From her recording debut at age 1… Read Full Bio ↴She has always been an old soul.
From her recording debut at age 14, Bethany Dillon was one of those rare young singer/songwriters who did not fit the status quo. Her songs possessed a lyrical depth that belied her age. Her carriage, sense of composure and way of looking at the world revealed a certain maturity, disarming for one so young.
So it almost seems a given, seven years later, that 21-year-old Bethany Dillon—now married and living in Dallas with her husband, Shane Barnard (Shane & Shane)—would be officially grown up.
That she has something even more complete and compelling to say is a given, too. Major life moments have a way of doing that to anyone.
“The last year has been the sweetest year of my 21...” Bethany says, “There are so many layers to it, and I don’t always feel like a grown up, but it’s been a really sweet time of learning. I can see the grace of God in it. So much has come to the surface.”
Stop & Listen, Bethany’s fourth release on Sparrow Records, reveals a young woman coming to terms with God’s grace in a new season of becoming.
“This record is probably the most confessional record I’ve ever made,” Bethany says. “These songs feel a little more raw to me than usual. It’s probably just true the more life goes on, the more aware you are of your failures and struggles. And with that, in a believer’s life comes—odd as it is—a deeper joy.”
Produced by Marshall Altman (Brooke Frasier, Warren Barfield), a Los Angeles-based producer who persistently sought Bethany out after hearing her acoustic EP, Stop & Listen is a call to peace in the middle of life expectations and the day-to-day chaos that all too often takes over.
“Most of the songs are about the not-so-simple ideas of stopping, listening and waiting,” Bethany explains.
The title track—which she co-wrote with Joy Williams and Ben Glover—sets the tone. “I’m a to-do list person,” Bethany adds, “but I’m still called to know God and have an intimacy with Him, even in busy seasons. That Bible story of Mary and Martha has always bothered me. There’s Martha working so hard to get everything right and Mary sitting at Jesus feet. And Martha, in all her frustration, saying ‘Don’t you care that I’m doing all this?’ And Jesus replying, ‘You’re anxious about a lot of things, but Mary has chosen the one thing necessary...’ That’s such a hard thing for anybody to hear. That haunting call of the Lord... When I see Him face to face, I want to know Him. I’m called to know Him.”
“The Way I Come To You,” perhaps as much as any song on the CD, reflects this singer/songwriter’s spiritual journey as of late: “I love being married to Shane for lots of reasons—one being, how much I’ve learned about loving Jesus from him. He is constantly talking about the glory of God in the death and resurrection of Jesus. The more time I spend with him, the more I’m hit with the reality... the forgiveness and reconciliation found in Jesus is staggering. The freedom that we who are in Christ have is ETERNAL!”
“Get Up and Walk,” a song inspired by stories of healing throughout the New Testament, is a powerful reminder that God still restores the broken: “The promises in the Bible that grip me the most are the ones of contrast,” Bethany explains, “turning ashes into beauty, heaviness into a garment of praise, being transferred from the domain of darkness to the Kingdom of light. The words of Jesus ring true today, that he (or she) who’s forgiven much, loves much.... I’ve been forgiven of much; I was deaf, blind, and completely lost. But He broke through my deafness, and has forgiven me of much, and I can’t help but love Him much in return.”
“Reach Out,” continues the thread, inspired by an outcast woman in the Gospels (Mark 5; Luke 8). “What’s so moving about her story for me is her abandon,” Bethany says. “She had reached this point, this depth of need, that she was willing to risk her life to get healed by this man named Jesus. Her urgency is tangible on those pages—she couldn’t reveal her presence there, so she pushed her way through until she could just touch [Him],
...she took advantage of being in Jesus’ presence.” Such a story, she says, begs the question of us: are we desperate enough to have that kind of faith, to pursue Jesus at any cost?
Always one to push herself to write deeper and truer songs, Bethany says Stop & Listen is a big step forward. “I’ve always felt a sense of direction and focus in my writing, even back at age 14 and 15,” she says, “but I think even that has been honed and sharpened. The things I want to write about, the desire to tell a complete story, I think that’s really fresh.” The result on this record, she says, has been in being able to push through the anxiety that plagues the process and instead, relax and stretch.
Longtime producer and co-writer, Ed Cash collaborated with Bethany on two songs, including the first single, “Everyone To Know,” a simple, carefree song that sticks with you, long after the track is over.
I want everyone to know, everyone to know
I wanna tell the world about your love
“We wrote it in two hours... very simple, played the melody on the piano, and I was so drawn to it,” Bethany says. “It’s about how my life is so different, what I thought was freedom wasn’t... I remember chasing after things that didn’t satisfy me, and how now, being in a simple place, learning how to depend on God, I can finally see how much freedom there is. This song seemed like such a divine appointment, a reminder that the love of God in Jesus is so satisfying. Honestly, its one of the first singles I’ve felt really connected to.”
Sonically, Stop & Listen takes a decidedly different turn as well, not completely removing Bethany from the acoustic pop space she’s settled into, but giving her songs the layered, detailed attention they deserve. “Production-wise, a lot is going on,” she says. “But Marshall was really drawn toward the songs more than production, so there isn’t much in the way of huge dynamics—ear candy, strings, etc.—but rather simple, five or six instruments playing on a song. The players were so good, they spoke the same vocabulary to each other, and they really listened to the lyrics.”
“You hear every word to every song, and nothing gets in the way of the lyric. The sound is beautiful and honest and simply produced...more like a piece of art. That’s what I was pining for, to make a record that was more artful, more singer/songwriter than pop/folky....”
Her desire was to nurture her music, like her life, to a whole new place. To be intentional with every step. To stop and listen to what’s been growing in her soul and give it a life of its own.
And inspired by grace in this new season of becoming, so she has.
The Kingdom
Bethany Dillon Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I saw everything collecting dust
It made me hope there was something more
So I pour over pages desperate to find out why
The cripple at your table has what I'm longing to find
Teach me how to hum it
Because I don't know the words yet
Help me see the light, I'm reaching through the fight
Yahweh, show me the Kingdom
Arms open wide, death swallowed up by life
Yahweh, show me the Kingdom
Why are some women barren while the wicked's house is full?
The stories never seem to end, give me evidence I'm not alone
You said the weak would be lifted up but maybe just not yet
So while I wait in this flesh and blood, I'll learn to lean in
Help me see the light, I'm reaching through the fight
Yahweh, show me the Kingdom
Arms open wide, death swallowed up by life
Yahweh, show me the Kingdom
Help me see the light, I'm reaching through the fight
Yahweh, the Kingdom
Arms open wide, death swallowed up by life
Yahweh, show me the Kingdom
Help me see the light, I'm reaching through the fight
Yahweh, show me the Kingdom
Arms open wide, death swallowed up by life
Yahweh, show me the Kingdom
The Kingdom, the Kingdom, yeah
The Kingdom, the Kingdom
The lyrics to Bethany Dillon's song The Kingdom are a deeply introspective and thoughtful examination of the human experience. The first verse talks about the overwhelming feeling of emptiness that can come with everyday life. The singer sees everything collecting dust and hopes that there is something more to life than the mundane. The second verse delves deeper into the human experience, wondering why bad things happen to good people and why life can feel so unfair. However, the singer finds a sense of comfort in the idea of the Kingdom, referencing Yahweh and the hope that we will one day see the Kingdom and all that it represents.
The chorus of the song repeats the phrase "Help me see the light, I'm reaching through the fight, Yahweh, show me the Kingdom, Arms open wide, death swallowed up by life, Yahweh, show me the Kingdom". This is a powerful statement about the human struggle of trying to find meaning in life, and praying for guidance and assurance that there is more than just this world. The repetition of the phrase "show me the Kingdom" shows the longing for something beyond what is currently known.
Overall, the lyrics to this song are beautiful and resonant with anyone who has ever struggled to find meaning in life. It is a song of hope, but also one of deep questioning and introspection.
Line by Line Meaning
It tapped me on the shoulder today when I got home
Realizing the stagnancy of her personal growth, the singer seeks something more, and it feels like destiny has partaken in leading her here.
I saw everything collecting dust
The surroundings are metaphorically collecting dust, showing how nothing is moveable and everything stationary.
It made me hope there was something more
The repetitive nature of life provoked a hope within her for something more than this cycle.
So I pour over pages desperate to find out why
To satisfy her quest for something beyond mundane life, she reads literature, full of knowledge and wisdom, in hopes of getting answers to her existential questions.
The cripple at your table has what I'm longing to find
The singer envies the crippled man at God's banquet for the hope and meaning he has in life, and she yearns to share the same enthusiasm.
Teach me how to hum it
The singer wants to emulate the crippled man's zeal and to learn how to worship passionately.
Because I don't know the words yet
Although she wishes to sing the song of hope and worship, she needs to be taught the lyrics first.
Why are some women barren while the wicked's house is full?
The singer reflects on the presence of injustice and pain in life and questions if this is how God's design goes unnoticed.
The stories never seem to end, give me evidence I'm not alone
Hoping to find proof of her emotional pursuits, the singer seeks assurance that others have experienced this struggle before.
You said the weak would be lifted up but maybe just not yet
She reminds herself of God's promise that the oppressed or vulnerable will rise above, but it's not happening as soon or as often as she wants it to happen.
So while I wait in this flesh and blood, I'll learn to lean in
Even though she's not seeing things happening as she expects, she chooses to wait patiently and trust the power of God in her life.
Help me see the light, I'm reaching through the fight
The singer pleads for divine guidance and illumination when things get tough and challenging.
Yahweh, show me the Kingdom
The singer is asking God to reveal to her the promised Kingdom where no more death, pain, or suffering exists.
Arms open wide, death swallowed up by life
The coming Kingdom is described as a place full of life, and death itself ceases to exist.
Yahweh, show me the Kingdom
The singer repeats her plea for God to reveal the Kingdom to her, reminding us of how important it is to her.
The Kingdom, the Kingdom, yeah
The term 'the Kingdom' is repetitive but emphasises its importance and makes it the central focus of the song.
The Kingdom, the Kingdom
The song ends with the singer repeating 'the Kingdom' multiple times, reinforcing the idea that finding hope of something more than this mundane cycle is the singer's main goal, and God's revelation of the Kingdom is the answer.
Lyrics © CAPITOL CHRISTIAN MUSIC GROUP
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind