Josh Garrels’ new record, Love & War & the Sea in Between, has been steadily blowing my mind since I first downloaded it last month. I just can’t stop listening to it. It’s heartbreaking, invigorating, beautiful, and hopeful. I really can’t say enough good things about it. And Josh is giving it away for free so there’s no excuse not to check it out. Trust me. Go download it, listen to it for a week and let it do its work on you. I think you’ll be glad you did.
This is one of the songs that just won’t leave me alone. It’s called “Farther Along” and it’s epic.
“Farther Along” by Josh Garrels
Farther along we’ll know all about it
Farther along we’ll understand why
So cheer up my brothers, live in the sunshine
We’ll understand this all by and byTempted and tried, I wondered why
The good man dies, the bad man thrives
And Jesus cries because he loves ’em both
We’re all cast-aways in need of rope
Hanging on by the last threads of our hope
In a house of mirrors full of smoke
Confusing illusions I’ve seenWhere did I go wrong, I sang along
To every chorus of the song
That the devil wrote like a piper at the gate
Leading mice and men down to their fate
But some will courageously escape
The seductive voice with a heart of faith
While walkin’ that line back homeSo much more to life than we’ve been told
It’s full of beauty that will unfold
And shine like you struck gold, my wayward son
That deadweight burden weighs a ton
Go down into the river and let it run
Wash away all the things you’ve done
Forgiveness alrightFarther along we’ll know all about it
Farther along we’ll understand why
So cheer up my brothers, live in the sunshine
We’ll understand this all by and byStill I get hard pressed on every side
Between the rock and a compromise
Like the truth and pack of lies fighting for my soul
And I’ve got no place left go
‘Cause I got changed by what I’ve been shown
More glory than the world has known
Keeps me ramblin’ onSkipping like a calf loosed from its stall
I’m free to love once and for all
And even when I fall I’ll get back up
For the joy that overflows my cup
Heaven filled me with more than enough
Broke down my levees and my bluffs
Let the flood wash meAnd one day when the sky rolls back on us
Some rejoice and the others fuss
‘Cause every knee must bow and tongue confess
That the Son of God is forever blessed
His is the kingdom and we’re the guests
So put your voice up to the test
Sing Lord, come soonFarther along we’ll know all about it
Farther along we’ll understand why
So cheer up my brothers, live in the sunshine
We’ll understand this all by and by
Pete Peterson is the author of the Revolutionary War adventure The Fiddler’s Gun and its sequel Fiddler’s Green. Among the many strange things he’s been in life are the following: U.S Marine air traffic controller, television editor, art teacher and boatwright at the Florida Sheriffs Boys Ranch, and progenitor of the mysterious Budge-Nuzzard. He lives in Nashville with his wife, Jennifer, where he's the Executive Director of the Rabbit Room and Managing Editor of Rabbit Room Press.
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