate that to these lyrics. By no means, do I have all the answers, but I know the truth of this song, that of the gospel, is needed to work where humanity fails us. We all “go wrong”, we all sing “along to every of the song that the devil wrote like a piper at the gates.” Our humanity and our depravity is what keeps us from God and causes tensions and even hatred for our fellow man. Put simply it is what is broken in this world, why we follow the songs that lead “mice and men down to their fates.” It is the nature of being human.
A sad story for sure, but thank God it’s not the end of the story or the end of the song. I love how Garrels puts it that “There’s so much more to life than we’ve been told. It’s full of beauty that will unfold.” For after salvation that is the essence of the Christian sanctification, an unfolding beauty. He identifies that it is not without it’s trouble being “hard pressed on every side” and struggling between “rock and a compromise”, but we are not without a source of hope, unlike the first verse. We have a hope in what we’ve been shown in Christ. “Heaven filled me with more than enough” with the Holy Spirit.
He concludes the last verse with imagery of the Judgement Day, where those who were saved rejoice, while the reprobate fusses.
Cause every knee must bow and tongue confess
That the Son of God is forever blessed
His is the kingdom, we’re the guests
So put your voice up to the test
Sing Lord, come soon
What a great truth of Scripture, all will bow to King Jesus. Greatly joyous for the believer, but greatly dreadful for the unrepentant. He transitions into some solid application; knowing all of this, sing. Sing unto the Lord.
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever.
Psalm 136:1
He finishes out the song with the third rendition of the chorus, and it is with all of this in mind, he can say “we’ll know all about it” or “we’ll understand why.” It would be easy to take this out of context and assume it simply means after the passing of time we’ll understand why, but often time that isn’t the case, and in no scenario at a later date will we know all about anything. Part of our understanding is filled out with the passage of time, but not on this side of glory will we get all. Nonetheless, Garrels and I can still proclaim that we should take cheer and live joyfully because Christ has saved us and reigns and regardless of what we are going through right now “we’ll understand this, all by and by.”
Justin’s Spotify
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