Kenneth Cope (b. June 12, 1961, Salt Lake City, Utah) is a composer and per… Read Full Bio ↴Kenneth Cope (b. June 12, 1961, Salt Lake City, Utah) is a composer and performer of religious music geared towards Latter Day Saints. His first album, Heaven — Don't Miss It For The World, was released in February 1988. His twelfth album, All About You, was released in March 2008.

Cope lived in Houston, Texas during his high school years and attended the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. He has been closely associated with the music of Especially for Youth (EFY), with seven EFY albums having songs he composed. He also has served as an LDS missionary in Switzerland and France from 1980-1982. He currently resides in Salt Lake City, Utah and serves as an LDS Bishop.

Gethsemane
Kenneth Cope Lyrics

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My heart is overwhelmed
to the point of death
and sorrow overtakes me
and darkness looms all around
Theres no light to be found

It's a long hard road
That you put me on

And I am all alone
But I choose to die
For the ones that you have given me
So not my will, but yours be done

Father if it's not possible
For this cup to be taken from me
Then will I drink it
for my live is in your hands
And u must fulfill your plan

It's a long hard road
That you put me on
And I am all alone
But I choose to die
For the ones that you have given me
So not my will, but yours be done

Not my will, but yours be done...

Overall Meaning

Kenneth Cope's song Gethsemane depicts the emotional turmoil of Jesus Christ during his time in the Garden of Gethsemane before his crucifixion. The opening lines of the song, "My heart is overwhelmed to the point of death," refers to the intense sorrow and agony that Christ experienced as he faced the prospect of bearing the sins of humanity on the cross. The darkness and loneliness that he felt are portrayed through the lines "sorrow overtakes me and darkness looms all around, there's no light to be found." It is evident that Christ is deeply troubled but willing to submit himself to God's will rather than his own.

The chorus of the song emphasizes Christ's willingness to die for the sake of humanity, even though it is a "long hard road" that he is on and that he is "all alone." Despite the immense pain he is experiencing, Christ declares that he chooses to die for those that God has given him. The final lines of the chorus, "Not my will, but yours be done," encapsulate Christ's submission to God's will, even in the face of such terrible suffering.

Line by Line Meaning

My heart is overwhelmed
I am feeling an intense amount of emotion.

to the point of death
It feels like this emotion is going to kill me.

and sorrow overtakes me
Sadness has taken over me.

and darkness looms all around
I can't see any light ahead of me.

Theres no light to be found
I can't find anything to bring me out of this darkness.

It's a long hard road
This is a difficult journey.

That you put me on
You have brought me down this path.

And I am all alone
I am completely by myself.

But I choose to die
I have made the decision to sacrifice myself.

For the ones that you have given me
I am doing this for the people you have entrusted to me.

So not my will, but yours be done
I am submitting to your will, not my own.