Nichole Nordeman was raised in Colorado Springs, Colorado, where she played the piano in church. She got her start when she entered a Gospel Music Association (GMA) contest in Los Angeles, California and was noticed by a music producer. She has won multiple GMA Dove Awards, including two awards for Female Vocalist of the Year. Her best-known songs include "Why," "This Mystery," "Holy", "Legacy," "Brave," and "What If." She also sang a song on the soundtrack Music Inspired by the Chronicles of Narnia, called "I Will Believe"
Wide Eyed
Nichole Nordeman Lyrics
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He was preaching to a mailbox
Down on 16th Avenue
And he told me he was Jesus
Sent from Jupiter to free us
With a bottle of tequila and one shoe
He raged about repentance
With a promise that the end was close at hand
I didn't even try to understand
He left me wide eyed in disbelief and disillusion
I was tongue tied, drawn by my conclusions
So I turned and walked away
And laughed at what he had to say
Then casually dismissed him as a fraud
I forgot he was created in the image of my God
When I met her in a bookstore
She was browsing on the first floor
Through a yoga magazine
And she told me in her past life
She was some plantation slave's wife
She had to figure out what that might mean
She believes the healing powers of her crystals
Can bring balance and new purpose to her life
Sounds nice
She left me wide eyed in disbelief and disillusion
I was tongue tied, drawn by my conclusions
So I turned and walked away
And laughed at what she had to say
Then casually dismissed her as a fraud
I forgot she was created in the image of my God
Not so long ago, a man from Galilee
Fed thousands with His bread and His theology
And the truth He spoke, quickly became the joke of educated
Self-inflated Pharisees like me
And they were wide eyed in disbelief and disillusion
They were tongue tied, drawn by their conclusions
Would I have turned and walked away
And laughed at what He had to say
And casually dismissed Him as a fraud
Unaware that I was staring at the image of my God
The lyrics to Nichole Nordeman's "Wide Eyed" describe two encounters with individuals who are perceived as unusual and possibly even delusional by the singer. In the first encounter, a man on the sidewalk claims to be Jesus and rants about repentance and the end of the world while holding a bottle of tequila and only wearing one shoe. The second encounter takes place in a bookstore where a woman talks about her past life as a plantation slave's wife and her belief in the healing powers of crystals. The singer initially dismisses both individuals as frauds but then reflects on the fact that they are created in the image of God and wonders if she would have made the same mistake with Jesus himself.
The song presents a message of empathy and understanding toward those who are perceived as different or strange. It suggests that even those who seem the most lost or misguided may have something valuable to offer or teach us, and that we should be open to their perspectives rather than dismissing them outright. The song also touches on the idea of judgment, and how easy it can be to judge others based on our own preconceived notions of what is "normal" or "acceptable."
Overall, "Wide Eyed" is a thought-provoking exploration of how we interact with and perceive those around us, and challenges us to consider how we can be more open-minded, accepting, and tolerant of diversity.
Line by Line Meaning
When I met him on a sidewalk
I encountered a man preaching on a street corner
He was preaching to a mailbox
He was speaking to no one in particular
Down on 16th Avenue
On a specific street
And he told me he was Jesus
He claimed to be Jesus
Sent from Jupiter to free us
He believed he was sent from space to save us
With a bottle of tequila and one shoe
He had an unusual appearance and manner
He raged about repentance
He spoke passionately about the importance of repenting
He finished every sentence
He was emphatic in his speech
With a promise that the end was close at hand
He predicted the end of the world was coming soon
I didn't even try to understand
I didn't attempt to comprehend his message
He left me wide eyed in disbelief and disillusion
I was surprised and disenchanted by what he said
I was tongue tied, drawn by my conclusions
I couldn't speak due to my preconceived notions
So I turned and walked away
I left without engaging with him further
And laughed at what he had to say
I found his message ridiculous
Then casually dismissed him as a fraud
I didn't take him seriously
I forgot he was created in the image of my God
I failed to recognize that he was a fellow human being made in God's image
When I met her in a bookstore
I met a woman browsing books
She was browsing on the first floor
She was looking at books on the main level
Through a yoga magazine
She was reading a magazine about yoga
And she told me in her past life
She claimed to have lived a previous life
She was some plantation slave's wife
She believed she was married to a slave on a plantation
She had to figure out what that might mean
She was trying to interpret the significance of her past life
She believes the healing powers of her crystals
She thinks crystals have healing properties
Can bring balance and new purpose to her life
She thinks crystals can improve her life
Sounds nice
I didn't take her beliefs seriously
She left me wide eyed in disbelief and disillusion
Her beliefs surprised and disappointed me
I was tongue tied, drawn by my conclusions
I was hesitant to engage with her
So I turned and walked away
I left without discussing her beliefs further
And laughed at what she had to say
I found her beliefs ridiculous
Then casually dismissed her as a fraud
I didn't think she was sincere
I forgot she was created in the image of my God
I failed to see her as a fellow human being made in God's image
Not so long ago, a man from Galilee
Jesus lived on earth not very far in the past
Fed thousands with His bread and His theology
Jesus miraculously fed many people and taught them about God
And the truth He spoke, quickly became the joke of educated
Jesus' message was not taken seriously by educated people
Self-inflated Pharisees like me
People who thought highly of themselves, like the Pharisees in the Bible
And they were wide eyed in disbelief and disillusion
The Pharisees were surprised and disenchanted by Jesus' message
They were tongue tied, drawn by their conclusions
The Pharisees didn't know how to respond to Jesus' teaching
Would I have turned and walked away
I wonder if I would have reacted the same way as the Pharisees
And laughed at what He had to say
I wonder if I would have found Jesus' message ridiculous
And casually dismissed Him as a fraud
I wonder if I would have thought Jesus was insincere
Unaware that I was staring at the image of my God
Without realizing it, I would have been looking at a fellow human being created in God's image
Lyrics © CAPITOL CHRISTIAN MUSIC GROUP, Capitol CMG Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: DERALD DAUGHERTY, STEVE HINDALONG
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind