Glenn Kaiser has been singing the blues—and sometimes soul, R&B or rock—sin… Read Full Bio ↴Glenn Kaiser has been singing the blues—and sometimes soul, R&B or rock—since he was twelve years old.

Growing up in a poor family living and hand-to-mouth in central Wisconsin, Glenn eventually gravitated to Milwaukee’s local music scene where he fronted over a dozen bands, and wrote and performed solo acoustic music-—all before turning nineteen years of age.

With his adolescence plagued by drug and alcohol abuse, Glenn got clean through following Jesus after a life-changing spiritual confrontation around his eighteenth birthday. During this time his music got heavier and in many ways, deeper. His former song writing motif celebrating drugs, sex and other vices gave way to lyrics about spiritual struggle, personal temptation, institutional sin, poverty, exploitation, racism, materialism and other issues that few musicians seemed willing to tackle.

Now, after more than three decades of making original music, Kaiser is known for his raw, bluesy vocals, fiery guitar playing, bottleneck slide and harmonica work on thirty recordings and innumerable live shows. Glenn and his family have lived in Chicago’s inner city for over thirty years doing mission work with people not unlike he once was. Kaiser has released several acoustic-based CDs between his electric blues and blues/rock albums. His seminal delta blues projects Trimmed and Burnin’ and follow-up Slow Burn (both with harp player/singer Darrell Mansfield) established him as a singular and authentic Christian bluesman.

Three contemporary worship albums, along with the folk-pop Time Will Tell, fill out the acoustic discography. Acoustic cuts also comprise half of Kaiser’s critically acclaimed Ripley County Blues project which was recorded in a log cabin lodge in rural Missouri.

Glenn’s most recent recording, the acoustic-based Bound For Glory features his unique arrangements of old hymns and spiritual choruses done mostly in the blues tradition he so loves.

Spontaneous Combustion
Glenn Kaiser Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Spontaneous combustion
Lord, you set my heart aflame
Salted in the fire
Lord you set my heart aflame
Burnin' sacrifices
Yeah - where every loss is gain

Spontaneous combustion

Like a house of livin stones
No wood or hay or stubble
Just the pure before your throne
A love that never quits
Yes where heaven is my home

Spontaneous combustion
Spirit shakin' me inside
A holy band of angels
Campin' round on every side

Comin' for a wedding
For a true and spotless bride

Overall Meaning

Glenn Kaiser's song "Spontaneous Combustion" is a Christian track with deep symbolism. The lyrics capture the essence of how the Lord's fire can set one's heart aflame, leading them to burn up sacrifices as every loss becomes a gain. The song portrays the Christian journey as a spontaneous combustion, where one is transformed by the spirit of the Lord from the inside-out, and without any external force.

The second verse of the song uses the metaphor of a house made of living stones, pure before God's throne, to describe the transformational work of the Holy Spirit. The coal from God's fiery altar purifies and makes one's love for God unquenchable. The third verse depicts the Holy Spirit as an active presence, shaking the very soul of the believer and bringing forth a sense of godly purpose. The accompanying angels are noted for their imminent arrival to take home the true and spotless bride.

Overall, "Spontaneous Combustion" portrays the Christian walk as one that is spontaneous, while implying that the transformation is an internal process that can only come through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Line by Line Meaning

Spontaneous combustion
A sudden burst of intense emotional or spiritual feeling

Lord, you set my heart aflame
God has filled me with passion and love for Him

Salted in the fire
Refined and purified by trials

Lord you set my heart aflame
God has filled me with passion and love for Him

Burnin' sacrifices
Dying to myself daily and living for God's will

Yeah - where every loss is gain
Even when things don't go as planned, I trust that God will work it out for my good and His glory

Like a house of livin stones
A strong foundation built on Christ, who is the cornerstone

No wood or hay or stubble
Not relying on worldly possessions or temporary solutions

Just the pure before your throne
Standing pure and righteous before God in the end

A love that never quits
God's unfailing love for us

Yes where heaven is my home
Looking forward to eternal life in Heaven with God