I remember sitting in the backseat of my parent’s car in my booster seat singing along with Andrew Peterson as we rode to church. I grew up listening to his music and my parents had all of his albums—but that’s not the only reason he is one of my favorite music artists. His lyrics and music are so. Very. Awesome.
I think one of the reason his music is so amazing is the way he tells stories in his songs. He sings about things he has experienced as a follower of Christ in all stages of his life which makes it relatable to people. I personally have been encouraged and helped by so many of his songs and I know that I am not alone in that.
So all that said, I was very excited for the release of his latest album entitled The Burning Edge Of Dawn. It is an album of ten songs (spoiler alert: they are all amazing).
The Burning Edge Of Dawn
- The Dark Before The Dawn is the first song on the album and it made me think of how this world is not forever. There is darkness now but Jesus will come and His return is “the dawn.” Some of the lyrics are, “I believe, I believe that the light is gonna come. This is the dark, this is the dark before the dawn.” and later in the song, “all this darkness is a small and passing thing.” It is a reminder and an encouragement to all followers of Christ that this world is indeed a “small and passing thing.”
- Every Star Is A Burning Flame is more upbeat than the first song and it talks about how when taking a walk under the stars one night he thought how “every star is a burning flame,” and he goes on to sing about how he wants to see people and the world as God sees them and it is revealed to him one day that like every star is a burning flame, “every heart is a burning flame” as well.
- We Will Survive is dedicated\sang to his wife Jamie Peterson. In the song he is feeling lost and confused and he naturally turns to Jamie asking her to tell him, “we’re gonna make it out alive again” and to say, “we will survive.” It is sweet and slow and such a good example of marriage.
- My One Safe Place is a really beautiful song about all that God is to him. With the lyrics “I run away home to You” he says that God is his “one safe place.” “I was an orphan caught in a thunderstorm and You opened the door and welcomed me into Your arms”… all beautiful lyrics that speak of the security and love found in God.
- The Rain Keeps Falling features Ellie Holcomb. The song is slow and peaceful. It’s a song which talks about the battle of changing and growing daily Spiritually. Of finding oneself in darkness and seeking light. In feeling troubled and hearing Jesus whispering, “peace be still.”
- Rejoice is an up-beat tuned song. “And when the winter is over, the flowers climb through the snow” we will “rejoice.” “And when the peace turns to danger, the nights are longer than days and every friend has a stranger’s face” we will “rejoice.” Rejoicing in all times is the message of the song.
- I Want To Say I’m Sorry is about fighting and how hard it is to completely ‘make up’ and fix it. He wants to “I’m sorry” but knows that it doesn’t make the hurt go away entirely or make the sorrow he feels over it disappear, “The only way to find some peace is just to give it time and trust in grace.”
- Be Kind To Yourself is a song featuring two of his kids, Asher on percussion and Skye with her lovely voice. It is a song of love to his kids and a reminder to “be kind to yourself” especially “when the voices in your mind are anything but kind.” With the words, “I love you just the way that you are, I love the way He’s shaping your heart” it is reassuring and all around really good. It’s a great message for everyone.
- The Power Of A Great Affection is about Christ’s love. “The Son has opened wide the gate of glory. He declared Your mighty love and gave us grace and I will tell His story—it is my story.” And now “I will forgive as I’m forgiven.” It is the message of Christ dying for us and like Jesus told us, we must forgive as we have been forgiven.
- The Sower’s Song is a prayer for God (“The Sower”) to move and work in us. “Oh, God I am furrowed like the field, torn open like the dirt and I know that to be healed that I must be broken first.” and “So the Lord plants justice, justice and grace to rise before the nations to the end of days.” It is a song that speaks of the power of God to work in us. No matter how unusable we seem. He can make trees out of tiny little seeds like it says in the song. He can use and work in all of us.
I feel like my little descriptions and takes on all the songs are so very inadequate in truly portraying what each song is about and what each song contains in its lyrics. You really need to listen to it to fully comprehend the epic-ness and each person will have a different description and take on each and every song. Below in Andrew’s words:
“Stories have their own way of speaking to us, of getting to the heart of things better than any explanation could. The best work they do in our hearts is invisible and sometimes inexpressible, especially to the person telling the story. Art is one way of trying to make sense of the great mystery of our lives. It’s a way of assimilating, with our tiny little brains, the vast amount of information we encounter as we’re bustled forward through time. Not to belabor the point, but it’s like this: art isn’t always about untying the knots, about solving mysteries, rather it’s like looking at the knot and maybe—just maybe—seeing that it’s doing more than tangling things up; maybe it’s holding something together.”
Andrew Peterson’s lyrics are always so very good. He is a fantastic writer and it shows in his songs. The words he chooses are not empty but full of so much meaning. They are in no way lacking in sincerity, truth or beauty. The beautiful intertwining of amazing lyrics and wonderful music makes his albums so extraordinary. This latest one was not a disappointment in any way.
But like I said before, I barely scratched the surface on this epic album. You gotta hear it. Like. Now.
So… what are you waiting for?
GIVEAWAY
Winner announced below.
How would you like a freshly downloaded copy of Andrew Peterson’s latest work of art?
Cool!
Simply leave a comment below telling us your favorite AP song (be sure to enter-in your email address so we can contact you) and share this blog post with your friends, so they can hear about this great music—AND get a chance to land a free copy, too.
Share the love. 😉
[ The Editor says we’ll choose a winner on Friday, October 23rd! 😀 ]
Corey Jones says
The Rain Keeps Falling
Lisa says
Many roads- great tune!
Celita says
I am being especially blessed by Be Kind to Yourself in these weeks. I have just recently become familiar with Andrew Peterson, and am unsure how I missed his stuff before. I am grateful to know about it now, Thank you so much!!
Eric Dye says
You win! 😀
Tony Scialdone says
I love Canaan Bound. Andrew is my favorite artist, so I’m looking forward to getting his newest album!
joey palmer says
I love “You’ll Find Your Way.” It encourages me to stick to the roads in life that God leads us down and points us to.