Garrels has been a lot of things: son of a hippie commune, skater boy,
suburban drug dealer, music/design student, coffee roaster, urban shepherd, and now nation- and globe-trotting minstrel of hope and healing.
He is also a beacon of light in a marketplace rife with artists who, whether wanting to acquire fame or just their next meals, have sold their souls to the not-so-almighty dollar and forsaken their first loves – the song – in the process. Garrels’ rogue ethic first led him to self-record, -produce, and -distribute a trio of early recordings, Stone Tree (2002), Underquiet (2003), and Over Oceans (2006), each a holy merging of sampled beats; plaintive, soulful vocals; and earnest acoustic strumming over unabashedly lo-fi production.
Despite fielding offers from major labels, Garrels retained a marked distrust for the recording industry (and it is just that) and, with the release of Over Oceans, formed his own little label that could: Small Voice Records. He also formed a humble but subtly mighty union with one Michelle Ramsdale, whose art has accompanied his aural musings on both Over Oceans and the subsequent Jacaranda album (2008).
It was the recording and producing of Jacaranda that proved a turning point for team Garrels. Housed in an old, rural mansion – a friend’s donated respite on an Indiana river in the woods – Josh and Michelle set to fashioning a home for themselves; crafting his best, tightest collection of songs to date; and creating a baby girl (née Heron Selah Garrels) all at once. The album itself became his most critically lauded so far, and the single “Don’t Wait For Me” was used in a scene on CBS drama “The Ghost Whisperer.”
Josh Garrels’ music is always equal parts confidence and vulnerability. That may seem a dichotomy – and then you hear him. Those trademark vibrant trills, lyricism chock-full of an earthy gusto and the search for God both, and the tapping and slapping against his trusty homemade acoustic axe – the sum of it is an amalgam of sound like precious few before or beside him.
“Fight or flight” is simplistic phrasing for the choice we often have in life’s trying situations. In his gritty formative years the former there was Josh Garrels’ strategy, but since his coming of age (and of belief) and his entrance into bona fide adulthood, within and without, his modus operandi has become flight. Flight as in lift-off, ascension. Rising above. Yea, the name of his young daughter is shared with a bird. Flight is a fixture, and wings a metaphor, in both the love story that Josh and Michelle grew and in the visual and musical arts that both have cultivated.
“My hope is to record at least an album a year for many years to come,” Garrels says, “probably continuing to record myself with my own home studio.” To borrow another well-worn axiom: If it’s not broken, don’t fix it. A minimalist website and album sales at live shows eventually thrust Josh Garrels into the arena where he now resides.
Garrels has always sought to inject his ears and his mind with a wide swath of influences. Early on it was Cat Stevens and De La Soul, and then those gave way to honchos of east-coast hip-hop the likes of the Wu-Tang Clan and A Tribe Called Quest. The mellowing – and yet, ironically, the lionizing – of his head, heart, and soul are evident in his budding young-adult affinities for the sounds of Bob Dylan and Digable Planets, Ben Harper and Gustavo Santaolalla.
Despite being his cherished mentors of music, none of these established artists would make Garrels blink were he to meet them. “In a media-saturated pop culture society where ‘stars’ are the royalty to be worshipped or fawned over, I believe the true role of artists is to serve others with their creations, “ Garrels says. “That means to draw people to fullness of life through revelation, longing, breakthroughs, simple beauty, and unpretentious truths. Artists help people see the obvious, the heart of the matter, and from this regained perspective people become more fully human. So much art these days has people focusing on an unattainable fantasy, lusting over what they'll never have unless they take it by force or by way of money or libido. This is all candy, and candy can't make a man healthy.”
Indeed, and “candy” is the last word for describing Josh Garrels, his life and his tunesmithing. He harmonizes and he freestyles, apt to lift a glitch beat or an accordion to the song at hand, whatever it demands. His latest, Lost Animals (2009), features a sonic quilt of singles, Jacaranda B-sides, soundtrack work, and collaborations. Originally intended as an EP, it outgrew those trappings and emerged a full-length weighing in at 10 songs.
As outgrowing goes, native Michigander Garrels and his family shed their initial digs in Indianapolis, that urban epicenter of gorgeous, golden cornfields, and took to North Carolina for a year to grieve with dear ones a death in the clan. Heartfelt time spent in Carolina bowed out gracefully to their nascent residence in Portland, Oregon, specifically the diverse and progressive artists’ haven that is the Mississippi/Alberta district.
For all the beats and world instruments and innovative guitar work, it will always be about the words with Josh Garrels. His stuff is drenched in musings that encompass time-worn theology and pastoral wonderment, that delight in the fauna of this world and a faith in another still to come. “Has this world been so kind to you that you should leave with regret? There are better things ahead than any we leave behind.” So said the writer C. S. Lewis, and so echo the visceral yearnings, sometimes verbose yet often as unintelligible as the melodies on some of his best tracks, that make up this well-traveled troubadour’s trunk full of songs.
Good Friday
Josh Garrels Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That a mans hands can’t ever truly mend
Shadow land, desert sand, a man searches
For a love that’ll never die
Truth be known, you’re not alone
Your aching bones will find a home
Wake me up before you go
I will listen for the sound of your voice
Hear the wind in the trees
It goes where it please
Like the breath in me
And all who have breath can sing
When we layed your body down
In earth and in the ground
Oh child, rest your soul.
Will a hope be made good
When a word is understood
In the day, will we see you again?
Gather round, hear the sound
Of a story that’s so old that it’s been told
Before time
He was born in the flesh and the blood
In a world that was dark as hell, and dead in sin
Born of the spirit, and the virgin child
He’s the son of God, son of man
I didn’t recognize that look in his eyes
When they cried
With a sorrow that no man has ever known
Hang him high, watch him die, hear the cry
Crucified up on that God forsaken tree
And all who have breath can sing
When we layed your body down
In the earth and in the ground
Oh Lord, rest your bones
Will a hope be made good
If your words are understood
In the day, will we see you again
Oh Eloi, Eloi, lama sabacthani?
Oh my God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Oh Eloi, Eloi, lama sabacthani?
Oh my God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
The song "Good Friday" by Josh Garrels is a profound exploration of the themes of brokenness, searching, and hope. The opening verse sets the tone for the rest of the song, describing the pain of brokenness that cannot be mended by human hands. The imagery of a "forgotten dream" and "shattered thing" is powerful, speaking to the deep longing for wholeness and restoration that we all feel. As the song continues, we hear of a man searching for a love that will never die, a truth that ultimately leads to the place where God sets us free. This is a universal cry, reminding us that we are not alone in our longing for something more.
As the song progresses, we hear echoes of the crucifixion story, where the Son of God himself experienced the depths of brokenness and abandonment. The verses "Hang him high, watch him die, hear the cry / Crucified up on that God forsaken tree" bring to mind the weight of suffering and sacrifice that Jesus endured on our behalf. Yet, even in this dark moment, there is a glimmer of hope. The chorus reminds us that "all who have breath can sing", implying that even the smallest spark of life is enough to defy the darkness and proclaim the goodness of God.
Overall, "Good Friday" is a nuanced and deeply emotional expression of the human experience. It reminds us of our brokenness and longing, but offers a ray of hope that is powerful enough to carry us through even the darkest moments.
Line by Line Meaning
Broken wing, forgotten dream, shattered thing
Something that is broken, lost and can never be fixed completely by mere human hands.
That a man's hands can’t ever truly mend
No matter how hard a man tries, there are some things they cannot fix or restore.
Shadow land, desert sand, a man searches
In the darkest and harshest of circumstances, a man still searches for something more.
For a love that’ll never die
For a love that is eternal and unchanging, that will last beyond this life.
Truth be known, you’re not alone
Despite feeling alone and lost, there is truth and hope that there are others in the same situation.
Your aching bones will find a home
There is a place of comfort and belonging for those who suffer.
In place where God he sets us free
In a place where God provides freedom and release from pain and struggle.
Wake me up before you go
A plea for someone to not leave without saying goodbye.
I will listen for the sound of your voice
I will eagerly anticipate hearing you speak again.
Hear the wind in the trees
The sound of the wind as a reminder of the breath of life.
It goes where it please
The wind is uncontrollable and unrestrained, much like life and the events that occur within it.
Like the breath in me
Just as the wind is uncontrollable, so is the breath of life within oneself.
And all who have breath can sing
Everyone, no matter their circumstances, has a voice and can praise and worship through song.
When we laid your body down
After Jesus died on the cross, his body was placed in a tomb.
In earth and in the ground
Jesus' body was buried in the earth, symbolizing his death.
Oh child, rest your soul
A plea for Jesus' soul to rest and be at peace after his death.
Will a hope be made good
Will our hope in Jesus be fulfilled and proven true?
When a word is understood
When the word of God is fully and truly comprehended and believed.
In the day, will we see you again?
Will we see Jesus again, either in this life or the next?
Gather round, hear the sound
A call to gather together and listen to a story.
Of a story that’s so old that it’s been told
The story of Jesus has been passed down for generations and is still being shared today.
Before time
The story of Jesus predates the creation of the world.
He was born in the flesh and the blood
Jesus was born as a human, with flesh and blood like anyone else.
In a world that was dark as hell, and dead in sin
The world was full of sin and darkness before Jesus came to bring light.
Born of the spirit, and the virgin child
Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin, which is a central part of Christian doctrine.
He’s the son of God, son of man
Jesus is both divine and human, making him both the Son of God and the son of Mary.
I didn’t recognize that look in his eyes
The singer didn't fully understand the depth of Jesus' sorrow and suffering.
When they cried
When Jesus cried out in anguish.
With a sorrow that no man has ever known
Jesus experienced a unique and unimaginable amount of pain and sorrow on the cross.
Hang him high, watch him die, hear the cry
The brutal reality of the crucifixion of Jesus, including the sound of his cry of pain and despair.
Crucified up on that God forsaken tree
The cross, where Jesus was crucified, was a place of great suffering and abandonment by God.
Oh Eloi, Eloi, lama sabacthani?
Jesus' cry of abandonment on the cross, asking why God had forsaken him.
Oh my God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
A direct plea to God, questioning why he appears to have abandoned Jesus in his time of need.
Contributed by Adrian R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
tiffanyrose
Broken wing, forgotten dream, shattered thing
That a mans hands can't ever truly mend
Shadow land, desert sand, a man searches
For a love that'll never die
Truth be known, you're not alone
Your aching bones will find a home
In place where God he sets us free
Wake me up before you go
I will listen for the sound of your voice
Hear the wind in the trees
It goes where it please
Like the breath in me
And all who have breath can sing
When we layed your body down
In earth and in the ground
Oh child, rest your soul.
Will a hope be made good
When a word is understood
In the day, will we see you again?
Gather round, hear the sound
Of a story that's so old that it's been told
Before time
He was born in the flesh and the blood
In a world that was dark as hell, and dead in sin
Born of the spirit, and the virgin child
He's the son of God, son of man
I didn't recognize that look in his eyes
When they cried
With a sorrow that no man has ever known
Hang him high, watch him die, hear the cry
Crucified up on that God forsaken tree
And all who have breath can sing
When we layed your body down
In the earth and in the ground
Oh Lord, rest your bones
Will a hope be made good
If your words are understood
In the day, will we see you again
Oh Eloi, Eloi, lama sabacthani?
Oh my God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Oh Eloi, Eloi, lama sabacthani?
Oh my God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Ryan Norris
My wife and I have fallen in love with your Music, our Creator has blessed you my brother.
Mike Bulger
Yes Garrels is anointed and on another level
Christopher Baione
The highest of anointing.
My wife and I have cried over his worship for 10 years now.
Humberto Vargas
Amen
tiffanyrose
Broken wing, forgotten dream, shattered thing
That a mans hands can't ever truly mend
Shadow land, desert sand, a man searches
For a love that'll never die
Truth be known, you're not alone
Your aching bones will find a home
In place where God he sets us free
Wake me up before you go
I will listen for the sound of your voice
Hear the wind in the trees
It goes where it please
Like the breath in me
And all who have breath can sing
When we layed your body down
In earth and in the ground
Oh child, rest your soul.
Will a hope be made good
When a word is understood
In the day, will we see you again?
Gather round, hear the sound
Of a story that's so old that it's been told
Before time
He was born in the flesh and the blood
In a world that was dark as hell, and dead in sin
Born of the spirit, and the virgin child
He's the son of God, son of man
I didn't recognize that look in his eyes
When they cried
With a sorrow that no man has ever known
Hang him high, watch him die, hear the cry
Crucified up on that God forsaken tree
And all who have breath can sing
When we layed your body down
In the earth and in the ground
Oh Lord, rest your bones
Will a hope be made good
If your words are understood
In the day, will we see you again
Oh Eloi, Eloi, lama sabacthani?
Oh my God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Oh Eloi, Eloi, lama sabacthani?
Oh my God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Patti Keegan
Thank you Amen!
Yelsha Amarie
Alas we have authentic emotion in Christian music
Yohanon
I agree I was always finding myself listening to secular music because so much of the Christian music is so cliche and I finally found an authentic artist who puts his own style and creativity and his love for the father in this music 😊! This music has so much blessed me!
Kemo Tembwe
Imagine
Humberto Vargas
Lol