On another continent, some 9000 miles from the United States, is a corner of the earth where there is no Internet, no electricity, no telephone. From wherever you stand, you see red dirt and sky, well-adapted wildlife, rock piles next to dirt roads that seem to go on and on forever. Desolate but not empty, the Australian outback offers people the chance to revel in the open space and solitary oneness this striking terrain provides. Had you traveled that same path years ago, you may have passed Jennifer Knapp along the way, a Grammy nominated, Dove Award winning artist, who was happy to let go of all the success she had to live a very different kind of life traveling to the most remote corners of Australia, looking to reclaim a part of herself she felt she lost in all the excitement of her accomplishments.
And then one day she decided to come back.
Before you start with any Eddie and the Cruisers comparisons, please note that Jennifer didn’t fake her own demise. She just decided to take a break, though at the time, she wasn’t sure she’d ever return. Considering Jennifer has over sold over 1 million records, spent years successfully playing to sold out audiences and had a considerable fan base, the choice wasn’t an easy one but definitely necessary. “I didn’t play, I didn’t write, my guitars collected dust for 5 years. I completely had to divorce myself from the whole thing because I never really took ownership of what music meant for me as an individual. I needed to figure that out, so I really left the music business with the idea that I may not ever do it again.”
At first, Jennifer set out to go to all the cities she had toured in, but never had a chance to visit. Growing up in a tiny town in Kansas, the trips across the US and Europe were exciting. This led to a jaunt to Australia, where she decided to stay. Walking away from her career wasn’t easy, as Jennifer was riding high on the wave of success. Having cultivated an audience within the Christian music spectrum, Jennifer’s first 3 albums were all critical and commercial successes. She won her first Dove Award in 1999 for Best New Artist, scored 2 Grammy nods and another Dove nomination in 2003. She opened for Jars of Clay, spent some time on the Lilith tour and continued to grow her audience, who clamored for more of her folk-rock message of spirituality and love. People magazine touted Jennifer as an “uncommonly literate songwriter,” but just as she was at the top of her game she…let go.
After seven years spent traveling, mastering the Playstation and spending time working at an antique store (and actually loving that she dreaded going to work in the morning like a “normal” person), Jennifer began to re-visit what made her happiest. “I had to go through a mourning process of walking away and convincing myself that it didn’t matter if I played music anymore. But it was hard, and the whole time I was gone, it was like I had a shadow following me. I began to return to it in my own private time, getting out my guitar, starting to play and falling in love with music again without any expectations. I just wanted to play because it meant something to me.”
Struggling with being a normal person with an abnormal occupation, Jennifer finally made peace with what she did best. “I was really enjoying the music I was playing at home. Half the record was written in Australia and as I played it, friends were responding to it. It fanned the flame. There are sad parts of working in the industry that made me feel disconnected, but I realized I was just afraid and was hiding. It seemed a shame that I could share my songs with people and I wasn’t doing it. I hadn’t worked in 7 years and there were fans on the Internet holding vigils for me to play again. It took me a long time to understand that connection and now it’s a passion of mine. In a true sense it’s a gift – you give it because you don’t want it back, and you want it to bless the person receiving it. What an amazing opportunity for me to have.”
Returning to Nashville, Jennifer holed up in the studio to begin recording the aptly named Letting Go, her fourth studio album. With Producer Paul Moak, best known as his work as a studio musician for artists such as Mat Kearney, Amy Grant and Michael W. Smith, at the helm, Jennifer had no intention of resting on past laurels. With Paul, they put together a whole new band of hungry young musicians and got to work. With the exception of longtime bass player Tony Lucido, the guys in the studio were musicians Jennifer had never even met before, who brought an energy she was craving. “All risk and high reward” is how she explains her new band with which she had an instant camaraderie.
While Jennifer made her initial mark in the Christian market, her time away made her realize that while she would never turn her back on that belief, she didn’t want to exclude any one else, either. As with past releases, she had gotten used to the focus on her song writing, that it was viewed as somewhat unusual for the Christian music industry. However Jennifer was always celebrated for her honesty and human approach to the divine, and she looks at Letting Go as a continuation of pushing those limits. “It was a struggle, because I was used to writing lyrics one way. I had to break that yolk to write a record that was honest about how I feel about life. It is the voice of people that I am concerned in preserving here, our right to express our deepest souls without the fear of condemnation. It’s my hope that the music feels legitimate and meaningful for whoever hears it. I wanted this record to reflect that.”
The result is the astonishing straightforwardness of Letting Go, an album of stripped back folk and country tinged rock that is as intimate as it is expansive. The musical warmth of Letting Go spreads throughout the record. From the wry opening words (“careful what you say, careful who might hear…”) of “Dive In” to the lyrical play of “Want For Nothing” and the evocative rocker “Inside,” Letting Go observes the world around it with captivating perception.
To say that Jennifer Knapp has come full circle would be a fair assessment. Beside the record release, Knapp has been asked to play on the re-vamped Lilith Fair tour, the first one in 10 years. Since Jennifer played on the last one in ’99, being asked to play the re-launch is very special, a reminder of why Jennifer came back to her musical roots. “There is a strong sense of community that has been in the back of my mind throughout this whole process. I want my core audience to find something familiar, but refreshed, on Letting Go. At the same time, I am so happy to throw off any cloak that has been put upon me that would make any music lover hesitate to listen to my music. I am so excited to bring all different types of people to my party. I’ve written this for them.”
Sometimes, you have to let go of everything to be able to come back.
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Biography taken from: http://www.jenniferknapp.com/about
http://www.jenniferknapp.com
Hold Me Now
Jennifer Knapp Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Christ would you wait if her harlotries known? falls a tear to darken the
dirt. Of humblest offerings to forgive the hurt. She is strong enough to
stand in your love. I can hear her say..I am weak. I am poor I'm broken
cast the first stone if you will. To say that my bride isn't worth half the
blood that I've spilled. Point your finger and laugh if you choose to say my
beloved is borrowed and used (chorus)
The first line of Jennifer Knapp's song Hold Me Now speaks of a woman who pours out the depths of her soul in a glass alabaster. This could be a reference to the biblical story of the woman who anointed Jesus with expensive perfume from an alabaster jar as an act of love and worship. The second line asks if the foot of Christ would wait for her even if her harlotries were known, suggesting that the woman may feel unworthy of Christ's love and forgiveness due to her past mistakes.
The third and fourth lines describe the woman's humility and willingness to offer even the humblest of offerings in order to be forgiven for her hurts. Despite her strength, the woman admits her weakness, brokenness, and poverty before Christ, proclaiming that she is his. The chorus of the song repeats the plea for Christ to hold her now, acknowledging her need for his comfort and embrace.
The next few lines address those who would judge the woman and her worth, pointing out that only those without sin have the right to cast the first stone at her. The final line of the chorus challenges anyone who would claim that the woman, Christ's bride, is borrowed and used, reminding them that she is worth at least half the blood he has spilled for her.
Overall, the song seems to be a heartfelt plea for Christ's love and forgiveness, despite the woman's mistakes and shortcomings. It also challenges those who would judge and condemn others, reminding listeners that only Christ has the authority to offer true forgiveness and redemption.
Line by Line Meaning
From glass alabaster she poured out the depths of her soul.
She revealed her deepest, most vulnerable self while being fragile, just like glass.
O foot of Christ would you wait if her harlotries known?
Would you still accept her if you knew of her past mistakes and sins?
falls a tear to darken the dirt.
She is crying and her tears are falling on the ground, making the dirt darker.
Of humblest offerings to forgive the hurt.
She is making the most humble offerings to ask for forgiveness and to heal her pain.
She is strong enough to stand in your love.
She is resilient because your love gives her strength.
I can hear her say..I am weak. I am poor I'm broken Lord but I'm yours.
I hear her confessing her weaknesses and shortcomings, but also affirming her belief in you.
Hold me Now. hold me Now.
She is pleading for your comfort and protection in the present moment.
Let the first without sin cast the first stone if you will.
Only someone without any sin in their own life should criticize her.
To say that my bride isn't worth half the blood that I've spilled.
She is worth everything I have done for her, and more.
Point your finger and laugh if you choose to say my beloved is borrowed and used.
If you want to make fun of her and call her damaged goods, go ahead, but she is still my beloved.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Capitol CMG Publishing
Written by: JENNIFER LYNN KNAPP
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Exploring with Olivia
From glass alabaster she poured out the depths of her soul.
O foot of Christ would you wait if her harlotries known?
Falls a tear to darken the
dirt.
Of humblest offerings to forgive the hurt.
She is strong enough to stand in your love. I can hear her say.
I am weak, I am poor, I'm broken
Lord, but I'm yours.
Hold me now. hold me now.
Let he without sin
cast the first stone if he will.
To say that my bride isn't worth half the blood that I've spilled.
Point your finger and laugh if you choose
To say my beloved is borrowed and used
She is strong enough to
stand in your love. I can hear her say..
I am weak, I am poor, I'm broken
Lord, but I'm yours.
Hold me now. hold me now.
When I am weak, and I am poor, I'm broken Lord, but I'm yours.
Hold me now. hold me now.
When I am weak, and I am poor, I'm broken Lord, but I'm yours.
Hold me now. hold me now.
Opi 9
Truly a golden song. God bless.
shewhosigns
By far my favorite Christian artist❤️
Hope Podcast
@R C 1000% thanks for sharing!
R C
I had the privilege of seeing her live in Monterey at Spirit West Coast and my kids were very small they washed cars so that they could send me and my friend's kids to this event and it was over $200 that they raised wow what wonderful children.
Far as the knapster
She is AWESOME .
The anointing that she carries is out of this world..... she stepped onto the stage and you could immediately feel the presence of God and her confidence was very humble but she was so gifted in all talents as far as singing and communicating with others ....
She came out with her cowboy boots on and two or three guitars at the front of the stage and she had one in her hand and with each song she would change instruments mostly guitars and there was a female violinist that looked like a little angel and boy God was in that place she is a true child of God because she loves the Lord regardless of what man may say and this song is perfect answer to so many things that are said negatively Among Us and each other even in the church so may God bless us to love each other and repent HE just said to "love one another" and I always ask myself is that so hard? Keep praying everyone times have changed but God has not
Hope Podcast
One of my favorite of favorite artists! ❤️
Marlon R. Wilson
If anyone knows ANYONE (saved or unsaved) that is contemplating suicide, play this song and just walk away... it WILL save their life!!! Trust me, I know! Thanks Jennifer! I Love You!
the Liz family vlogs
Jennifer Knapp is a beautiful amazing person. I sin everyday, but to say that I don't would be a lie. But He forgives me, just like He is willing to forgive Jennifer.
the Liz family vlogs
Amen to both of you
Steven Whitehouse
@the Liz family vlogs - Doesn't matter what happens in Life, if You are a 'born again' Christians who believes in Heaven, You WILL NEVER LOSE YOUR SALVATION. Jesus will not cast you away according to John 6:37. I'm getting rather tired of people saying that Jesus will cast you away if you sin, make too many mistakes fail too many times or suffer. Just because we become 'born again' Christians, doesn't mean that we can't or won't sin again. We do everyday. It's all part of growing up and maturing as a 'born again' Christian. Let's face it, we all sin everyday. The only difference is, Jesus PAID FOR ALL OUR SINS, with his death, burial & resurrection. And that includes our FUTURE SINS as well. If you say no, then your not fully trusting Jesus. That is what Jesus came to do is to shed his blood to pay for our sins including mine. If you say that the cross wasn't enough, Then your calling GOD A LIAR. If You are trusting anything else other than Jesus to get you into Heaven, you don't go period! Jesus said I am the way, the truth and the life, no man (or woman) cometh to the Father except by me(meaning Jesus Christ!) John 14:6-7. And there is none other name whereby we must be saved other than the name of Jesus Acts 4:12. SALVATION IS A GIFT FROM GOD, and not man. It is NOT A REWARD. You can't EARN SOMETHING THAT IS GIVEN TO YOU AS A GIFT! Some people may say that you don't get a "FREE TICKET" into Heaven. But God gives it to you for free. I'm not sure who would NOT WANT TO GO TO HEAVEN FOR FREE! Though Going to Heaven is FREE, but it Cost God His Only Begotten Son. The only thing we need to do is to BELIEVE in what Jesus did on the cross was enough to pay for ALL THE SINS OF ALL THE WORLD According to John 3:15-18.
nikki venable
@the Liz family vlogs Maybe we, as humans, "walk away" from Jesus(by our choices) but I have to believe that God never walks away from us...and maybe, just maybe, that's all that really matters in the end. I pray that is so because frankly, most of us, if not all, have fallen short and do so every day. I certainly do!