Camp was raised in a Christian home and drew musical inspiration from worship music and secular tunes alike. Touchstone albums in his artistic development include U2's The Joshua Tree, Delirious?' King of Fools , Jars Of Clay's debut album, Jars of Clay, and Steven Curtis Chapman's The Great Adventure.
When one of the worship leaders at the school heard Camp playing with some friends at his dormitory, he urged him to become involved with their music ministry program, and soon he was performing at Christian music events all over California, recording a self-released disc called Burden Me in 2000.
At one such appearance, Camp met a young woman named Melissa, and the two struck up a friendship that blossomed into a romance. When Melissa broke off the relationship after a few months, Camp was crushed, but when he next saw her, her life had taken a serious turn -- she had been diagnosed with ovarian cancer and was in the hospital. When Melissa went into remission, Camp married her, but after their honeymoon, they discovered the cancer had returned, and in early 2001 she passed on; she was only 21.
Camp poured both his sorrow and the faith that helped see him through into his music, and in 2002 he was signed to BEC Recordings, who released his first nationally distributed album, Stay; it was both a critical and commercial success, and five songs from the disc reached the top of the Christian singles chart. While touring in support of Stay, Camp met singer Adrienne Leisching, former singer with the Benjamin Gate; the two hit it off, and in 2003 they were married, and have since been blessed with two daughters.
In 2004, Camp released his second album for BEC, Carried Me: The Worship Project, which matched the gold record success of Stay, and Camp won two Dove Award trophies for Best Male Vocalist and Best New Artist. In 2005, Camp released two albums -- a studio set, Restored, which rose to number 45 on the Billboard Top Albums chart and spawned three number one Christian singles, and a live disc, Live Unplugged from Franklin TN. Camp also recorded the song "Open Up Your Eyes" for the soundtrack of the hit film The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, which earned him another Dove Award. The fall of 2006 brought another studio set from Camp, Beyond Measure, which reached number 29 on the Billboard charts and produced two more hit singles.
Speaking Louder than Before, his sixth album, was released on November 25, 2008.
The Way Songfacts reports that his seventh album, We Cry Out: The Worship Project , was released on August 24, 2010, and peaked at #1 on the Billboard Christian Albums Chart.
O Come O Come Emmanuel
Jeremy Camp Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And ransom captive Israel
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.
O come, Thou Day-Spring, come and cheer
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night
And death's dark shadows put to flight.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.
O come, O come, Emmanuel
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.
Shall come to thee, O Israel.
Emmanuel
The lyrics of Jeremy Camp's song, O Come O Come Emmanuel, are a plea for the arrival of the Messiah, who could ransom Israel from exile and darkness. The central message of the hymn is that the world is waiting for the coming of the Lord, who would bring joy and comfort to a grieving and desolate humanity. The song is a profound example of the Christian tradition of Advent, celebrating the imminent return of Jesus Christ, and the promised redemption that would come with his arrival. The first verse, "O come, O come, Emmanuel, And ransom captive Israel," for instance, refers to the prophecy in Isaiah 7:14 that "the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Emmanuel" which means "God with us."
The second verse of the hymn, "O come, Thou Day-Spring, come and cheer Our spirits by Thine advent here," is an excellent example of how the lyrics reflect the need for light and hope in a world dominated by dark and gloomy clouds. The phrase "Day-Spring" refers to Jesus as the rising sun or the light of the world. In this verse, the lyrics long for Jesus to bring joy and hope to humanity through his presence with them. The final verse of the hymn completes the plea for Emmanuel's arrival, "O come, O come, Emmanuel, Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel Shall come to thee, O Israel." The repetition of "Rejoice!" repeats the hopeful anticipation of Jesus Christ coming to end sadness and darkness.
Line by Line Meaning
O come, O come, Emmanuel
Come, come, Emmanuel (meaning 'God with us'). The song is a plea for Emmanuel to come and deliver those who are captive and in exile.
And ransom captive Israel
Redeem your people, O God, from captivity and bondage. Rescue them from their oppression.
That mourns in lonely exile here
Your people are mourning and suffering in a state of loneliness and isolation, being separated from you and their homeland.
Until the Son of God appear
They long for the appearance of the Son of God, who will bring salvation and hope to their situation.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
The singer calls for joy and celebration over the coming of Emmanuel, who will bring deliverance and hope to his people.
Shall come to thee, O Israel.
The song ends with a reminder that Emmanuel will indeed come to Israel, bringing salvation and restoration.
O come, Thou Day-Spring, come and cheer
The singer calls on the Day-Spring (a metaphor for the rising sun and a symbol of new life) to come and bring comfort and hope.
Our spirits by Thine advent here
May your coming bring new life and renewed joy to our spirits.
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night
As the sun disperses the dark clouds of night, Emmanuel will bring light and hope to those living in darkness.
And death's dark shadows put to flight.
Emmanuel will conquer even death itself, bringing life to those who are dead in their sins and transgressions.
Shall come to thee, O Israel.
The refrain is repeated as a reminder that Emmanuel will come to his people and bring salvation and hope.
Emmanuel
The song ends with this word, reminding us that Emmanuel (God with us) is the one who brings deliverance and hope to his people.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: DOMAIN PUBLIC, JAMES SKAFISH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind