In this post, I will break down the lyrics of Demon Hunter's song “Jesus Wept” and explain how the song talks about Jesus's sacrifice and our struggle between control and God's will.
Demon Hunter is a Christian metal band that has been going strong since they released their first album in 2002. Since then, they have released a total of 15 albums, including two full-length albums (War and Peace) on the same day in 2019. They are known for their combination of beautiful melodies with the heaviness of metal, in addition to their evident Christian identity.
Photo of Demon Hunter retrieved from Photos — Demon Hunter
“Jesus Wept” comes from Demon Hunter’s 2017 album Outlive, and it is one of their only songs that mentions Jesus by name. This song is short, but its lyrics are pretty heavy.
The title refers to the shortest verse in the Bible, John 11:35. “Jesus wept” when He grieved the death of His friend Lazarus, even though He knew He would raise him from the dead shortly afterward.
Here is the official lyric video for the song:
So now, let’s break down these lyrics:
Give me the call and the power to be
Show me the will to lead and see me reign
Take me to a higher pain
The song begins by asking God for power. As humans, we often struggle with wanting to be in control and making our own way in life instead of following the path that God has set out for us.
Sever the burden and tell me to run
Open the gates of mercy when I come
Give me every want in vain…
Or give me none
Yet, the second half of this verse asks God to remove our burdens and give us mercy. This duality of our selfish desires compared to God’s selfless love for us is shown throughout the verses of this song. “Give me every want in vain” is a part of this duality, showing the desire to ask God to give us all we ask for. This compares to “Or give me none, give me … eyes wide,” which admits that all we really need is to realize God’s love for us.
Give me…
Eyes wide
See red
I’m why
Bloodshed
Eyes wide
So I don’t forget
I’m why
“Give me … eyes wide” is asking God to remind us to keep in perspective that Jesus died for us. “I’m why, bloodshed” refers to Jesus dying for us. Jesus’s sacrifice is the only way to save us from the punishment for our sins. So, we are the reason Jesus chose to come into the world, live a sinless life, and die for us.
I’m why Jesus wept
The Bible verse “Jesus wept” is one that people refer to when discussing Jesus’s humanity. He felt real human emotions, including grief over the loss of one of His friends. Because of this, He empathizes with our feelings, and He shows compassion towards us out of His love for us. The line “I’m why Jesus wept” is about this love. Because of His deep love for us, Jesus felt sorrow on our behalf, sorrow over knowing that our sin separates us from Him and that some of us will choose to not follow or even believe in Him. This song is asking to always remember this.
Show me the weight of a fury divine
Bury the dark inside, let waste the flood
Drown us in holy blood
This half of the second verse is asking to see God’s mercy. The “weight of a fury divine” is the punishment that we deserve from God because of our sins. And this punishment is death. However, because Jesus chose to die in our place, we are spared from the punishment we deserve. “Drown us in holy blood” refers to Jesus’s atoning death and His blood covering the cost of our sins. So, “the dark inside” (sin) is buried or washed away by Jesus’s sacrifice.
We are the shallow, the scoffers of Hell
Shatter the path of self into the black
Take me to the end of hope…
And bring me back
When we take Jesus’s sacrifice for granted and continue to live our lives as if His sacrifice doesn’t matter, then “we are the shallow, the scoffers of Hell.” But staying humble (“Shatter the path of self”) is a way to help keep our minds on Jesus instead of ourselves and our own accomplishments and desires. The last lines of this verse are asking God to test our hope in Him, so we can see if we still focus on Him and His love for us when times get hard.
Give me…
Eyes wide
See red
I’m why
Bloodshed
Eyes wide
So I don’t forget
I’m why
I’m why Jesus wept
Album cover for Outlive retrieved from Album - Outlive — Demon Hunter.
Along with John 11:35, this song reminds me of Romans 5:8, which says, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Jesus loves us, which is why He gave His life for us, and it’s important that we keep our “eyes wide” and remember this since the fact that Jesus loves us should affect how we live our everyday lives.
The song’s duality of our selfish nature compared to God’s love made me think of 2 Corinthians 5:15 which says, “And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.” Since Jesus gave His life for us, we should live for Him, following His commands instead of trying to get power for ourselves. We should “shatter the path of self” and live under God’s will.
Demon Hunter. (n.d.). Demon Hunter. Retrieved November 16, 2023, from https://www.demonhunter.net/
Genius contributors. (2017). Demon Hunter – Jesus wept. Genius. Retrieved November 16, 2023, from https://genius.com/Demon-hunter-jesus-wept-lyrics
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