The Bible and Music

The difficulty of the biblical scavenger hunt surprised me. I was expecting to find more explicit references to the Bible in popular music. I found that many songs referenced God or the possibility of a higher power guiding us through life but few songs referenced specific Biblical characters. As I conducted my research, I contemplated the question of whether it is socially acceptable or unacceptable to allude to/sing about God and the Bible. I found that few songs reference names or specific stories but many songs allude to the theme or sentiment of particular Bible verses.

I was surprised by the length of list we were able to compile in class. I really appreciated the fact that my peers and I came up with different examples of Biblical allusions in popular music and contemporary Christian music. I think the diversity in examples made our discussion much more exciting and engaging.

I would like to take a closer look at some of the Biblical allusions I found in popular songs. I did not include many Christian songs in my final list of songs as I decided to focus on secular songs. The results of my scavenger hunt were somewhat surprising. However, some of the results were consistent with my predictions. For example, my hypothesis that I would discover several country songs with Biblical allusions was confirmed. Consequently, a significant portion of the songs on my list belong to the genre of country.

One of my favorite country songs, “When I Get Where I’m Going” by Brad Paisley and Dolly Parton, contains Biblical allusion. The song addresses the experience of heaven. I really enjoy the song because it portrays heaven as such a magnificent and joyful experience. Upon closer examination, I recognized the Biblical allusions in the song. The singers make a reference to the end of sadness and an endless experience of happiness. Revelation 21:4-6 reads, “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away. He who was seated on the throne said, ‘I am making everything new!’ Then he said, ‘Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true’.” This song is clearly of Christian nature so its biblical inspiration did not surprise me.

I enjoyed finding biblical allusion and inspiration in secular songs. I am a big fan of Mumford and Sons. I appreciated finding biblical allusions in “Awake My Soul”. Similarly, I was unaware of the biblical allusions in “Father Stretch my Hands” by Kanye West and “All Along the Watchtower” by Jimi Hendrix.