Photo by Natalia Y
Zach Williams is not a name I am familiar with. As of this writing, according to his website,
Most recently he can add recording artist to the list. Zach is no novice to the music industry. He had spent a majority of his life traveling with various bands. It was while on the road that the Lord grabbed a hold of him and he decided to leave the rock star life behind.
After that, Zach transitioned into a position at the Refuge Campus of Central Baptist Church in Jonesboro, Arkansas in which he still serves. It came as a shock when the opportunity to sign with Provident Label Group as a new Christian artist arose. Never in his wildest dreams did Zach Williams think that he would be in this place of writing and recording music in the Christian music industry, especially from years of hard living on the road while in a rock & roll band.
His personal testimony of receiving freedom in the Lord is so beautifully reflected in his debut single Chain Breaker. The song came from a place of wanting to reach people who had been struggling and it undoubtedly has. Over the course of its release in the summer of 2016, an influx of stories has been shared on his various social media pages by people who have experienced the life-changing power of broken chains.
Quite touching! At some point, I would like to review this song for its biblical accuracy, but for now…I will review his song Old Church Choir.
Note to new users: This is a different kind of review site! Read About the Berean Test and Evaluation Criteria prior to reading this review.
1. What message does the song communicate?
He is joyous because he has a Gospel song in his heart and wishes to share it with others. While it is good to share Gospel music with other people, the focus is on the music itself and not on the actual message. This becomes more obvious when we examine the Bridge (see section 2). This may not have been Williams’ intent; However, that is what he conveys when he states that we should slap and pound our extremities ’til we find that good beat as something we will ever need.
Score: 1/10
2. How much of the lyrics line up with Scripture?
Very little of these lyrics line up with Scripture. There is an overemphasis on the music and only lip service to salvation. Lyrics posted with permission.*
[Verse 1]
There’s revival, and it’s spreading
Like a wildfire in my heart
Sunday morning, Hallelujah
And it’s lasting all week long
Can you hear it?
Can you feel it?
It’s the rhythm of a gospel song
Ohhh once you choose it, you can lose it
There ain’t nothing, there ain’t nothing gonna steal my joy
The revival is…a rhythm of a gospel song? Don’t take this the wrong way, gospel music is great and can minister to many people as a tool for evangelism; however, there is an overemphasis on the music in this verse.
[Chorus]
I got an Old Church Choir singing in my soul
I got a sweet salvation and it’s beautiful
I’ve got a heart overflowing ’cause I’ve been restored
There ain’t nothing gonna steal my joy
No there ain’t nothing gonna steal my joy
Our joy is in salvation (Psalm 9:14, Palm 13:5, Psalm 35:9, and 1 Peter 1:6-9), in trials and tribulations that produce perseverance (Romans 5:3-5, James 1:2-4) and in good works (John 15:1-11 and 1 Peter 4:13). Joy is an out flowing of salvation as a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22). While many born-again Christians will know about restoration from personal experience (John 1:12, Acts 3:19-21, Galatians 4:5-7, and Romans 9:8), this is not clear in these lyrics.
[Verse 2]
When the valleys, that I wander
Turn to mountains, that I can climb
Oh, You are with me, never leave me
Oh ’cause, there ain’t nothing there ain’t nothing gonna steal my joy
Who is the “You” described in line 3? Once again, born-again Christians will understand this to mean God or Jesus; however, it is not clear in this line.
[Bridge]
Clap your hands and stomp your feet
’til you find that gospel beat
Once again emphasizing the music, not the Gospel message.
’cause it’s all you’ll ever need
All you’ll ever need
Unbiblical as the antecedent is about the “gospel beat”, not about God, which is truly what we need (Psalm 37:4, John 3:1-21, John 4:13-14, John 12:46, John 14:6, Romans 8:14, and Philippians 4:19).
I’ve got an old church choir, singing in my soul
I got a sweet salvation, and it’s beautiful
A repeat of Chorus, lines 1 and 2.
[Outro]
I got an Old Church Choir singing in my soul
I got a sweet salvation and it’s beautiful
I’ve got a heart overflowing ’cause I’ve been restored
There ain’t nothing gonna steal my joy
No there ain’t nothing gonna steal my joy
Oh there ain’t nothing gonna steal my joy
A repeat of Chorus, including derivatives.
Score: 1/10
3. How would an outsider interpret the song?
There is great joy in Gospel music. Given the lack of clarity about a relationship with Jesus, they would likely not receive any Gospel from this.
Score: 0/10
4. What does this song glorify?
Gospel music.
Score: 0/10
Final Comments
Sadly, this song follows a dangerous pattern in Christian music. The power of the Gospel is stripped from the forefront and is replaced with an emphasis on peripheral benefits. It also contains an unbiblical statement that all we ever need is a gospel beat.
Final score: 0.5/10
Artist Info
Track: Old Church Choir (listen to the song)
Artist: Zach Williams
Album: Chain Breaker
Genre: Gospel
Release Year: 2016
Duration: 2:56
Agree? Disagree? Don’t be shy or have a cow! Calmly and politely state your case in a comment, below.
*Copyright © 2016 Be Essential Songs (BMI) EGH Music Publishing (BMI) Wisteria Drive (BMI) Fair Trade Music Publishing (ASCAP) Colby Wedgeworth Music (ASCAP) Anthems of Hope (BMI) (admin at EssentialMusicPublishing.com). All rights reserved. Used with permission.
Updates:
03/06/2019 – I was unclear as to why I gave the message 1/10. I added additional rationale for the low rating.
Comments
Nathaniel Nickerson
I think the message here is being misunderstood. The music is God’s presence within us, often compared to various passions. The obviously not literally true praise him always is a recurring form of this: https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/topics/Always-Praising
As is the Psalmist’s call for “A New Song”, revealed in Isaiah 42:10 to be a foreshadowing of the New Covenant. Likewise, Isaiah 61:3 speaks of a mantel of praise.
In addition, it is not just a song, it is a choir of believers, showing the Biblical idea of the unity of the church as one body, uniting by the spirit of God always within them.
tastywallet
Nathaniel,
Thank you for your comment! You have given me some interesting things to think about; However, if this is what Williams was going for, he could have been a lot more clear about it.
Nathaniel Nickerson
True, but the Psalm examples of a new song themselves are not clear on the meaning, not being cleared up until Isaiah, and even then, not being truly understood Matthew 12 quotes the chapter and makes the meaning more clear, and, as you point to in your “Dear X, You Don’t Own Me” Ruth does not mention God explicitly. However, unlike that song, there is a representation of God throughout, in the form of praise and joy in a supernatural, ever present form, bigger than the singer. Throughout the Bible praise is synonymous with coming near to God, and, in the New Testament, joy is frequently the means by which the world shall know that our God and salvation is real, and how we should recognize and greet each other.
And as for bringing nonbelievers closer to God, it is this joy that they are supposed to recognize shows we are new creations, and even asking them to analyze our musical act of worship therefore is often an important step in drawing them near.
tastywallet
Nathaniel,
Thank you for your perspective! I will ponder these things and pray on it.
Nathaniel Nickerson
No problem! And yeah, not every interpretation or teaching valid, so that’s the proper response.
Brandy Bee
Hi, I just wanted to add, I don’t think anyone else has mentioned it but the song select website has the lyric as “He’s all you’ll ever need”, not “it’s all you’ll ever need.”
Vince Wright
Brandy,
Thank you for your comment! When I heard the official music video version, Williams says “it” and not “He’s”.
-Vince Wright
JC
🤦♀️
Kathy
I am so thankful God is more loving and understanding than you seem to be. The words to this song are for lifting up, joy, peace which are things the Bible says God gives to us. If you are a believer and a Christian maybe you should pray for wisdom before you put your opinions out there. You are causing confusion and we all have enough of that already.
tastywallet
Kathy,
Thank you for taking the time to read my review and comment! Can you explain how my opinion causes confusion?
-TastyWallet
Jeff Massey
Thank you for your review. It is an excellent and honest review of a song that brings no worship or praise to God. We are in an age where I have heard it taught that you can, “worship God to whatever you’re listening to; Beyoncy, Kanye (before his repentance)…” and other secular artists who do not glorify God whatsoever. What this worship is is an emotional response at best. The Word tells us to worship God in Spirit AND in truth. I think many modern day ‘worship’ songs replace Spirit with emotion and forget the truth part all together. Thank you for your opinion and take on this song. I, at least, find it to be quite accurate.
Vince Wright
Jeff,
Thank you for your support! I appreciate that.
-Vince Wright
LD
I have found his words on a variety of songs delightful and insightful. While I only just found this site recently, the viewpoints he shares are solid and well thought out. And at the end of every review he asks people to “not have a cow” and politely provide feedback. I consider his words on each song that I’ve read to be far more loving your comment. We are human here.
Paul Warner
I audibly laughed at the “What does this song glorify?” section 😆
tastywallet
Paul,
Well I’m glad you got a nice laugh at my expense!
-Tastywallet
Jeremy Oglesby
The song is about the joy we have in our hearts as believers after all he has done for us, all the valleys he has brought us through as in verse when we remember that he is with us and never leaves us
1 peter 1:8 “Though you have not seen Him, and even though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and are filled with an inexpressable joy”
We even feel joy as we praise him which may be what Zach is singing about
Psalm 71:23 “My lips will shout with joy when I sing praise to you -I whom you have delivered”
So do as psalms 47:1 says and “clap your hands all you people, shout to God with cries of joy”
As for the bridge at our church we sing “…cause He’s all you ever need.”
tastywallet
Jeremy,
Thank you for your thoughts! I really want to believe that this is what Zach Williams is going for, but I cannot see it when I read these lyrics, based on its sentence structure.
-TastyWallet
Mel
I would just point out a typo in the lyrics listed, not that it changes the review any, but in the first the line “Ohhh …, you can lose it” is actually “Ohhh,… you can’t lose it”. Possibly referring to ‘once saved always saved’. Also I think the song speaks to the revival of the heart as it starts our depicting and the line “It’s the rhythm of a gospel song” would have been better written “It’s in the rhythm of a gospel song”. I just wished he’d had stated emphatically that Jesus is the Gospel beat and turned attention to Christ and not a rhythm.; even though the song has great rhythm.
tastywallet
Mel,
Thanks for the correction! The lyrics on Google, Genius, AZ Lyrics, and MetroLyrics all say “you can lose it”, but K-Love and KTIS, it says “can’t lose it”, which is bothersome. Can’t makes more grammatical sense given its context, so i’ll change it.
I agree with your other suggestion, that the inclusion of the word “in” would have been an improvement, but I still would have rated it extremely low.
-TastyWallet
Renee
Get a grip people. Singing and dancing and shouting His name is ALL OVER the Bible. This man found Jesus and wants to share his joy. There no question as to the You he references if you are a true Christian. I feel joy every day when I listen to him. The Devil is a doubter.
tastywallet
Renee,
Thank you for your comment! While singing and dancing are Scriptural (2 Samual 6:14-22 is a prominent example) williams’ communication is the issue.
Jeff Massey
Renee, you said it right. “Shouting His name” is 100% in the Word… Where is God’s name in this song? Where is Jesus? I don’t see a name anywhere.
Andrea
I appreciate your review of this song. We’ve been singing it at church recently and I found it concerning in many of the same ways you did.
A “gospel beat” isn’t all we need, and isn’t something we need at all. My experience with old church choirs, gospel music, and revivals is cultural Christianity–spiritually dead but going through the motions. Maybe it’s great for some people in some places, but I find this song alienating.
The gospel is what we need, but that isn’t what we’re proclaiming when we sing this song. This song is maybe fine for Christian radio, but not for corporate worship.
Vince Wright
Andrea,
Thanks for expressing your experience! I have never been to a revival, but I’ll know to watch and listen when I believe one occurs around me.
-Vince Wright
Elizabeth Courter
If the printed lyrics are directly from the artist, the part in verse 2 where the word “you” is used, I believe show that God or Jesus is the subject because the word is capitalized. Just my thought.
Vince Wright
Elizabeth,
Thank you for your comment! If that’s the only hint we get, then the artist hasn’t done a good job to tell us who “You” is. At least, that is what I think.
-Vince Wright
Neal Cruco
Interestingly, my church sang this song last week, with “it’s all you’re ever need” changed to “He’s all you’ll ever need”. While the rewritten line is biblically sound, it still doesn’t make much sense in context.
Furthermore, my mother loves this song and thinks I’m fundamentally misunderstanding it, saying, for example, that the first verse is using a metaphor to compare revival to the rhythm of a gospel song. Then she said that my high school English teacher would be so disappointed in me for not picking up on it. *sigh*
I’m still not convinced that this song is worth listening to.
Vince Wright
Neal,
I have to at least give your church credit for the change, but I agree. There is a LOT to improve on this song!
-Vince Wright
Philip
It has been said, “the devil is in the details.” I think it is almost comical how analyzing lyrics to songs can be. Songs aren’t inerrant, holy, or infallible. But they point to the One who is. Imagine listening to this song or many others and being able to use the song as a bridge to start a faith conversation. How would you respond to someone who overheard you listening to the song and he or she asked you about the rhythm in your gospel song? What if he or she asked what is that you can’t lose? Maybe he or she asks about the revival that is spreading in your heart. How do you respond if someone ask you about your joy? I believe that is how most if not all gospel music is to be used.
So yes there are going to be errors in these songs they aren’t the original manuscripts of biblical text. Does that make them useless? Nope! I think they can lead to a greater discussion on faith. Isn’t that what evangelism and discipleship are all about – discussing faith and an moving folks to a relationship with Him and then into a deep and abiding faith. Maybe the Holy Spirit is able to use a flawed song from a flawed songwriter that is sung by a flawed singer to impact an eternal change in the flawed hearer of the song.
Vince Wright
Philip,
Thank you for your comment!
I’m not sure if you checked out my evaluation criteria page before posting your comment, but I admitted that God can use these songs despite my reviews. That doesn’t mean that textual criticism is a useless discipline or that we shouldn’t analyze song lyrics for their theology/what they communicate.
If I was asked about my joy, I wouldn’t point to a Gospel beat. I’d point them to Jesus. He is the source of my joy.
-Vince Wright
Kvoris
Job 38:7 “When all the morning stars sang together, And all the sons of God shouted for joy?” The joy expressed in music is such important worship. I appreciate that this song celebrates a heritage of sharing glory to God.
Vince Wright
Kvoris,
Thank you for your comments!
If you look at the context of Job 38, God is asking Job a series of questions. The main thrust of God’s question can be found in Job 38:4, where He asks, “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?” The reason why “the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy” is because God laid down the foundation of the earth. While I can appreciate a song’s heritage of sharing glory to God, the lyrics tell us that the gospel beat is “all you’ll ever need”. No, we need the Gospel itself, not to merely clap and stomp until we find the “right gospel beat”. Gospel Music is a great tool to glorify God, but it becomes idolatrous when we seek it for its own sake apart from God.
-Vince Wright
Victoria Blackwell
Thank you for your view on this song. I have been trying to research the songs that I like to see if they align with scripture and the artist who has made them. I never thought about what a non-believer would think about this song. But to me, as a believer I absolutely love this song. When I sing “Ain’t nothing gonna steal my joy” I am singing that my flesh, the world, and Satan are not going to steal the joy of the hope that I have in my Savior Jesus Christ. (I have neede this reminder a lot lately) I guess I interpret the song a little differently/simple-mindedly? The Gospel beat is the words of the Gospel to me. But I do appreciate how you view it and I will be looking at more of your reviews.