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.
The Resistance
Josh Garrels Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It’s a sinking ship manned by drunken sailors
An escape artist behind the bars of a jailor
An asthmatic attack when we forgot the inhaler
If the shoe doesn’t fit what good is a tailor
In the midst of a crisis please cancel the gala
Without a symphony there’s no need for a prelude
To foreshadow what’s to come.
To make red tape in response to simple questions
Questions threaten the perception of the beneficial systems
A pyramid scheme with it’s cogs and it’s pistons
Mechanization of men, making more and more
Live in a miserable exhistance
How can so few, claim so many victims
And this begs the question
My rest is a weapon against the oppression
Of mans obsession to control things
Look at the long line of make believe kings
The lord of the flies want’s you to kiss his ring
Follow new rules with invisible strings
And become a puppet in the diabolical scheme
How do good men become part of the regime
They don’t believe in resistance.
Hold fast like an anchor in the storm
We will not be moved
Lesson number one, overcome
Every fear of regret and confusion
It’s all illusion, delusion
Sent to disconnect the holy fusion
Of spirit and the flesh
Every mortal breath, is meant to bring forth fire
But only when the fear of death, gets consumed
On the funeral pier
So let the flames rise higher
Let every man be considered a liar
If he doubts the goodness and faithfulness of God
Itching ears will compulsively nod in approval
When unbelief is taught in all our temples and schools
But God can restrain the madness of a fool
He can bring His truth through the mouth of a mule
You can move an mountain without any tools
It just takes the faith of a little seed
to make a way through what might seem to be
Impossibility,
And the ability will match the occasion
The outcome will defy explanation
The liberation will not be televised
When it arrives like lightning in the skies
Hold fast like an anchor in the storm
For your love, we will rise and overcome
Through the fire
Hold fast my people and sing
Through peace and through suffering
All for the joy that it brings, to be free
It’s gonna cost us everything
To follow one Lord and King
True love endures everything
To be free
Hold fast, like an anchor in the storm
We will not be moved
In "The Resistance," Josh Garrels sheds light on the failures of the systems that exist in society today, and how they have been constructed for failure. He compares the system to a sinking ship with drunken sailors at the wheel or a jailor where an escape artist is trapped behind bars. The lyrics highlight the fact that when we need solutions the most, the people in power focus on things that are trivial, like organizing a gala, instead of addressing the crisis at hand. Garrels emphasizes that the question remains about how a few people can cause so many to suffer, and why so many good men become part of the regime rather than resist it. He suggests that resistance is necessary to overcome the oppression, and to do so, one must hold fast like an anchor in the storm.
Garrels also dives into the concept of faith and how it relates to the resistance. He suggests that to overcome every fear of regret and confusion, one must have faith and allow God to bring forth fire. Garrels believes that there is a fusion between spirit and flesh that needs to be addressed, and that we must not doubt the goodness and faithfulness of God. The lyrics also speak to the fact that we must be willing to pay the price to follow one Lord and King. Garrels encourages listeners to hold fast like an anchor in the storm, to overcome suffering and to be free.
Line by Line Meaning
I was born into a system constructed for failure
I was born into a societal structure destined to crumble
It’s a sinking ship manned by drunken sailors
The system is being steered by incompetent leaders
An escape artist behind the bars of a jailor
Despite being trapped, I long to break free
An asthmatic attack when we forgot the inhaler
The system deprives us of the resources we need to breathe
If the shoe doesn’t fit what good is a tailor
Customization is meaningless if it doesn't address the problem at hand
In the midst of a crisis please cancel the gala
In times of trouble, extravagant celebrations are inappropriate
Without a symphony there’s no need for a prelude
The events that occur have already set the tone, there's no need to introduce it
To foreshadow what’s to come.
To hint at what will happen in the future
See the secret committees, commence with their meetings
Hidden groups gather to control the outcome of events
To make red tape in response to simple questions
To create bureaucracy to hinder progress on small matters
Questions threaten the perception of the beneficial systems
Asking questions challenges the view that the system is for our benefit
A pyramid scheme with it’s cogs and it’s pistons
A hierarchical structure where those at the bottom are used to support those at the top
Mechanization of men, making more and more
The system dehumanizes people to create a greater output
Live in a miserable existence
We're stuck in a life of misery
How can so few, claim so many victims
A small group of people hold power over the masses and cause them harm
And this begs the question
This leads us to ask
My rest is a weapon against the oppression
Choosing to rest is a form of resistance to oppression
Of mans obsession to control things
The human desire to control everything is oppressive
Look at the long line of make believe kings
The lineage of false rulers is extensive
The lord of the flies want’s you to kiss his ring
Evil desires for your submission
Follow new rules with invisible strings
Unseen forces are controlling you to follow new guidelines
And become a puppet in the diabolical scheme
You become a pawn in an evil plan
How do good men become part of the regime
What leads good men to join oppressive regimes?
They don’t believe in resistance.
They think that resistance is futile
Hold fast like an anchor in the storm
Stand strong and resolute during tough times
We will not be moved
We will not be shaken or deterred
Lesson number one, overcome
The first step to success is to overcome obstacles
Every fear of regret and confusion
All fears of failure and indecisiveness
It’s all illusion, delusion
It's all a facade and a lie
Sent to disconnect the holy fusion
Sent to separate the union of spirit and body
Of spirit and the flesh
Of the immaterial and the physical
Every mortal breath, is meant to bring forth fire
We're meant to live passionately and energetically
But only when the fear of death, gets consumed
We can only fully embrace life when we let go of our fear of death
On the funeral pier
At the end of our lives
So let the flames rise higher
Let your passion burn brighter
Let every man be considered a liar
Don't believe everything people say
If he doubts the goodness and faithfulness of God
If he questions the integrity of the divine
Itching ears will compulsively nod in approval
People will blindly accept things that they want to hear
When unbelief is taught in all our temples and schools
When everything we're taught disavows the existence of a higher power
But God can restrain the madness of a fool
God can control the chaos of the ignorant
He can bring His truth through the mouth of a mule
The truth can come from unexpected sources
You can move a mountain without any tools
You can accomplish the impossible if you believe in yourself
It just takes the faith of a little seed
It doesn't take much to make a big difference
to make a way through what might seem to be
To create a path where none exists
Impossibility,
The idea of something being impossible
And the ability will match the occasion
We are capable of rising to any challenge
The outcome will defy explanation
The result will be inexplicable
The liberation will not be televised
Our freedom won't be broadcasted to the world
When it arrives like lightning in the skies
It will come suddenly and without warning
For your love, we will rise and overcome
We will prevail through our love for each other
Hold fast my people and sing
Stay strong and find joy in the midst of turmoil
Through peace and through suffering
In times of calm and adversity
All for the joy that it brings, to be free
For the happiness that comes with being liberated
It’s gonna cost us everything
We must give our all to achieve our goals
To follow one Lord and King
To align ourselves with a single, divine ruler
True love endures everything
Genuine love withstands any obstacle
Contributed by Declan W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
historymaker118
If 2020 has a theme song, this is it.
Larissa Baxter
Lol FACTSSS
Jeffery Jack
Amen
blissfulbaboon
And 2021 and 222
picaneni
Yes!
tricia bonenfant
And even more so now in 2021!
Simon Morton
Josh garrels is a revolutionary. A massive talent and lyrical genius. The most hard hitting contemporary Christian artist of our time. He has a prophetic spirit. Far superior to the behels and hillsongs usual fair. What a refreshing change
Christina Smith
Took the words right out of my mouth...
Spart Articus
@C Cole um bro Jesus literally said Luke 22:36
“Then said he unto them, But now, he that hath a purse, let him take it, and likewise his scrip: and he that hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one.”
bro
@C Cole Wow. How horrendous of you for taking Jesus and making him fit your specific political views. Political progressives are anti-Christ, and Christian progressives are ravenous heretics. Never again promote Jesus as a progressive, that is blasphemy. If this isn't what you meant I apologize, but you have to be careful with your words. Of course he didn't love greed, and screwing over the poor, but don't act like that is something specific to progressives. On the contrary, about judgement also. You are to judge righteously. Again, horrendous take.