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.
Waking Up
Bethany Dillon Lyrics
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And I can't help but stare at You
My face pressed against this little window
The sky explodes in praise to You, to You
But still I'll try in this simple song
To You, my Jesus
Because the more I fight it, the more I love You
As my eyes widen, I have to tell You
There's nothing like waking up
Waking up to You
There's nothing like waking up
Waking up to You
Oh, waking up to You
I am small, but I have seen
The same sun rise over India and Ohio fields
To strengthen the heart of this coward
So in every language, from every hurt
We echo affection back to You, Lord
There's nothing like waking up
Waking up to You
There's nothing like waking up
Waking up to You
I was dead so You became my life
I couldn't see so You became my eyes
I was dead so You became my life
I couldn't see so You became my eyes
There's nothing like waking up
Waking up to You
There's nothing like waking up
Waking up to You
The lyrics to Bethany Dillon's song 'Waking Up' is a beautiful declaration of love and praise to Jesus. The song portrays a sense of awe and wonder at the magnificence of God's creation, particularly the beauty of the sky. The singer is on a flight and they witness the breathtaking beauty of the sky bursting forth in praise to God. They express their love for Jesus and acknowledge the infiniteness of His being, which their limited words cannot capture. The more they resist His love, the deeper it becomes, leading to a profound realization that nothing compares to waking up to Him.
The singer in the song acknowledges their own frailty and smallness, yet they acknowledge that they have seen the same sun rise across two different continents, reminding them of God's immensity. The encouragement is for believers to reflect their love back to Jesus. The vocals on this song are soft and disarmingly sincere, with an acoustic guitar to accent the melody. The simplicity of the song showcases the heartfelt emotions and sincerity of the lyrics. The lyrics are thought-provoking and rich in meaning, inviting the listener to ponder on the depth of their relationship with Jesus.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm on a flight home this morning
I'm currently traveling back home on a plane
And I can’t help but stare at You
I can't help but look at your beauty and marvel at it
My face pressed against this little window
I have my face against a small window to get a better look at the view outside
The sky explodes in praise to You, to You
The sky looks amazing and seems to be in admiration of you
I know my words can't wrap their arms around You tight enough
I know that my words are inadequate to express the magnitude of your greatness
But still I'll try in this simple song
Despite my limitations, I will still try to express my love for you through this song
To You, my Jesus
I am addressing Jesus directly in this song
Because the more I fight it, the more I love You
The more I try to resist loving you, the more I end up falling in love with you
As my eyes widen, I have to tell You
As I become more aware of your greatness, I have to express my love for you
There's nothing like waking up
Waking up to You
There's nothing like waking up
Waking up to You
Oh, waking up to You
There is no experience that compares to being awakened by you and being in your presence
I am small, but I have seen
The same sun rise over India and Ohio fields
Despite my smallness and limitations, I have witnessed the same beauty from different parts of the world
To strengthen the heart of this coward
So in every language, from every hurt
We echo affection back to You, Lord
To reassure and give strength to someone who is afraid, we express our love for you in every language and despite every pain
I was dead so You became my life
I couldn't see so You became my eyes
There's nothing like waking up
Waking up to You
I was lost and dead, but you brought me back to life, and now I can see through your eyes. There is no experience more profound than being in your presence
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: MATT BRONLEEWE, TIFFANY LEE, PAIGE ARMSTRONG
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind