Blind Willie Johnson (Feat. Willie B. Harris) – Trouble will Soon be Over

Blind Willie Johnson was an American blues singer who released several songs over a two-year period.  Though his discography is small by modern standards, he is considered by some today as one of the “greats” in classic Gospel blues music.

Lyrics can be found at https://genius.com/Blind-willie-johnson-trouble-will-soon-be-over-lyrics.

Note to new users: This is a different kind of review site!  Read About the Berean Test and Evaluation Criteria prior to reading this review.

1. What message does the song communicate?

Johnson tells his audience that, though his burdens are many and his tribulation seems great, Christ is his rest, comfort, and source of protection.  He holds tightly to his personal relationship with God.  He’s proven it before with King David, so Johnson will trust that He will do it again with him.  Johnson gives his weariness to Jesus and looks forward to that day when God’s Kingdom comes fully to earth, ceasing pain and suffering.

Score: 10/10

2. How much of the lyrics line up with Scripture?

The entire song aligns with God’s inspired Word.  Only one small detail is poetic license, which is a quibble at best.

This song does not contain a Verse/Chorus/Bridge format.  Therefore, I assigned stanzas to each paragraph.

[Stanza 1]

Line 1: Paul calls this present life “momentary light affliction” in 2 Corinthians 4:17-18, declaring that life after death with God is incomparable to life on earth.  According to Revelation 21:4 and Revelation 22:1-5, this eternal life contains zero tears, curse of sin, and of course, troubles.

Line 2: Repeats line 1.

[Stanza 2]

Lines 1 and 2: Johnson makes three points:

1. Jesus bore His burdens, pointing to Christ who paid for lawbreaking (Isaiah 53:1-12, Matthew 20:28, Mark 10:45, John 1:29, John 3:16, John 19:30, Acts 4:12, Acts 20:28, Romans 5:6-10, Romans 6:23, 1 Corinthians 1:30, 1 Corinthians 6:20, 2 Corinthians 5:21, Galatians 1:3-4, Galatians 3:13, Ephesians 1:7, Colossians 2:14, 1 Timothy 2:6, Titus 2:14, Hebrews 9:12, Hebrews 9:15-26, 1 Peter 1:17-21, 1 Peter 2:24, 1 John 1:7, 1 John 2:1-2, and Revelation 5:9).
2. He is the only friend who keeps His promises (Numbers 23:19, Joshua 21:45, Joshua 23:14, 1 Kings 8:56, Romans 4:21, 2 Corinthians 1:20, 1 Thessalonians 5:24, Hebrews 10:23, and 2 Peter 3:9).
3. He calls Johnson to rely on Him.  This is eloquently captured in Psalm 121:1-8.

[Stanza 3]

Lines 1 and 2: Repeats Stanza 1, lines 1 and 2.

[Stanza 4]

Lines 1 and 2: Johnson makes two more points:

1. God is Johnson’s refuge (Genesis 15:1, Deuteronomy 33:29, 2 Samuel 22:3, Psalm 3:3, Psalm 5:11, Psalm 12:5, Psalm 18:1-3, Psalm 20:1, Psalm 27:1-5, Psalm 28:7, Proverbs 30:5, Psalm 33:20, Psalm 34:19, Psalm 46:1-3, Psalm 57:1, Psalms 59:1, Psalm 71:1-6, Psalm 84:11, Psalm 89:18, Psalm 91:1-16, Psalm 115:9, Psalm 121:1-8, Psalm 140:4, Proverbs 14:26, Proverbs 18:10, Isaiah 41:10, 1 Corinthians 10:13, and 2 Thessalonians 3:3).
2. He is Johnson’s “bosom friend”, meaning that Johnson has a deep, personal, relational connection with God (John 15:1-11, Acts 17:27, Romans 8:15, Romans 11:16-24, and Philippians 3:8-10).

[Stanza 5]

Lines 1 and 2: Repeats Stanza 1, lines 1 and 2.

[Stanza 6]

Line 1: Johnson references 1 Samuel 22:1, where God hid David in a cave to protect him from his murderous father-in-law King Saul.  “Cage” is an appropriate term, considering that he was trapped there, lest Saul kills him in cold blood.

Line 2: God gave David rest from his enemies (2 Samuel 7:11).  Similarly, Johnson receives rest from his unnamed enemies.  Alludes to a passage of Scripture that is stated more explicitly in Stanzas 8 and 10.

[Stanza 7]

Lines 1 and 2: Repeats Stanza 1, lines 1 and 2.

[Stanza 8]

Lines 1 and 2: More explicitly borrows from Matthew 11:28-30, combined with the crown of life described in James 1:12 and Revelation 2:10 that Johnson will receive for persevering under trial.  The starry portion of it is poetic license.  Who knows, maybe it is starry!

[Stanza 9]

Lines 1 and 2: Repeats Stanza 1, lines 1 and 2.

[Stanza 10]

Lines 1 and 2: More references to Matthew 11:28-30.

[Stanza 11]

Lines 1 and 2: Repeats Stanza 1, lines 1 and 2.

[Stanza 12]

Lines 1 and 2: Repeats Stanza 6, lines 1 and 2.

[Stanza 13]

Lines 1 and 2: Repeats Stanza 1, lines 1 and 2.

Score: 10/10

3. How would an outsider interpret the song?

Assuming they can comprehend his pronunciation (I struggled with some of it without the lyrics), they will conclude that Jesus bears Johnson’s burdens, that Johnson relies on God, and that Johnson will enter heaven to be with Christ for all eternity.  Johnson explicitly mentions “Christ”, “God”, “Jesus”, and “David”, drawing them to conclude that it’s exclusively Christian.  The entire song is written in plain language and easy for those outside Christianity to digest.

Score: 10/10

4. What does this song glorify?

It glorifies Christ as Johnson’s burden-bearer, great friend, and rest-provider.

Score: 10/10

Closing Comments

Blind Willie Johnson’s Trouble will Soon be Over is a great reminder that our momentary light affliction will cease someday.  Johnson trusts in Jesus, that He will bear his burdens, shield him during his trials and tribulations, and will give him rest, bringing Him glory.  Unbelievers should easily interpret similarly.

This song could potentially be useful in corporate worship for certain types of churches.  I’m thinking Charismatic, Southern Baptist, or Pentecostal.  Others might want to consider looking elsewhere.

Final Score: 10/10

Artist Info

Track: Trouble will Soon be Over (listen to the song)

Artist: Blind Willie Johnson (Feat. Willie B. Harris)

Album: N/A

Genre: Blues

Release Year: 1930

Duration: 3:08

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