The following albums saw large shifts in style. Much Afraid saw them releasing gorgeous - sometimes brittle - music, which the Band intended to have a "timeless" sound, while If I Left the Zoo is a quirkier but musically brilliant album, featuring considerably more keys and experimentation. The Eleventh Hour is their first true "rock" album. They returned to acoustic guitars for the "Furthermore" project, which featured two EPs - a live disc and an acoustic disc. The band's 5th album, Who We Are Instead continued some of the band's earlier sonic experiments and showcased some new gospel, bluegrass, and hymnsong influences. The hymnsong approach was continued on an album of new arrangements of classic hymns - Redemption Songs.
Good Monsters was released on Sept. 05, 2006. The album was hailed by CCM Magazine as "Album of the Year" - a controversial move considering that this announcement was made in August. "Good Monsters" further showcases the diverse style of the venerable quartet and is considered by the band to be their first true "rock" record. It is a rock driven record with electric guitars having prevalence on more of the songs than any previous albums. The album also has other stylistic influences and even includes a choir of African school children, while lyrically, it hits the darker side of their self-shaped genre.
In 2007, Jars of Clay announced that they were leaving Essential Records and were creating their own record label, Gray Matters. Jars of Clay released Christmas Songs through Gray Matters in 2007, and the Closer EP was released in the Summer of 2008.
April 21, 2009 marked the release of The Long Fall Back to Earth, containing two tracks from the Closer EP and 12 additional tracks. Two Hands is the first single from that release.
Blind
Jars of Clay Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You play the doubting Thomas
Feel the scars and wipe the stains
So you fight, and retreat
And talk yourself out of believing
In any peace that you can't see
Blind words you call
You're logical, you can't find
Any reason to believe in love
You are blind
Crucify, and deny, pass the blame and burn the mission
'Til dust remains and wash your hands
Blind words you call
Blind words will fall
The opening lines of Jars of Clay's song Blind convey a sense of cynicism, with the lyrics "Cynical, just your way / You play the doubting Thomas". The use of the name "doubting Thomas" is significant here, as it refers to the apostle in the Bible who famously doubted the resurrection of Jesus until he was able to physically see and touch his wounds. This sets the stage for the rest of the song, which explores the idea of faith and belief in something that cannot be seen.
The chorus emphasizes the power of words and how they can either uplift or tear down, with the lyrics "Blind words you call / Blind words will fall". This can be interpreted as a caution against speaking negatively or cynically about things that one does not fully understand or believe in.
The second verse delves further into the idea of skepticism towards love and its existence, with the lyrics "You're logical, you can't find / Any reason to believe in love / You are blind". This reinforces the theme of faith and belief even when there may not be tangible or logical evidence to support it.
Line by Line Meaning
Cynical, just your way
You are naturally distrustful and pessimistic
You play the doubting Thomas
You are always questioning and skeptical, like the biblical figure Thomas who doubted the resurrection of Jesus until he saw with his own eyes
Feel the scars and wipe the stains
You acknowledge past hurts and struggle to move on from them
So you fight, and retreat
You both resist and avoid vulnerability and emotional risk
And talk yourself out of believing
You try to rationalize away any possibility of hope or change
In any peace that you can't see
You are skeptical about the existence of peace that you can't tangibly experience
Blind words you call
You are quick to dismiss words or ideas that challenge your worldview
Blind words will fall
Words that are uninformed or misguided will ultimately lose credibility
You're logical, you can't find
You prioritize rationality over emotion and struggle to find evidence for intangible experiences like love
Any reason to believe in love
You are skeptical about the existence or validity of love
You are blind
Your skepticism and focus on rationality is hindering your ability to experience love and other meaningful aspects of life
Crucify, and deny, pass the blame and burn the mission
You are prone to putting others down and deflecting responsibility, causing destruction and failure rather than success
'Til dust remains and wash your hands
You leave behind destruction and move on unscathed
Lyrics © CAPITOL CHRISTIAN MUSIC GROUP, Universal Music Publishing Group, Capitol CMG Publishing
Written by: CHARLIE LOWELL, DAN HASELTINE, MATT ODMARK, STEPHEN DANIEL MASON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind