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Top Ten Tuesday: John Mark McMillan’s Borderland Lyrics

6 · 24 · 14

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I have to say, I am digging the new album by John Mark McMillan’s, of How He Loves Fame (yeah I know you thought Crowder wrote it)  album Borderland. It’s a really moody album and reflects the angst of Springsteen’s Darkness on the Edge of Town meets Bruce Cockburn’s lyrical punch on Stealing Fire. Throw in a little Mark Been of The Call and you have a pretty amazing album.

Tons of great lines from the album but here are my top 10.

Holy Ghost

Dead in the water
Lamb to the slaughter
If the wind doesn’t sing her song

You don’t have to be pentecostal to enjoy this line, but it makes more sense.

Love At The End

Tell the reaper
Tell the repo man
I’ve got nothing that belongs to him

So true. When we are empty of this world, they have nothing to come for.

Guns/Napoleon

And you keep coming on
Like Napoleon
And I’ll lose my head and throne
In the bloody revolution

God is a lover and a fighter when it comes to our souls.

Future Past

All treasures of wisdom
And things to be known
Are hidden inside your hand
And in this fortunate turn of events
You ask me to be your friend

God does not need us, He wants us.

Borderlands

Help me Holy Jesus
Won’t you show me how to live
I’ve got monsters at my table
I’ve got Bibles bent like shivs

Really deep song and worth some reflection. The law makes us feel like we are looking at God through a chain link fence, leaving us to do battle with our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Counting On

When the stakes are raised
We hold the hand we’ve drawn
You’re what I’m counting on

Sometimes we have no control of the life we are dealt but we we can always count on God.

Monsters Talk

We are fragile creatures on collision
With our judgement days

Powerful reminder of who we are and where we are headed. Walk gently.

Tongues of Fire

We can still push up against those pillars
We can light those foxes tails ablaze

This speaks to me as a calling back to my youth and to be a passionate believer. I can be Sampson in my finest hours.

Silver Shore

We were born on heaven’s silver shores
I know it in my heart there’s more to be afforded

Heaven has more for me.

Visceral

Memories rust and trophies fade
In the remnants of our glory days
Will we regret the thing that we’ve made
From your table I can see a better way

Lots of hope in these words. it reminds me to be careful of what I make because it will all fade away one day.

Here is an interview with JMM with Relevant magazine

Here is the song Holy Ghost, and it has some of the best lyrics on the album

 

You can buy the album and other JMM stuff from his website at www.johnmarkmcmillain.com 

 

What profound music lyrics are running through your head today?

 

 

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