I swore on the Bible to not tell a lie
But I’ve lied and lied
And I crossed my heart and I hoped to die
And I’ve died and died

I was going to talk about how this stanza plays with taking hyperbole and idealised language literally, and thereby highlights the ultimate inadequacy of man to be perfect on his own. But it sounded so pedantic and boring, and would that just get in the way of the simple emotional appeal of the song?

Maybe not, actually; literary study doesn’t kill art (contrary to popular opinion). In any case, I also observed that the tension escalates quickly only in the stanza quoted above; before that the protagonist’s falling-short of ideals, which along with his near-fatal resignation, as underscored by his employment of almost hyperbolic language) is laid bare in that stanza, is only hinted at. But then as swiftly as his despair begins to creep in, he finds the hope of the Incarnation and the redemption bought by Christ. It’s almost like a psalm.

the voice of Jesus, andrew peterson

I know you’ve been afraid
Don’t know what to do
You’ve been lost in the questions
I don’t know what to say
I’m sure if I were you I’d proceed with some caution

But I want you to know
When the joy that you feel
Leaves a terrible ache in your bones
It’s the voice of Jesus
Calling you back home

I know you’ve got a lot
Spinning in your head
All this emptiness fills you
Maybe you could try Laying in your bed
To ask the silence to still you

And you might hear a beat
On the door of your heart
When you do, let it open up wide
It’s the voice of Jesus
Calling you his bride

Once upon a time there was a little boy
Who wandered the forest, abandoned
And he heard in the leaves
And behind every tree
The sound of a secret companion
Following

So listen, little girl,
Somewhere there’s a King
Who will love you forever
And nothing in the world
Could ever come between You, my love, and this Lover

So when I kiss you at night
And I turn out the light
And I tell you you’re never alone
It’s the voice of Jesus
Calling you
It’s the voice of Jesus
Calling you his own

Everyone needs to hear this some time, and these few days I have been thinking of a few people whom, I think, need it a little more right now.