Peterson’s artistic successes may be surpassed by his skill in connecting people, embodied in the Rabbit Room online community (RabbitRoom.com), which gathers contributions from authors, songwriters, and pastors, encouraging creativity and referencing its ultimate source. The thread of community, also a theme of Counting Stars, imbues his beloved annual Christmas show, Behold The Lamb Of God, a long-running multi-artist tour based on Peterson’s original Christmas album of the same name. In all of these works, Peterson’s listeners can hear reminders that community, beauty, and hope all point back to the God “who gave music the power to carry his light into the darkness.” Andrew, his wife Jamie, and their three children make their home in Nashville.
Labor Of Love
Andrew Peterson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There was blood on the ground
You could hear a woman cry
In the alleyways that night
On the streets of David's town
And the stable was not clean
And the cobblestones were cold
With the tears upon her face
Had no mother's hand to hold
CHORUS
It was a labor of pain
It was a cold sky above
But for the girl on the ground in the dark
With every beat of her beautiful heart
It was a labor of love
Noble Joseph by her side
Callused hands and weary eyes
There were no midwives to be found
On the streets of David's town
In the middle of the night
So he held her and he prayed
Shafts of moonlight on his face
But the baby in her womb
He was the maker of the moon
He was the Author of the faith
That could make the mountains move
CHORUS
For little Mary full of grace
With the tears upon her face
It was a labor of love
The song "Labor of Love" by Andrew Peterson is a stirring and emotional retelling of the moment of Christ’s birth - a momentous moment in the Christian calendar, and one of the world's most significant events. In the opening verse, Peterson sets the scene, painting a vivid picture of Bethlehem as it was over 2,000 years ago. He highlights the raw and unvarnished nature of the moment and the setting: no hushed reverence or grandeur, no place to lay His head, no midwives or attendants or father's hands to hold. The reference to 'blood on the ground' serves to emphasize the trauma of childbirth and the pain that Mary must have been experiencing.
The second verse talks about Joseph, a steadfast presence throughout the whole event even though he himself may have been confused and scared. The song presents Joseph as owning callused hands and weary eyes, emphasizing his role as a worker and provider. He holds her and prays, depicting Joseph as a man of faith who trusted in God, even when circumstances looked as bleak as they did that night. Then the last lines of verse 2 declare that the baby in her womb is none other than the Author of the Faith and the Maker of the Moon - an astonishing truth given the humble, dirty, and lowly conditions of his birth.
The chorus represents the climax of the song. Mary, full of grace, was experiencing a labor of love, providing the world's only hope through the birth of her Saviour. It contrasts the pain and misery of Mary's labor with the beauty and significance of delivering the Savior of the world.
Overall, Peterson's song emphasizes that Christ came into the world, not on a throne, but into an ordinary family, in a dirty stable, with a rough carpenter by the side of a teenage girl. The lyrics to the song bring us into the setting of Jesus' birth. The song also describes the human element of Jesus' birth, the rawness of it all, and the grace that brought Jesus into the world.
Line by Line Meaning
It was not a silent night
The night was not without noise.
There was blood on the ground
There was blood spilled on the ground.
You could hear a woman cry
The sound of a woman's weeping could be heard.
In the alleyways that night
The weeping was coming from the alleyways that night.
On the streets of David's town
The events were happening in David's town.
And the stable was not clean
The stable was not free of dirt and grime.
And the cobblestones were cold
The stones on the ground were cold to the touch.
And little Mary full of grace
Mary was small and blessed.
With the tears upon her face
She was crying and tears were on her face.
Had no mother's hand to hold
Mary did not have her mother's hand to hold.
It was a labor of pain
The experience was one of physical hardship.
It was a cold sky above
The sky above was cold.
But for the girl on the ground in the dark
For the girl on the ground in the dark.
With every beat of her beautiful heart
She had a beautiful heart that was beating.
It was a labor of love
The labor was driven by love.
Noble Joseph by her side
Joseph was by her side and was noble.
Callused hands and weary eyes
Joseph had callused hands and tired eyes.
There were no midwives to be found
Midwives were not available.
On the streets of David's town
David's town did not have midwives available.
In the middle of the night
It was the middle of the night.
So he held her and he prayed
Joseph held Mary and prayed.
Shafts of moonlight on his face
Moonlight was shining on Joseph's face.
But the baby in her womb
The baby was in Mary's womb.
He was the maker of the moon
The baby was the creator of the moon.
He was the Author of the faith
The baby was the author of faith.
That could make the mountains move
The baby had such great faith that it could make mountains move.
For little Mary full of grace
For little Mary who was blessed.
With the tears upon her face
With tears on her face.
It was a labor of love
The experience was driven by love.
Contributed by Sydney K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Jen Olsen
What a beautiful and accurate portrayal of the night of Jesus' birth! Such an amazing message of Jesus' divinity and humanity!
Faith Posten
One of the best songs ever!!!!
Michael Noland
Saw this live in Kentucky, absolutely sent chills through my whole body.
Tiffany Bent
I love the song everytime I hear it i cry its a beautiful song ❤️ Jesus birth, every mother now the pain and love to bring a child to life, labor of love
cinderellsworth
One of THE MOST beautiful Christmas songs I've ever heard. Thank you, Andrew....❤
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Joanna Brown
Such a beautiful song. This song has true and real meanings. Loved seeing it preformed at your concert behold the lamb thanks @Andrew Peterson. Please continue making such meaningful deep songs. Your songs aren’t shallow like the worlds they are deep and solid.
Kenneth Gilbert
Beautiful song. God did not make it easy at all for Mary and Joseph
Jerry Korleski
It gives me goosebumps every time I hear it. What a beautiful song.
Trinitylover
Thank you, thank you, thank you for this amazing song. The line about Joseph with moonlight on his face and the reality that the baby was the creator of that moon blows me away every time!
Felipe Aguiar
Do you know how many times I've cried during this song? 😭😭🤣