Card received Bachelor's and Master’s degrees in Religious Studies from Western Kentucky University. His studies in physics and astronomy allowed him to support himself while a student by working for six years at a planetarium. As of 2005, he is working on a Ph.D. in Classical Literature.
Could It Be
Michael Card Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
As we wander through the years
We're told to listen to a voice
We can't here with our ears
They say to live by something
That you can't see with your eyes
Is there really any purpose
To this foolish exercise?
Could it be You make Your presence known
So often by Your absence?
Could it be that questions tell us more
Than answers ever do?
Could it be that You would really rather die
Than live without us?
Could it be the only answer that means anything
Is You?
In our words and in our silence
In our pride and in our shame
To the genius and the scholar
To the foolish and insane
To the ones who care to seek You
To the ones who never will
You are the only answer even still
Chorus
It's a question you can't answer
An answer you cannot express
That the gentle Man of Sorrow
Is the source of happiness
You'll never solve the mystery
Of this magnetic man
For you must believe to understand
Chorus
Could it be the only answer that means anything
Is You?
The lyrics of Michael Card's song Could It Be speak to the human longing to understand the presence of God in the midst of daily life experiences. The song contemplates the paradoxical nature of faith, as people are encouraged to live by something that is not perceptible by any of the senses. The lyrics use the metaphor of the ebb and flow of living to highlight the mysterious and illusory nature of faith. The fact that the voice of God cannot be heard by the ears prompts the question of whether there is any purpose in seeking an unseen God. However, the chorus suggests that the only answer to the human quest for meaning is found in the presence of God, even if that presence is often made known by absence.
The lyrics of the song continue to assert that God's presence is not limited to any particular group of people, but it is accessible to everyone, regardless of their intellect, social status, or spiritual fervency. God's presence is the only answer for everyone - from geniuses to fools, from scholars to the insane, from seekers to rebels. The lyrics evoke the mystery of the Christian faith that points to the "gentle Man of Sorrow" as the source of happiness, a happiness that is beyond human understanding. The song ends on the same note it begins: Could it be that the only answer that means anything is God?
Line by Line Meaning
In the ebb and flow of living
Despite the continual ups and downs in life
As we wander through the years
As we go through our lives, uncertain of what we will encounter along the way
We're told to listen to a voice
We are instructed to listen to something important that is being conveyed to us
We can't here with our ears
Something that is beyond the reach of our normal senses
They say to live by something
It is advised that we base our lives on
That you can't see with your eyes
Something that cannot be perceived through our physical sight
Is there really any purpose
Is there a point to this
To this foolish exercise?
To this seemingly pointless endeavor?
Could it be You make Your presence known
Perhaps God reveals Himself to us
So often by Your absence?
More frequently through His lack of direct intervention?
Could it be that questions tell us more
Is it possible that questions can reveal more about God and our relationship with Him
Than answers ever do?
Than receiving answers ever could?
Could it be that You would really rather die
Is it conceivable that God would prefer to suffer and die
Than live without us?
Rather than exist without our companionship?
Could it be the only answer that means anything
Could the only thing that has true significance
Is You?
Be God?
In our words and in our silence
Whether we are active or quiet
In our pride and in our shame
Whether we are feeling proud or ashamed
To the genius and the scholar
To those who are intelligent and well-educated
To the foolish and insane
To those who lack intelligence or suffer from mental illness
To the ones who care to seek You
To those who are interested in seeking out God
To the ones who never will
To those who will never seek God out
You are the only answer even still
God remains the sole solution regardless of anyone's beliefs or actions
It's a question you can't answer
This is an unanswered question
An answer you cannot express
A solution that is beyond human expression
That the gentle Man of Sorrow
That Jesus, the sorrowful and gentle man
Is the source of happiness
Is responsible for our contentment
You'll never solve the mystery
It is impossible to fully comprehend this enigma
Of this magnetic man
Of this compelling and attractive figure
For you must believe to understand
In order to understand, you must first have faith
Could it be the only answer that means anything
Could God be the only solution that has true significance?
Is You?
Is God?
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: AARRON LEWIS, JOHN APRIL, JOHN F. APRIL, JONATHAN WYSOCKI, MICHAEL MUSHOK, MICHAEL J. MUSHOK
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Saul Vazquez
Thank you so much for placing this song on YouTube Michael Card is a scholar a genius, this song has shaken my very life, and still does.
Judy Smith
Thank you for posting this. It is one of my all time favorite Michael Card songs. So encouraging, what a blessing!
Agnes Mbewe
Michael's music blesses me every turn of the way. I'll always bless the Lord for the talent Michael.
Laura D. Kelley
Oh, my goodness! I didn't know that this was on YouTube! I used to have it on a worn blue cassette that I found at a secondhand Christian book & music store. Thanks for posting!!! 💖
malletmonster
one of my all tome favorites. brilliant orchestrations and everything... just constant wow!
Carl5383
Well, aren't you blessed!!! :) He's an awesome writer, singer. I never get tired of his music, although I've heard these songs a thousand times.
Elizabeth Fry
Carl5383 Me too!
Gretchen Phillips
i haven't heard this song in probably 25 years!!! Wonderful- thanks
heyfrom Dave
Don't ever relegate God, make his subject to time, or anything! God said in the Old Testament, I, I am the LORD, I change not. In Hebrews, in the New Testament, brit haDasha, it says, 'Jesus Christ/Yeshua haMashiach, the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.' GOD NEVER CHANGES. he's the same right now as he's been throughout eternity.
heyfrom Dave
Truth is always relevant and not subject to time.Yeshua/Jesus IS the way, the truth, and the life. - John 14:6 cambridge king james bible, the only divinely preserved Word of God for english. Jesus not only HAS life,, HE IS life! the bible says God is Love. God not only HAS love, HE IS love!