Rock Lyrics That Sing Praises to God

Musicians often have hell to pay for playing rock and roll.  They shoulder the blame for being in cahoots with the devil, and for glorifying him with secret messages supposedly hidden in their lyrics.  If a berserk kid goes on a shooting spree, rock lyrics must have possessed his soul.  If a killer mentions he likes a certain band, their lyrics must have cast a murderous spell over him.  If your lottery numbers don’t hit, heck, why not blame the lyrics of a rock band?

Well, guess what?  There actually are rock bands who write lyrics about God.  Yes, that God.  They’ve glorified God—not the other dude—in their songs.  Here are a few musicians who’ve written music and lyrics about how God has rocked their world:

George Harrison – “My Sweet Lord”

With poignant sincerity, Harrison sang the lyrics, “I really want to know you/Really want to go with you/Really want to show you, Lord/That it won’t take long, my Lord.”  Deeply spiritual, Harrison subtly wove “hallelujahs” and Hare Krishna chants throughout the pious lyrics.  He also underscored his worship of a divine entity with the repetition of the lyrics, “my sweet Lord” throughout the entire song.  Harrison is now with the God he so dearly loved, and that makes the lyrics all the more meaningful.

Stryper – “Honestly”

Blessed with pretty-boy good looks, an abundance of talent, a knack for theatrics, and the ability to write music and lyrics that didn’t preach, these glam-rockers strongly connected with audiences worldwide, and brought Christian metal into the mainstream.  The gorgeous power ballad, “Honestly,” with its sweeping, majestic melody, and passionately delivered lyrics, became their best-known song.  Its lyrics, “Call on me and I’ll be there for you/I’m a friend who always will be true/And I love you, can’t you see/That I love you honestly/I will never betray your trust in me” is a message of comfort and reassurance from God to one of His followers.

Norman Greenbaum – “Spirit in the Sky”

Gospel call-and-response bursts make this sunny, classic rock song shine even brighter.  Greenbaum wrote the lyrics, which convey joyous anticipation of the afterlife, in a mere 15 minutes.  Greenbaum, who is also Jewish and makes numerous references to Jesus in the lyrics, claims he had no religious intentions when he wrote the song—he just wanted to reach a bigger market.  Disillusioning as that may be, the song’s uplifting melody and lyrics make the hereafter a little less intimidating.

Train – “Calling All Angels”

Patrick Monahan of this Grammy Award-winning alt-rock band plaintively sings the lyrics of this emotionally moving song.  He beseeches heaven, God and the angels above to give him a sign of their love amidst the world’s turmoil.  Hungering for an anchor of faith, and professing he’ll be loyal to it once it appears, he sings the powerful lyrics, “I need a sign to let me know you’re here.../And I’m calling all angels/I won’t give up if you won’t give up.”

KISS – “God Gave Rock ’N’ Roll to You”

KISS?  The fire-breathing, blood-spewing band who once dodged accusations that their name stood for Knights In Satan’s Service?  Yep.  A reworking of an Argent song from a uniquely KISS perspective, the lyrics include, “God gave rock and roll to you/Gave rock and roll to you/Put it in the soul of everyone.”  According to Gene Simmons, the song lyrics were rewritten, “as kind of a guitar anthem song, that being in a band and playing guitar was a privilege and a God-given gift.”  And we thank God they were given that gift!

Many rock lyrics aren’t an off-ramp directly to hell.  The bands that pen lyrics about God may come as a surprise, but they’re definitely going in a different direction, on a higher road.

Sexual Metaphors in Rock Music Lyrics

Rock and roll and sex have always been inseparable bedmates.  And it’s been no secret affair.  Many musicians admit that they only learned how to sing or play an instrument so they could enjoy the fringe benefits of band membership.  They don’t mind sharing the details of these fringe benefits in their lyrics, either.  Some lyrics are blatantly explicit, while other lyrics hide their sexuality behind metaphors.  Here are some lyrics that seem very suggestive—or maybe we just have dirty minds!

“Brand New Key” by Melanie

Remember this novelty hit from the early 70s?  Also known as “The Roller Skate Song,” there seemed to be plenty of innuendo in the lyrics, “I got a brand new pair of roller skates/You got a brand new key/I think that we should get together and try them out, you see.”  Also, many listeners interpreted the lyrics “new key” as “nookie.”  Although Melanie didn’t intentionally write sexually suggestive lyrics, she did admit that, “I guess a lock and key have always been Freudian symbols, and pretty obvious ones, at that.”

“Knocking at Your Back Door” by Deep Purple

The blatant title, which also makes its way into the song lyrics, needs no explanation.  But the band wove more subtle suggestiveness into the lyrics, “So we put her on the hit list/Of a common cunning linguist/A master of many tongues.”  If you don’t get it right away, quickly say the lyrics “cunning linguist” out loud several times.  Oh, so that’s what he’s saying!  The lyrics flew under the  censor’s radar, and were played on numerous radio stations.  According to the liner notes in the band’s Greatest Hits, they wrote the lyrics as a joke, and never expected the song to get any airplay.

“Little Willy” by The Sweet

This incredibly catchy tune by glam band, The Sweet, initially drew critics’ scorn for its “nursery porn” lyrics, “Little Willy, Willy won’t go home/But you can’t push Willy ’round, Willy won’t go.”  The song lyrics were supposedly inspired by late singer Brian Connolly’s nonstop nightclubbing.  Since “willy” is also British slang for a man’s you-know-what, there’s also speculation that the lyrics regard that organ’s endless desire for satisfaction.  In any case, the song and its lyrics ignited a succession of 14 hit singles, including 11 chart-toppers.

“Cherry Pie” by Warrant

The lyrics of “Cherry Pie” are filled with so many humorous sexual metaphors, where do we begin?  Well, here are a few of those lyrics:  “She wanted me to feed her/So I mixed up the batter/And she licked the beater,” “If I think about baseball/I’ll swing all night,” and “Tastes so good/Make a grown man cry/Sweet cherry pie.”  Singer Jani Lane wrote the song’s music and lyrics on a pizza box in 15 minutes.  Talk about a quickie!

“Sledgehammer” by Peter Gabriel

Influenced by sexually suggestive soul music lyrics, the lyrics of “Sledgehammer” are loaded with innuendo.  In addition to “I want to be your sledgehammer,” the lyrics refer to steam trains, bumper cars, pollination, fruit, bees and a big dipper.  Regarding the lyrics, Gabriel said, “Sometimes sex can break through barriers when other forms of communication are not working too well.”

That theory may work well in song lyrics, but it’s a line that might backfire if you’re trying to pick up someone in a bar!

Rap Lyrics ? Songs From the Street are Taking the Heat

Rap lyrics often get a bad rap—one that they don’t deserve. Forged in the gritty urban underground of the Bronx, New York in the 1970s, rap and its lyrics are part of the Hip-Hop phenomenon, this era’s dominant cultural movement. That movement has become global, vaulting over barriers of gender, race and economic status, and even melding with other musical styles. Rap’s distinctive lyrics, rhythms and expressive body motions have earned it recognition as an accepted, innovative art form.Rap and its lyrics, which were initially dismissed as a passing fad and now churn like whitewater rapids through the mainstream, began at 1970s Bronx block parties. DJs at these parties separated the percussion section from funk and soul tunes, providing partygoers with strong dance rhythms. Mixing, sampling from other songs, and rhythms from scratching a phonograph needle against a record were added. So how did rap’s potent lyrics enter the picture?Rappers, also know as MCs, (Master of Ceremonies) would introduce DJs, and keep audiences entertained between songs, with jokes and stories that would maintain listeners’ energy. These raps transformed into stylized lyrics delivered with flair, attitude and strong rhythms, accompanied by highly contagious beats. For people who weren’t fond of disco or its lyrics, but loved a dynamic tempo, rap provided a welcome, highly danceable alternative.Just as there are many sub-genres of rock music and lyrics, there are many sub-genres of rap. And one of those sub-genres is aggressive gangsta-rap, which stirred up a cauldron of controversy over blunt lyrics about violence, sex and drugs. These rappers grew up on crime-riddled urban streets, had sometimes taken a few bullets themselves, and their lyrics reflected their tough backgrounds, often expressed in the profanity that had been part of their everyday life. Heavy metal took a lot of heat for lyrics about the same subjects, and both forms of music still have an abundance of fans.Controversy aside, rap lyrics are often considered to be modern poetry. Poetry and rap have much in common, from clever twists of phrases to shrewd social commentary. Like poetry, rap lyrics have a structured meter, as well as complex rhyme formats. Both often use alliteration. And both utilize similes and metaphors—lyrics with clever, original similes and metaphors are viewed as the hallmark of an advanced rapper. Some of the best rappers are also able to easily fire off line after line of complex lyrics that would tie other performers’ tongues tighter than a tourniquet. And freestyling—adeptly improvising rap lyrics before a live audience—is possibly the toughest test of a rapper’s expertise.Rap and its lyrics are now incredibly diversified. The female duo Salt-N-Pepa kicked open the door of rap’s male-dominated realm. Blondie’s “Rapture” was the first hit by a Caucasian band that featured rapping. Hard-rockers, Aerosmith, recorded a rap version of the lyrics of their hit, “Walk this Way,” with Run-D.M.C. Thrash metal has incorporated rap. There are now Spanish rappers, Asian rappers—rappers worldwide. Rap has been immortalized in the paintings of renowned artist, Justin Bua, and its lyrics have even popped up in TV commercials.Rap and its lyrics have generated criticism and controversy, but it has also demonstrated an ability to powerfully connect with both heroes and underdogs worldwide, while still remaining true to its roots.