Born in Orange County son of well-known worship leader John Wickham. He moved to San Diego in the middle of junior high school, which spawned his career. Asked by his youth pastor to lead worship at the age of 12, Wickham accepted, encouraged by his father then a worship pastor at Chuck Smith's Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa.
By 18, Wickham had released his debut CD, Give You My World, including the hit song "Shining." Surprised by its good reception, he began working on twelve new songs for his self-titled album, which was released on April 25, 2006 with Simple Records.Wickham's second release with Simple/INO Records, Cannons, was released in 2007. Cannons was inspired by cannon explosions and C.S. Lewis's book, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader from The Chronicles of Narnia series. Wickham stated in an interview with ChristianityToday.com that the album is "about how the universe is exploding with the glory of God, and how we are compelled to join in with its song." The 10th track from Cannons, "Jesus Lord of Heaven", has been translated into seven different languages. On August 8, 2008 Wickham released a live worship album titled singalong, recorded at Solid Rock Church in Portland, Oregon with 3000 fans present. The album was released as a free download, only available from his website, and received over 8,000 downloads within a week of being released. After the release of his singalong album, his self-titled debut climbed to No. 25 on iTunes Top Christian Albums chart (2 years after its initial release).
Wickham visits churches across the nation to play his music.
He recently (June 2008) performed at the Frenzy one-day Christian music festival, in Scotland.
Eden
Phil Wickham Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Before the breaking of the human heart
There was You and there was me
Innocence was all I knew
'Cause all I had to know was You
We were running underneath the trees
Where being in Your arms is the permanent state
I want it like it was back then
I want to be in Eden
I remember how You called my name
And I would meet You at the garden gate
How the glory of Your love would shine
And I remember when the stars were young
You breathed life into my lungs
Oh I never felt so alive
I want to see You face to face
Where being in Your arms is the permanent state
I want it like it was back then
I want to be in Eden
To be naked and unashamed
In a sweet downpour of innocent rain
I want it like it was back then
I want to be in Eden
Where my eyes can see the colors of glory
My hands can reach the heaven before me
Oh my God I want to be there with You
Where our hearts will beat with joy together
And love will reign forever and ever
Oh my God I want to be there with You
I want to see You face to face
Where being in Your arms is the permanent state
I want it like it was back then
I want to be in Eden
To be naked and unashamed
In a sweet downpour of innocent rain
I want it like it was back then
I want to be in Eden
The song "Eden" by Phil Wickham speaks of a longing to return to a time before the fall of humanity, to a state of innocent joy and love with God. The first verse paints a picture of a time before sin entered into the world. In this time, there was no darkness, no brokenness of heart, only a pure and perfect relationship between the singer and God. The singer remembers running under the trees with God, and all that was needed was the innocence of their relationship. The chorus expresses the heart's desire to return to this state, to see God face to face, and to be held in His arms as the permanent state.
The second verse takes us deeper into the singer's memories, where they remember hearing God call their name and meeting Him at the garden gate. The glory of God's love shone in those moments, and the singer felt fully alive. The bridge paints a picture of what it would be like to return to Eden- to be naked and unashamed, in the sweet downpour of innocent rain, able to experience the fullness of God's glory and presence. The final chorus expresses the desire to be reunited with God in this way, where the eyes can see the colors of glory and the hands can reach heaven before them. The heart will beat with joy, and love will reign forever.
Overall, the song conveys a deep yearning for redemption and restoration to the state of childlike innocence and purity with God. It speaks of a longing for a time before the struggles and pain of this life, where the singer can be fully known and loved by God. It is a beautiful and heartfelt expression of the human desire for connection with the divine.
Line by Line Meaning
When the first light brightened the dark
At the beginning of time, before humanity existed.
Before the breaking of the human heart
Before sin existed and corrupted humanity.
There was You and there was me
God and the singer existed before anything else.
Innocence was all I knew
Before the introduction of sin, the artist only knew purity.
'Cause all I had to know was You
The only thing the artist needed to know was God.
We were running underneath the trees
The singer remembers a time of freedom and intimacy with God in nature.
I want to see You face to face
The singer desires to be in God's presence directly.
Where being in Your arms is the permanent state
The artist desires to be in a constant state of closeness to God.
I want it like it was back then
The artist wants to experience the closeness and intimacy with God as in the past.
I want to be in Eden
The artist desires to experience the paradise of Eden.
I remember how You called my name
The singer remembers God's personal interaction with them.
And I would meet You at the garden gate
The artist has a vivid memory of encountering God in the Garden of Eden.
How the glory of Your love would shine
God's love was radiant and dominant in the singer's memory.
And I remember when the stars were young
The singer remembers the creation of the universe by God.
You breathed life into my lungs
God gave life to the singer.
Oh I never felt so alive
The artist felt the most alive in their memory of being near God.
To be naked and unashamed
The artist longs to experience that pure and honest state in Eden.
In a sweet downpour of innocent rain
The singer reminisces the blessings and innocence of Eden.
Where my eyes can see the colors of glory
The singer desires to visually experience the glory of God.
My hands can reach the heaven before me
The artist desires to physically reach heaven.
Oh my God I want to be there with You
The artist expresses a strong desire to be with God.
Where our hearts will beat with joy together
The artist visualizes being united with God in gladness.
And love will reign forever and ever
The singer wants to experience eternal love in the presence of God.
Contributed by Jayce I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Ned
"Eden"
When the first light brightened the dark
Before the breaking of the human heart
There was You and there was me
Innocence was all I knew
'Cause all I had to know was You
We were running underneath the trees
I want to see You face to face
Where being in Your arms is the permanent state
I want it like it was back then
I want to be in Eden
I remember how You called my name
And I would meet You at the garden gate
How the glory of Your love would shine
And I remember when the stars were young
You breathed life into my lungs
Oh I never felt so alive
I want to see You face to face
Where being in Your arms is the permanent state
I want it like it was back then
I want to be in Eden
To be naked and unashamed
In a sweet downpour of innocent rain
I want it like it was back then
I want to be in Eden
Where my eyes can see the colors of glory
My hands can reach the heaven before me
Oh my God I want to be there with You
Where our hearts will beat with joy together
And love will reign forever and ever
Oh my God I want to be there with You
I want to see You face to face
Where being in Your arms is the permanent state
I want it like it was back then
I want to be in Eden
To be naked and unashamed
In a sweet downpour of innocent rain
I want it like it was back then
I want to be in Eden
EFATA AVODAH (פולחן) WORD OF GOD
Lyric
When the first light brightened the dark
Before the breaking of the human heart
There was You and there was me
Innocence was all I knew
'Cause all I had to know was You
We were running underneath the trees
I wanna see you face to face
Where being in your arms is the permanent state
I want it like it was back then
I wanna be in Eden
I remember how You'd call my name
And I would meet You at the garden gate
How the glory of Your love would shine
And I remember when the stars were young
You breathed life into my lungs
Oh I never felt so alive
I wanna see you face to face
Where being in your arms is the permanent state
I want it like it was back then
I wanna be in Eden
To be naked and unashamed
In a sweet down pour of innocent rain
I want it like it was back then
I wanna be in Eden
Where my eyes can see the colors of glory
My hands can reach the heaven before me
Oh, my God I wanna be there with You
Where our hearts will beat with joy together
And love will reign forever and ever
Oh my God I wanna be there with You
I wanna see you face to face
Where being in your arms is the permanent state
I want it like it was back then
I wanna be in Eden
To be naked and unashamed
In a sweet down pour of innocent rain
I want it like it was back then
I wanna be in Eden
Martin Arias
The purity of of Gods love to experience life with him 🙌❤
Ned
"Eden"
When the first light brightened the dark
Before the breaking of the human heart
There was You and there was me
Innocence was all I knew
'Cause all I had to know was You
We were running underneath the trees
I want to see You face to face
Where being in Your arms is the permanent state
I want it like it was back then
I want to be in Eden
I remember how You called my name
And I would meet You at the garden gate
How the glory of Your love would shine
And I remember when the stars were young
You breathed life into my lungs
Oh I never felt so alive
I want to see You face to face
Where being in Your arms is the permanent state
I want it like it was back then
I want to be in Eden
To be naked and unashamed
In a sweet downpour of innocent rain
I want it like it was back then
I want to be in Eden
Where my eyes can see the colors of glory
My hands can reach the heaven before me
Oh my God I want to be there with You
Where our hearts will beat with joy together
And love will reign forever and ever
Oh my God I want to be there with You
I want to see You face to face
Where being in Your arms is the permanent state
I want it like it was back then
I want to be in Eden
To be naked and unashamed
In a sweet downpour of innocent rain
I want it like it was back then
I want to be in Eden
Lydia Pike
This is soo inspirational!!! I love this song and I have loved your songs since like five years ago!! Keep loving and bringing glory to God! Thanks!
Raíssa Alves Silva
Glórias a Deus! amo essa música!
Paulus von Sturm
thank you brother .. you have just enriched my life .. the lord bless you and your loved ones .. greetings from germany ..
양지석
I just really gets healed and sensation after listening to this song... just makes me think deep and lots of things passing by my feelings and memories
EFATA AVODAH (פולחן) WORD OF GOD
Lyric
When the first light brightened the dark
Before the breaking of the human heart
There was You and there was me
Innocence was all I knew
'Cause all I had to know was You
We were running underneath the trees
I wanna see you face to face
Where being in your arms is the permanent state
I want it like it was back then
I wanna be in Eden
I remember how You'd call my name
And I would meet You at the garden gate
How the glory of Your love would shine
And I remember when the stars were young
You breathed life into my lungs
Oh I never felt so alive
I wanna see you face to face
Where being in your arms is the permanent state
I want it like it was back then
I wanna be in Eden
To be naked and unashamed
In a sweet down pour of innocent rain
I want it like it was back then
I wanna be in Eden
Where my eyes can see the colors of glory
My hands can reach the heaven before me
Oh, my God I wanna be there with You
Where our hearts will beat with joy together
And love will reign forever and ever
Oh my God I wanna be there with You
I wanna see you face to face
Where being in your arms is the permanent state
I want it like it was back then
I wanna be in Eden
To be naked and unashamed
In a sweet down pour of innocent rain
I want it like it was back then
I wanna be in Eden
TheCreepypro
may we spend time with you Lord and enjoy communion with you
Gideon Dkhar
Thank you for this song
Eniola-Mercy
One of the songs that ushers me into seeing in the spirit realm as a prophetess back in years
Thanks so much Wickham