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.
Shiloh
Andrew Peterson Lyrics
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The smell of my father's pipe
Cackling goose in the summer air
The garden is green and ripe
Suddenly now I'm far away
Even if in my mind
I'm listening to my mama saying
"Come home, come home and rest awhile
Come home, come home and rest awhile
Get on home to Shiloh"
The farther I have wandered off
The fonder I have grown, Shiloh
Yeah, all the while I find a smile
Thinkin' about my home
The autumn breeze is calling me away
Calling me home to Shiloh
Over the ocean the soldier sailed
The battle is finally won
His mother is pressed up against the railing
Trying to find her son
Suddenly now she sees a face
Easy to recognize
It's been years to wait for the sweet embrace
Holding him as she cries
"You'd better get on home to Shiloh"
The farther that you wander off
The fonder you will grow, Shiloh
Yeah, all the while he found a smile
Thinkin' about his home
A sweet reunion coming through in waves
Calling him home to Shiloh
I've been thinkin' about my home
I've never been but I will, I know
Meadow green and the river wide
Valley deep and the mountain high
The saints of old are singing now (Shiloh)
My ears are ringing with the sound (Shiloh)
But greater still, as clear as day (Shiloh)
I can hear my Savior saying
I can hear my Savior saying
I can hear my Savior say
"Come home, come home and rest awhile
Come home, come home and rest awhile"
Better get on home to Shiloh
The song "Shiloh" by Andrew Peterson takes the listener on a journey through different scenes that evoke the idea of home. From the rickety fence and rocking chair, to the smell of a father's pipe and a cackling goose, the opening verse paints an idyllic picture of rural living. The nostalgia becomes more apparent as the singer reflects on his mother's invitation to come home and rest awhile. Even though he has wandered away physically, he finds himself growing more fond of Shiloh the farther he goes.
The second half of the song is a more emotionally charged story of a soldier's homecoming after years of fighting in a war. The mother eagerly waits for her son to arrive, and when she sees him, the years of waiting dissolve in a moment of embrace. She, too, implores him to "get on home to Shiloh," the comforting and welcoming place that awaits them both. The song ends with a spiritual note, as the singer hears the "saints of old" and Jesus himself inviting him to come home and rest a while.
Contributed by Skyler E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.