Phillips began her professional musical journey in 1999, after graduating from BYU, when she independently released her first album. Eleven years later, as one of the top-selling artists with Deseret Book's music label, Jenny has become known throughout the world for her powerful presentations and music for the youth of the church.
Phillips has long had a vision of sharing LDS music in all parts of the world. She says, "LDS music had such a huge impact on my life as I was growing up. Since a young age, I had a vision of making LDS music available outside of the US. It has been one of the most fulfilling things I've been able to work on. I want members of the church everywhere to have access to this kind of music in their native tongue." Jenny has performed her music in 16 countries, and her music has been translated into 15 different languages. Her music has been performed by LDS youth groups in more than 30 nations.
During the creation of her second and third albums, Phillips formed a choir to tour with her. They began small—only eight members performing twice a month, but by the time Phillips released her fourth album, Journey toward Zion, in 2004, the group had grown to 140 rotating members performing more than 200 times each year. The Jenny Phillips choir has recorded on over a dozen CDs including EFY and Hilary Weeks projects.
In addition to her five full-length albums, Phillips has released four best-selling albums for LDS youth.
Jenny lives in North Salt Lake with her husband and four children.
Honest
Jenny Phillips Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
So much deception
So much untruth
Does anyone stand for anything anymore?
I don't want to live that way
I want to be honest
Truth telling
I want to be honest
Truth acting
Truth loving
I want to live so He can trust me
I want my heart to be like His
Honoring my Father like I promised
I want to be honest
You won't see me acting like I believe
And then somewhere else
Acting differently
I've made the choice to have integrity
Even when no one is watching me
I want to be honest
Truth telling
Truth speaking
I want to be honest
Truth acting
Truth loving
I want to live so He can trust me
I want my heart to be like His
Honoring my Father like I promised
I want to be honest
I want to be honest
Truth telling
Truth speaking
I want to be honest
Truth acting
Truth loving
I want to live so He can trust me
I want my heart to be like His
Honoring my Father like I promised
I want to be honest
In Jenny Phillips's song "Honest," she reflects on the confusion and deceit in the world and the importance of living a life of integrity and honesty. Phillips questions if anyone stands for anything anymore in a world full of falsehoods and untruths. She then asserts her desire to live honestly and truthfully, speaking and acting in a way that honors her faith and values. Phillips's emphasis on living a life of integrity even when no one is watching underscores the importance of being true to oneself and to God.
The repetition of the phrase "I want to be honest" reinforces the central message of the song and the importance of living with honesty and integrity. The musical arrangement with its upbeat tempo and a prominent piano, coupled with Phillips's powerful vocals, creates an uplifting and motivational tone that encourages listeners to strive for honesty in their own lives. Ultimately, the song's message is a reminder to prioritize truth and integrity in a world that too often values deception and self-interest.
Line by Line Meaning
Has the world ever been so confused?
The world is in a state of confusion and chaos.
So much deception
There's deception everywhere.
So much untruth
Lies have become common.
Does anyone stand for anything anymore?
People don't have principles or values anymore.
I don't want to live that way
I don't want to live in a world like this.
I want to be honest
I choose honesty.
Truth telling
I will speak the truth.
Truth speaking
I will only speak the truth.
Truth acting
I will only act on the truth.
Truth loving
I will love the truth.
I want to live so He can trust me
I want to live in a way that makes God trust me.
I want my heart to be like His
I want my heart to be like God's heart.
Honoring my Father like I promised
I will honor God as I promised Him.
You won't see me acting like I believe
I won't pretend to believe something that I don't.
And then somewhere else
I won't be hypocritical.
Acting differently
I won't behave differently from my beliefs and principles.
I've made the choice to have integrity
I've decided to have moral principles that I will stick to.
Even when no one is watching me
I will be honest even when nobody is around to see.
Contributed by Ryan P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Tayler Thomason
I love this song and many others by Jenny Phillips
Kaveinga Ohlson
Beautiful song love it😍
Louisette Desire Waiane
truly amazing song...honesty comes from sincere heart... :)
Steve Roney
Love the Church of Jesus Christ. It saved my life. The sealing powers for our loved ones to be sealed is the truth.
Rose Hammond
This song right here is one of my favorits I love this song.And yeah I want to be honest truth speaking and truth loving.
Yeo Wool
I love God! This song is beautiful :) It reminds of a scripture in Doctrine and Covenants 93:24 "And truth is knowledge of things as they are, and as they were, and as they are to come..." It's sooo true though :) If everyone in the whole entire world was honest it would be so much better. Sadly we don't live in that world though :(
I'm Mormon :)
sandra valdivia
Me too
Rebecca Clark
Yeo Wool Me too.
SilverMysticWolf
Sometimes in life being honest is hard. I lost my boyfriend because of it and in the end I'm glad I did because it was either him or my beloved Savior. In the end i honored God like I promised.
wendywendy4599
Love the message behind