118. Rock Goes The Gospel - Shinedown - "Ill Follow You"

The verses of “I’ll Follow You” are reminiscent of classic Elton John, and the melodic guitar solo over violins is similar to the approach that Slash and Guns N’ Roses took with “November Rain,” but the song is far from derivative. If anything, it rises above the din of modern-day hard rock music for its unique sound. Of course, Shinedown can take musical leaps that many others can’t because of Brent Smith’s vocals, which are virtually unparalleled in the genre. Although the poetic lyrics give listeners room to interpret what the song is really about, the emotion of the song is intensely conveyed by Smith’s powerful delivery. Even without knowing the exact meaning, “I’ll Follow You” makes you feel uplifted and a bit melancholic at the same time. Like many great songs, “I’ll Follow You” stirs your emotions, and makes you turn up the volume every time that it comes on the radio.

Not surprisingly, Shinedown released this song off of their 2012 Amaryllis album as it  is yet another song that promises to have significant staying power.

[Verse 1:]
If I could find assurance to leave you behind
I know my better half would fade
And all my doubt is a staircase for you
Opened out of this maze

The first step is the one you believe in
The second one might be profound.

[Chorus:]
I'll follow you down through the eye of the storm
Don't worry I'll keep you warm.
I'll follow you down while we're passing through space
I don't care if we fall from grace
I'll follow you down

[Verse 2:]
You can have the money and the world
The angels and the pearls
Even trademark the color blue
Just like the tower we never built
In the shadow of all the guilt
When the other hand was pointed at you

Yeah the first step is the one you believe in
And the second one might be profound.

[Chorus:]
I'll follow you down, through the eye of the storm
Don't worry I'll keep you warm.
I'll follow you down, while we're passing through space
I don't care if we fall from grace
I'll follow you down...

...to where forever lies
Without a doubt I'm on your side
There's nowhere else that I would rather be
I'm not about to compromise,
Give you up to say goodbye
I'll guide you through the deep
I'll keep you close to me!

[Chorus:]
I'll follow you down through the eye of the storm
Don't worry I'll keep you warm.
I'll follow you down while we're passing through space
I don't care if we fall from grace
I'll follow you...

If I could find assurance to leave you behind
I know my better half would fade
I'll follow you down.

A young couple in love picking dandelions in a hazy, dreamlike field in the mountains…walking hand-in-hand to the mountain’s edge, gazing out at the water below. A romantic moment captured at the base of a cascading waterfall. A solitary place to wash the world away and live in the moment for two people who seem to need nothing but each other to enjoy true happiness. A bird’s eye view of an evolving relationship that culminates in a wedding and a white picket fence. Images like these would seem to be out of place in a hard rock music video, but Shinedown makes it work perfectly within the confines of the video for their most recent single, “I’ll Follow You,” off of their hit album, Amaryllis.

"Ill Follow You" is an uncompromising song. Literally, It's a song about "No Compromise" It's a song that is about not settling for anything else, not settling for second best. The song is full of illustrations of that. Shinedown use the lyrics like an artist uses a paint brush to tell the story of no compromise devotion. In the song it is devotion and no compromise to a person but you don't have to go too far to appreciate that this sentiment could be carried over to most spheres of life.

The theme dedication and no compromise is in the reading for today. We join uncompromising Elijah on Mount Carmel with the prophets of Baal in 1 Kings 18. This is where Elijah taunts the prophets to prove whose God is greater, that that he might get his uncompromising message across to the people of God.

This is a fairly well known passage in the Bible because it relays the story of one man, Elijah, making a stand for God against an evil king and 450 prophets of Baal. Elijah recommended that they have a competition to see whose God was stronger, and the prophets of Baal set up an offering on a wooden alter, asking Baal to send fire from heaven to consume the offering. After they failed, Elijah instructed the men to dig a trench around the altar and pour water over the offering until it was so saturated that the water overflowed and filled the trench. Elijah then called out to God, who sent fire to consume the offering, the water, the alter, the rocks, and even the dust around the altar. Seeing this, the people fell on their faces and worshipped the Lord. Elijah is unflinching in his devotion - He Follows God, the prophets of Baal do not, Elijah shows no compromise in delivering God's verdict in this situation in order to have God's people change direction and turn back to God.

The problem for the prophets was that they were faltering between two opinions. this also was true of the nation as a whole. This is the definition of compromise. In Shinedown's song we find the opposite sentiment "Without a doubt I'm on your side, There's nowhere else that I would rather be, I'm not about to compromise,"  The uncompromising truth that Elijah stands for is displayed in verses 36-39.

Elijah was uncompromising in delivering the message of relationship through these circumstances to all who were present and to all who would hear. That God wants to turn hearts towards himself in relationship. Elijah would not give up on this message. He was devoted to it and would not back down, give up or compromise on it.  We too are invited to be like Elijah in the passage, we too are encouraged to stand our ground in an age where people are drawn away from God by other things. We too are heralds of a message of God's desire for relationship. We too are ambassadors of his kingdom and his rule. We too are to be uncompromising in out character and manner of life. all for the benefit of others. Elijah had bottle, The question is do we?