Trip slowly recognized that all of his life should be centered around Christ. “One day, I just decided, I’m only doing Christian hip hop. Rappers like Ambassador and Da Truth helped provide a model for how I would begin to do that,” he says. He also had an immense desire to learn and teach the Word of God, so he became a leader in his youth group, and preached his first sermon at age 17.
In 2004, Trip met Lecrae at a concert; months later, after talking and building with each other, Lecrae began to disciple him. While still in high school, Trip was given the opportunity to pen a few devotionals for the Reach Records website that dealt with theological matters and showcased his spiritual maturity.
Trip signed with Reach Records, and his debut album, “If They Only Knew,” hit stores nationwide a few days after his high school graduation. His first full-length album introduced hip-hop fans to his distinct southern sound, unique delivery and gospel-saturated lyrics. That same year, Trip was also featured on the Dove Award-nominated, timeless classic “Jesus Muzik” with label mate Lecrae.
His sophomore album, “20/20,” was released in 2008 and garnered much success, breaking into the Billboard Top 200 and reaching #11 on the Billboard Christian albums chart and #4 on the Gospel chart. Back with his third studio album, “Between Two Worlds,” Trip offers a collection of reflections on life in a fallen world. True to form, his hope is that his reflections not only resonate with listeners, but also point to Jesus as the Hero.
Since his first album release, Trip has traveled the world doing concerts for thousands of listeners, and his last three summers have been spent on tours (national and international) with his Reach label mates. His Christ-centered hip-hop message has also built a platform for him among churches and other Christian organizations, which has led to numerous opportunities to preach and teach at conferences and other events.
Trip now resides in Philadelphia, PA with his wife and is pursuing a degree in Biblical Studies at Philadelphia Biblical University. He is the leader of the small groups ministry at Epiphany Fellowship, where he also preaches and teaches when called upon. Ultimately, his desire is proclaim the grace and beauty of Jesus Christ to anyone that will listen. He hopes that his journey will lead to pastoring a church in the future.
Eyes Open
Trip Lee Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Look back, let's meet a young'n that was born in 87
His parents was so happy, rejoicing at they new blessing
He breathes life, at the same time death without a question
His parents gazed in his eyes, adoring him as he hollers
He got his eyes from his mama, he got his nose from his father
Its crazy how this baby, is so precious but I'm saddened
He got his name from grandfather, his depravity from Adam
You can see he's so blind, his eyes seem as they closed
He's so weak and it shows, he can't keep from what He knows
Is wrong, he knows it's bad but dag he wants it though
And all throughout his years, he looks good to his peers
And his parents, and his self but if we could only peer
On the inside, we'd see that from the start it was dark
Until a Savior stepped in and gave Him a new heart, eyes opened!
I know I once was blind, Oh Lord but now I see
You sent your Son from above to come and rescue me
He's the light of the world, maker of you and me
His Spirit shines so bright for all of us to see
Now that my vision's clear, Oh Lord we sing your praise
And pray that those in the world would turn and seek your face
Father we thank you for eyes to see so we can know you and love you forever
So that we can love you forever
So that we can love you forever
Yeah I was blinded in the past, like my mind was in the trash
Incapable of doing good or even finding him the task
Was beyond what I could grasp, my righteousness is rags
So He had to do all the work, by His design you do the math
The math, who get's the glory, hey who get's the praise?
Predestined, I was elected, resurrected from the grave
Plus His loved was never based on my past or present state
On anything that I obtained I was a mess but blessed with grace
By grace, I'm in love with Him
He gave me something within
He doesn't love me cause of me nope He loves me because of Him
No He didn't have to save and raise me when I was dead
But He dragged me out the morgue, now the praise of His name is spread
He died for all He would save, it's crazy the Savior bled
Erasing taking my dread, and gave me some grace instead
The kind I wouldn't resist, I came praise be to Him
And I'm confident if I'm in Him Ima make it to the end with eyes open
I know I once was blind, Oh Lord but now I see
You sent your Son from above to come and rescue me
He's the light of the world, maker of you and me
His Spirit shines so bright for all of us to see
Now that my vision's clear, Oh Lord we sing your praise
And pray that those in the world would turn and seek your face
Father we thank you for eyes to see so we can know you and love you forever
So that we can love you forever
So that we can love you forever
Now that my eyes is open, gotta keep that Bible open
Not just so that I can quote Him, I'm hopin that I'll behold Him
Until I lay in the grave, I'm praying I'll stay in motion
Gazing with eyes of faith He gave me baby, I'm focused
I'm praying all through my 20's I'll see Him in 20/20
Looking at Him till I look like Him almost like His twin He's
So merciful, His Word is so packed I'm telling many
About the glory of Christ, tryna rep Him with all that's in me
I know I once was blind, Oh Lord but now I see
You sent your Son from above to come and rescue me
He's the light of the world, maker of you and me
His Spirit shines so bright for all of us to see
Now that my vision's clear, Oh Lord we sing your praise
And pray that those in the world would turn and seek your face
Father we thank you for eyes to see so we can know you and love you forever
So that we can love you forever
So that we can love you forever
In the song, "Eyes Open," Trip Lee talks about a baby born in 1987 who receives the gift of life, even as he is born into a world of sin and death. The parents love and adore their baby, but the baby is already marred by sin passed down from Adam. The baby grows up, seemingly perfect on the outside, but struggling on the inside with sin and temptation. It is only when the baby becomes a follower of Christ that he gains new eyes and can see the darkness of his life and the goodness of God. The song speaks to the transformative power of faith and how it can grant a new perspective on life.
Throughout the song, Trip Lee emphasizes that salvation is by grace alone. He speaks to the reality that even when he was at his worst, Christ died for him and gave him new life. The lyrics also encourage believers to stay focused on Christ and to continually seek to grow in him.
Line by Line Meaning
Good evening brethren, let's go a special direction
Let us move towards a unique and specific path, my fellow believers.
Look back, let's meet a young'n that was born in 87
Let us revisit the past and meet a person who was born in 1987.
His parents was so happy, rejoicing at they new blessing
His parents were extremely joyful and elated at the arrival of their new baby.
He breathes life, at the same time death without a question
As he came into this world, he brought life along with the realization of the inevitability of death.
His parents gazed in his eyes, adoring him as he hollers
As he cried out, his parents lovingly looked into his eyes, captivated by their own joy and admiration.
He got his eyes from his mama, he got his nose from his father
He inherited his eyes from his mother and his nose from his father.
Its crazy how this baby, is so precious but I'm saddened
It's remarkable how valuable and significant this baby is, but it's also disheartening.
He got his name from grandfather, his depravity from Adam
His name was given to him by his grandfather, but his inherent sinfulness came from Adam.
That's how it goes and hey look as he grows
This is the reality of life, and as he ages, he will experience this firsthand.
You can see he's so blind, his eyes seem as they closed
As he grows, it becomes clear that he is spiritually blind, and his eyes appear to be closed.
He's so weak and it shows, he can't keep from what He knows
His spiritual weakness is evident, and he struggles to resist sin despite knowing that it's wrong.
Is wrong, he knows it's bad but dag he wants it though
He's aware that sin is wrong and harmful, but he still desires it.
And all throughout his years, he looks good to his peers
Even though he struggles with sin, he appears to be doing well in the eyes of his peers.
And his parents, and his self but if we could only peer
To truly see him, we would need to look beyond his public image and into his heart.
On the inside, we'd see that from the start it was dark
If we were to examine his heart, we would see that it was dark from the very beginning.
Until a Savior stepped in and gave Him a new heart, eyes opened!
Only when he accepted Jesus Christ as his savior did he receive a new heart and spiritual sight, allowing him to see the world differently.
I know I once was blind, Oh Lord but now I see
Before accepting Jesus, I was spiritually blind, but now I can see through the lens of faith.
You sent your Son from above to come and rescue me
God graciously sent Jesus to earth to save me from my sins.
He's the light of the world, maker of you and me
Jesus is the illumination of the world and the creator of all living things.
His Spirit shines so bright for all of us to see
Through the Holy Spirit, believers can see the glory of God radiating through their lives.
Now that my vision's clear, Oh Lord we sing your praise
With my spiritual sight restored, I can now joyfully praise God.
And pray that those in the world would turn and seek your face
I pray that those who are lost and spiritually blind would seek God and turn towards Him.
Father we thank you for eyes to see so we can know you and love you forever
Thank you, God, for restoring our spiritual vision so that we can experience an eternal relationship with you.
Yeah I was blinded in the past, like my mind was in the trash
In the past, I was spiritually blind and my mind was filled with garbage.
Incapable of doing good or even finding him the task
I was unable to do anything good or find God on my own.
Was beyond what I could grasp, my righteousness is rags
The concept of righteousness was beyond my understanding, and everything I did was worthless.
So He had to do all the work, by His design you do the math
God did all the work to save me, and the glory and credit rightfully belong to Him.
The math, who get's the glory, hey who get's the praise?
In light of what God has done, who else deserves glory and praise besides Him?
Predestined, I was elected, resurrected from the grave
God chose and predestined me for salvation, and He resurrected me from spiritual death.
Plus His loved was never based on my past or present state
God's love for me wasn't based on my past or present actions or behavior.
On anything that I obtained I was a mess but blessed with grace
I was a complete mess and didn't deserve anything, but God blessed me with grace anyway.
By grace, I'm in love with Him
I love God because of the grace He's shown me.
He gave me something within
Through the Holy Spirit, God gave me a new heart and the ability to love and serve Him.
He doesn't love me cause of me nope He loves me because of Him
God doesn't love me because of anything I've done, but because of who He is.
No He didn't have to save and raise me when I was dead
God wasn't obligated to save me when I was spiritually dead.
But He dragged me out the morgue, now the praise of His name is spread
Despite my unworthiness, God saved me, and now I'm able to praise and worship Him.
He died for all He would save, it's crazy the Savior bled
Jesus died for all of humanity, and it's incredible to think that the Savior willingly shed His blood for us.
Erasing taking my dread, and gave me some grace instead
Through His death and resurrection, Jesus removed my fear and guilt and blessed me with grace.
The kind I wouldn't resist, I came praise be to Him
God's grace is so good that I can't help but praise and thank Him.
And I'm confident if I'm in Him Ima make it to the end with eyes open
I'm confident that if I stay in a relationship with God, I will be able to endure until the end with my spiritual sight intact.
Now that my eyes is open, gotta keep that Bible open
Now that I can see spiritually, I need to remain faithful to God and continue to study His Word.
Not just so that I can quote Him, I'm hopin that I'll behold Him
Studying the Bible isn't just about memorizing verses - it's about getting to know God on a deeper level and seeing Him more clearly.
Until I lay in the grave, I'm praying I'll stay in motion
Until the day I die, I'm praying that I'll remain faithful and actively pursue a relationship with God.
Gazing with eyes of faith He gave me baby, I'm focused
With my spiritual sight restored, I can now focus my attention on God and trust Him with my life.
I'm praying all through my 20's I'll see Him in 20/20
In the coming decade, I'm praying that God will continue to reveal Himself to me and that I'll be able to see Him even more clearly.
Looking at Him till I look like Him almost like His twin He's
As I continue to gaze upon God, my desire is to become more like Him and to reflect His character.
So merciful, His Word is so packed I'm telling many
God is incredibly gracious and His Word is filled with wisdom and truth that I should share with others.
About the glory of Christ, tryna rep Him with all that's in me
I want to share the good news about Jesus and represent Him with all that I am.
Contributed by Kaylee O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Aaron Brian
This beat is sampled from Prince's "Scandalous"
Goolungs
I really like this song. By the way, if moderndaybeast and trip lee rapped together i would just praise God till my voice fades to nothing and i can't speak :)
A'siyah Shakur
what a beautiful song glorifying the Creator
Herfer
great song :)
Drained Betweenbullets
beautiful
Shawn Calvano
pretty strait beat