Song of the Week - "I Know My Redeemer Lives" - Mark Heard (with Kate Miner)
No. 3 in the Song of the Week Series
The third post in “The Song of the Week” series.
The previous post in this series:
(and you can link back to the first one from it)
2. “Yours is the Kingdom” - Common Hymnal
It occurred to me recently that music sits pretty close to the intersection of the key themes of this Substack: reading/writing, community, and formation. The songs we sing are deeply formative for us as persons and communities. So, I thought I’d share a song each week that has been formative for me, and offer a couple of brief thoughts that connect it with this particular week (in the church calendar and/or natural year) and explore why it is significant for me. Let me know what you think…
This post is made freely available to Substack readers, but if you appreciate The Conversational Life, please consider helping to sustain our work with a paid subscription ( $5/month or $50/year ).
This is definitely an Easter song, and perhaps one of my most favorite Easter songs. The song is an eighteenth century hymn by Samuel Medley, one that you might be familiar with, if you grew up in a church (or are currently in a church) that sings hymns. But Mark Heard brings his own sort of raw, alt.country energy to this classic.
I know that my Redeemer lives;
what comfort this sweet sentence gives!
He lives, He lives, who once was dead;
He lives, my everlasting Head.
He lives to silence all my fears,
He lives to wipe away my tears,
He lives to calm my troubled heart,
He lives all blessings to impart.
He lives and grants me daily breath;
He lives and I shall conquer death;
He lives, and while I live, I'll sing;
He lives, my Prophet, Priest, and King.
He lives triumphant from the grave,
He lives eternally to save,
And what joy this blest assurance gives,
"I know that my Redeemer lives!"
(Note: This is the version in the recording above,
there’s a bit of shifting verses around and tweaking lyrics from the original hymn)
I won’t say much about this song, other than please give it a listen! In its spare economy of words, it paints a vivid picture of the joy and the hope of the resurrection life. I’m hard pressed to think of a song that more keenly cuts to the heart of our life in Christ.
Who was Mark Heard?
Mark was one of the greatest songwriters of his day, one whose faith radically shaped his songs, but who also had a tempestuous relationship with the world of Contemporary Christian Music. Mark died a tragic, and unexpected death of a heart attack at the age of 40. Wikipedia has a pretty solid overview of his life and work, for those who aren’t familiar.
I found today that YouTube has a recording of Heard’s final concert at the Cornerstone Festival in 1992. (above link goes to the start of Heard’s set. If you’re a fan of songwriter Pierce Pettis, jump back to the beginning of the video to catch his opening set.) In the summer of 1992, I had just graduated from high school, and hadn’t gone to college yet, where I would be introduced to Mark’s music, so I never got to see him play live. So, it was a bit surreal to see and hear Mark so clearly 40+ years later. Mark’s song “Satellite Sky” (played solo on his mandolin) in particular, a lament about life in our technological age and one of my favorite of Mark’s songs, had me bawling at my desk, at the beauty and tragedy of Mark’s short life, and the beauty and tragedy of living in this age.
For those who aren’t familiar with Mark’s work, I’ll also recommend another of my favorite of his songs, Strong Hand of Love.
This post is made freely available to Substack readers, but if you appreciate The Conversational Life, please consider helping to sustain our work with a paid subscription ( $5/month or $50/year ).
I love this feature and I hope it will continue. I pass them to my church music director. Also wanted to mention how much I appreciate Jen Michael Pollock and thanks for introducing her to me.
La Vonne Glanville