Photo by Scott Rodgerson
This post was originally written for Bethel Music; However, commenter Jerrad Rickard informed me that Bethel is not the original artist! Though he was mistaken on the original artist, he is correct that Bethel is not it.
Formed by Jonathan and Melissa Helser, Cageless Birds started in 2013 as a community of artists to use their talents and abilities to generate income. They occasionally write music for Bethel Music, one of which I reviewed: Raise a Hallelujah. One of their projects, Ain’t No Grave, was also covered by Bethel. It borrows from Claude Ely’s song Ain’t No Grave (Gonna Hold This Body Down).
Lyrics can be found at https://genius.com/Bethel-music-aint-no-grave-live-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?
The main focus is on the final resurrection for one’s own self. It pays lip service to the cross and has one line about meeting Jesus, which helps to clarify it. The rest of the song is testimonial worthy of the Psalms; However, Chorus shifts briefly from “me” to God after the third Verse.
Side Note: To those sensitive to massive repetition, the same phrase in the Chorus appears three times, which is also repeated four times, a total of 12 repeats. There is another 12 of the same line within Spontaneous.
Score: 10/10
2. How much of the lyrics line up with Scripture?
All of it agrees with Scripture.
[Verse 1]
Lines 1 and 2: Only if one continues to become enslaved by it (John 8:34, Romans 6:6, Romans 6:20-22, and 1 Corinthians 6:12).
Lines 3 and 4: To remain biblical, we must combine God as love (1 John 4:8) with His rescue (Genesis 15:1, Joshua 1:9, Deuteronomy 31:6, 1 Chronicles 28:20, Psalm 23:4, Psalm 27:1, Psalm 34:4, Psalm 56:3-4, Psalm 94:19, Psalm 115:11, Psalm 118:6, Isaiah 35:4, Isaiah 41:10-13, Isaiah 43:1, Isaiah 54:4, John 14:25-27, Romans 8:15, Romans 8:38-39, 2 Timothy 1:7, Hebrews 13:5-6, 1 Peter 3:13-14, 1 Peter 5:6-7, and 1 John 4:18). Some might see this as illegitimate.
[Chorus]
Lines 1 and 2: A vague reference to the final resurrection (Luke 20:34-38, Acts 24:15-16, Romans 6:1-5, Romans 8:11-13, 1 Corinthians 15:20-26, 1 Corinthians 15:50-56, 2 Corinthians 4:13-14, and 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).
Lines 3 and 4: Repeats lines 1 and 2.
Lines 5 and 6: More clarity to justify interpretation in lines 1 and 2.
Lines 7 and 8: Repeats lines 1 and 2.
Lines 9 and 10: Casper the friendly ghost.
[Verse 2]
Lines 1 and 2: The source of this fear is Satan. He is the father of lies (John 8:44), a lion seeking someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8), and a deceiver (Revelation 12:9). His favorite weapon of choice is to sow doubt. He tried it with Eve successfully (Genesis 3:1-5). He tried it with Jesus unsuccessfully (Matthew 4:1-11 and Luke 4:1-13). We are not exempt from it and must stay vigilant, protected from the schemes of the devil (Ephesians 6:11-18).
Line 3: See commentary in Verse 1, lines 3 and 4.
Line 4: God is love (1 John 4:8) and uses His “weapon” to overtake us. It is His love that caused Christ to pay for our sins (John 3:16 and Romans 5:6-8) and covers it (1 Peter 4:8). It is God’s kindness that leads to repentance (Romans 2:4). It is through love that one can pray for their enemy with the hopes that they will find God (Matthew 5:44).
[Verse 3]
Lines 1-3: This identifies Christ as love itself. He has authority over death, defeating “him” in “battle” (Isaiah 25:8, Hosea 13:14, Luke 20:35-36, 1 Corinthians 15:24-26, 1 Corinthians 15:55-57, 2 Timothy 1:10, and Hebrews 2:14).
Line 4a: The word “lion” comes from Revelation 5:5. Jesus’ lineage is of the tribe of Judah.
Line 4b: As prophecied in Isaiah 61:1 and Luke 4:18.
[Post-Chorus]
Lines 1-4: Repeats Chorus, lines 1-4.
[Spontaneous]
Line 1: Connects the resurrection of Jesus (Matthew 28, Mark 16, Luke 24, John 20, Acts 1:3, Acts 3:15, Acts 4:33, and 1 Corinthians 15:3-8) with the final resurrection described in Chorus, line 1.
Lines 2:6: Repeats line 1.
Line 7: You sing about it, then tell me you’re going to sing about it? That doesn’t make grammatical sense, but not unbiblical.
Line 8: Repeats line 1.
Line 9: In the air (1 Thessalonians 4:17).
Lines 10:14: Repeats line 1.
Score: 10/10
3. How would an outsider interpret the song?
Non-Christians will understand this as Christian given the cross and mention of Jesus. Verse 3 is perhaps the clearest from this perspective. Spontaneous will be somewhat understandable. The Chorus will not make sense without a basic understanding of end times.
Score: 8/10
4. What does this song glorify?
It glorifies God as the One who was crucified for our sins, has authority over death, and whose love compels us to find Him.
Score: 10/10
Closing Comments
Cageless Birds’ Ain’t No Grave is a good song. In testimonial fashion, it praises Christ as the One who took our transgressions, nailed them to the cross, and became the firstfruits of the dead, usurping death’s reign on us, bringing God glory. It uses language that unbelievers will probably comprehend, though Chorus will probably require some outside study to comprehend.
This song is testimonial in nature, but not appropriate for corporate worship.
Final Score: 9.5/10
Artist Info
Track: Ain’t No Grave (listen to the song)
Artist: Cageless Birds (Feat. Molly Skaggs)
Album: We Bow
Genre: Pop
Release Year: 2018
Duration: 8:13
Agree? Disagree? Don’t be shy or have a cow! Calmly and politely state your case in a comment, below.
Updates:
03/19/2021 – Updated per repetition announcement. I updated my commentary on repetition in section 1 to a side note and increased its score. I also updated comments on section 3, slightly raising its score. This brought the overall score from 9/10 to 9.5/10.
07/27/2020 – Jarod Dyess changed my mind about my commentary regarding the keys of death and hades. Also, I’ve updated the review to reflect my current position on lyrics that appear me-centered, but are much like the Psalms in terms of testimony. I’ve also found Biblical support for God as a weapon. These combined updates drastically raise its score from 6/10 to 9/10.
Comments
Ronnie W. Stroud
The best idea ever – “don’t overthink it”
Kaye
The courts have ruled (see Pharrell Williams vs. Bridgeport Music) that new lyrics to an existing melody does not equate authorship or ownership of a song. Basically, according to the courts, “Ain’t No Grave,” lyrics and melody alike, belong to the Ely family. Molly Skaggs’ new verses belong to here in poetry only. When she uses Claude Ely’s song to sing her poem, so to speak, she does not have an original song but rather an adaptation of an original.
Kaye
She must do as all others and purchase the right to use Claude Ely’s song to sing and record her lyrics, give him credit in a publications, and contractually make an agreement with the publisher until the copyright expires. Otherwise, she will find herself in a similar situation as Pharrell Williams and Robin Thicke.
Aaron Sherman
I noticed that, despite the songs high 9.5 rating, you say that it is not appropriate for corporate worship. I looked for an explanation for that sentiment but didn’t see it in the post (I may have missed it), why wouldn’t you use this song in corporate worship?
Vince Wright
Aaron,
Great question! I thought this song was testimonial in nature, as opposed to a song that proclaims to God His value and worth.
-Vince Wright
Theresa Weller
How is the bridge biblical? IF you walked out of the grave I’m walking too? IF is not appropriate the word should be Since because Jesus definitely walked out of the grave. Doesn’t the word IF provide non believers a multitude of doubt?
Vince Wright
Theresa,
Thank you for your comments!
The Bible is also full of “If” statements. For example, consider the following:
1) If you love me, keep My commandments. (John 14:15)
2) If the Son sets you free, you are free indeed. (John 8:36)
3) If you are eager to do good, who will harm you? (1 Peter 3:13)
4) If you seek Him, He is found. (2 Chronicles 15:2)
5) If faith is without action, it is dead. (James 2:17)
6) If your heart is wise, then you will be glad. (Proverbs 23:15)
7) If God is for us, who is against us? (Romans 8:31)
There are many others as well. What makes these “if” statements different than Cageless Bird’s “if” statement?
-Vince Wright
Theresa
Vince, thank you for your comments and for sharing the scriptures. IF a non believer is reading the Bible he/she may have an understanding of the bridge they’re hearing in the song. I am still disappointed with the choice of the word IF, as believers it is most important that we choose our words wisely especially IF someone does not yet know the redemptive story of Jesus and is not seeking truth for themselves. Please see a further explanation of my thoughts below Steve’s excellent comment below.
Vince Wright
Theresa,
I understand! WHat I’m reading is that the word IF is an issue specifically with unbelievers and, perhaps, not necessarily with people who believe. Is that correct or have I misunderstood you?
-Vince Wright
Theresa
Yes, Vince. I am concerned for those who do not yet know the Gospel as well as those struggling to grasp the truth of the Gospel.
Steve Barhydt
Teresa,
In English grammer, this is similar to a “zero conditional sentence”. (It’s not a perfect correlation but it illustrates that the word “if” can imply certainty not just doubt.)
From https://www.ef.edu/english-resources/english-grammar/conditional/
************Begin Quote**********
The zero conditional is used for when the time being referred to is now or always and the situation is real and possible. The zero conditional is often used to refer to general truths. The tense in both parts of the sentence is the simple present. In zero conditional sentences, the word “if” can usually be replaced by the word “when” without changing the meaning.
If clause Main clause
If + simple present simple present
If this thing happens that thing happens.
If you heat ice it melts.
If it rains the grass gets wet.
************End Quote**********
IF the first thing happens, then the second thing WILL happen.
The third verse and following chorus of the song establishes the fact of the Resurrection..
[Verse 3]
Oh, there was a battle, a war between death and life
And there on a tree, the Lamb of God was crucified
And He went on down to hell, He took back every key
He rose up as a lion and He set all captives free
[Chorus]
There ain’t no grave
Could hold His body down
There ain’t no grave
Could hold His body down
When He heard the trumpet sound
He rose up outta the ground
There ain’t no grave
Could hold His body down
There ain’t no grave
Could hold His body down
The post-chorus then reiterates the main theme of the song…
[Post-Chorus]
There ain’t no grave
Could hold my body down
There ain’t no grave
Could hold my body down
The spontaneous bridge ties the two together…
“If You walked out of the grave, I’m walking too” (repeated ad ad nauseam, IMHO)
This is no different than the approach of the Apostle Paul in 1 Cor. 15
In verse 3-8, Paul establishes the fact of the Resurrection.
However, in verses 12-19, he poses a series of “IF” statements about the ramifications of IF there had been no Resurrection.
*********Begin Quote*******
12 Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead?
13 But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen:
14 And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain.
15 Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not.
16 For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised:
17 And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.
18 Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished.
19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.
*********End Quote*******
Do these verses “provide non believers a multitude of doubt?” In no way because the fact of the Resurrection has already been established.
Even the most casual listener of this song (assuming no ulterior motive) is going to hear IF “There ain’t no grave Could hold His body down” then “There ain’t no grave Could hold my body down.”
Could they have used the word “Since” instead? Yes of course they could have. But they did not.
However, contextually it is illogical to say that the “if” used in this song is, in any way, an expression that leads to doubt.
Theresa
Steve, you make excellent points. Thank you for your well thought out reply. What percentage of the population would you say knows of the “zero conditional sentence”? I suspect it is a small percentage. How many non believers might know who the Apostle Paul is or have ever picked up a Bible? Accurate language is critical to someone who knows nothing of Jesus or the Bible. I simply believe a more definite word is very important in this song. I want someone that doesn’t know Jesus, that might be hearing it in a coffee shop or in someone else’s car, to have no doubt concerning the entire meaning of the entire song.
This is the definition of IF according to Merriam-Webster:
if conjunction
\ ˈif , əf \
Definition of if (Entry 1 of 2)
1a : in the event that
b : allowing that
c : on the assumption that
d : on condition that
2 : WHETHER
asked if the mail had come
I doubt if I’ll pass the course
3 —used as a function word to introduce an exclamation expressing a wish
if it would only rain
4 : even though : although perhaps
an interesting if untenable argument
5 : and perhaps not even
few if any changes are expected
—often used with not
difficult if not impossible
if anything
: on the contrary even : perhaps even
if anything, you ought to apologize
if noun
\ ˈif \
Definition of if (Entry 2 of 2)
1 : CONDITION, STIPULATION
the question … depends on too many ifs to allow an answer
— Encounter
2 : SUPPOSITION
Steve Barhydt
Teresa,
I would agree that the word “if” could cause confusion except for the fact that the reality of the Resurrection is firmly established in verse 3.
This confirmation of the Resurrection is immediately followed by
“There ain’t no grave
Could hold His body down”
which is followed by
“There ain’t no grave
Could hold my body down”
which is followed by
“If You walked out of the grave, I’m walking too”
Even in the middle of the repeats there is the phrase
“I’m gonna meet Jesus” (To meet Him, He must have walked out of the tomb.)
For an unbeliever (or anyone else) to find doubt in the word “if”, they must completely ignore the context of the song.
In the interpretation of a song, much like Biblical interpretation, context is king. In reality, this is true in all forms of communication. Whether or not someone know what a “zero conditional sentence” is is irrelevant, they MUST take context into consideration otherwise intelligent conversation becomes impossible.
The songwriter, in my opinion, cannot be held responsible for a word or phrase taken out of context any more than the writers of Scripture can be held in account for Bible verses heard and interpreted out of context.
Additionally, if the song is casually heard by “those who do not yet know the Gospel as well as those struggling to grasp the truth of the Gospel” and they go no further to investigate what they have heard I seriously doubt that changing “If” to “Since” would have made much of a difference.
Your original statement was “How is the bridge biblical?”
My long-winded answer 🙂 is that, when considered contextually, the bridge flows from verse three and it’s subsequent choruses and that the word “if” in the bridge does not lead to any doubt let alone “a multitude of doubt.”
Scott Spradlin
You have this song listed as a 6 on your master list but a 9 on this review page. Just want to make sure which one is your actual rating. Thank you!
Vince Wright
Scott,
Thank you for reporting this error! I repaired the Song Review Index page.
-Vince Wright
Tammi Carrero
One of the lyrics says he went on down to Hell Jesus never went to hell that’s not in the Bible it’s not biblical take out that lyric and it might be a good song!
Neal Cruco
Tammi,
The question “Did Jesus go to hell?” is more complicated to answer than you might think- because in English, we refer to multiple realms as “hell”. (https://www.gotquestions.org/did-Jesus-go-to-hell.html)
In short, you have the place of the dead (Sheol/Hades, depending on whether you use the Hebrew or Greek name), a temporary holding place which is divided into a place of blessing and a place of judgment. Then you also have the lake of fire (which is best referred to as hell), a place of eternal judgment.
Ephesians 4:8-10 and 1 Peter 3:18-20 tell us that Jesus did go to Sheol/Hades after His death. But he went to the blessed side and took everyone who was waiting there to heaven – not to the suffering side to be further punished for our sins.
So, while Jesus did not go to a place of torment after His death, He did go to Sheol/Hades, which is often referred to as hell because translators have never standardized on how to translate the names of these realms into English.
Jarod Dyess
In 1 Cor 15:55, Paul quotes Hosea. Its a personification of Death and Hades. Even though these are not entities themselves, they represent that because of sin, they had control over people once their life on earth was done. After the death and resurrection, Jesus now has control. The key is metaphor for the power over death. So the lyric says the tool back the key, implies that Death and the Grave had them prior to the atonement.
Also Ephesians 4:8-10 refers to Jesus going to “Hell” (Hades – side of Paradise called “Abraham’s bosom” ) to proclaim the Gospel’s completion. Following which he resurrected from the dead taking the souls in waiting with him to the Father. Luke 23:43 affirms that Jesus was there in Sheol after his death as he promised the theif next to him that he would be with him in Paradise that same day. If he had not yet assended, how could Jesus be with him, as Jesus describes Sheol in Luke 16 with souls of the saints awaiting the atonement?
Vince Wright
Jarod,
Thank you for your comments!
After much prayer, reflection, and research, I agree with your assessment. The keys are a metaphorical representation of Christ’s authority over death. You’ve also given Scripture to show that death itself was the enemy Christ “fought” and “took” the keys.
I’ve updated my review.
-Vince Wright (aka TastyWallet)
Gina Ivy Mitchell
Would someone like to tell me how Molly Skaggs and the others can take credit for writing this song? I read someone that it was “similar” to Claude Ely’s song “Ain’t No Grave (Gonna Hold this Body Down), and that she gave him posthumous credit. Similar? The hook is the same, the chorus is the same, the melody is the same. She took the song and changed the verses. It is probably legal with regard to copyright law, I think it shows poor taste and a lack of respect for Claude Ely. She could have recorded the original and she would have knocked it out of the park. I love the original verses and can’t for the life of me figure out why anyone would want to change them. The original verses are strong!
Vince Wright
Gina,
Thank you for this information! I didn’t know and according to the copyright that I examined, Ely was one of many songwriters.
-Vince Wright
Michael Ramsey
I disagree. I think she liked the song so much she and the Helser’s decided to add their little spin to it.
Olivia
I laughed so hard at this part
“Lines 9 and 10: Casper the friendly ghost.”
Vince Wright
Olivia,
I am happy you found it humorous!
-Vince Wright
Daryl W Weaver
First of all, Thanks for making me do a double-take at lyrics i sing. I try to be discerning, but outside perspective is good.
On the opening lines of this song:
Oh, shame is a prison as cruel as a grave
Shame is a robber and he’s come to take my name
I see “shame” in this context as a weapon employed by the Enemy against us–perhaps it’s used here as a metaphor for Satan himself based of the reference to “he” who has “come to take my name.” The “name” he wants to take from me is the “Name above every name.” Can he do it? Nope. But he sure wants me to THINK he can.
Satan uses shame against both non-believers and the regenerate. (In fact, it can be a particularly effective weapon against the Jesus follower who continues to struggle with an area of sin or disobedience.) In my opinion, the non believer has no real defense against shame–many in-fact choose to embrace it and “own” their shameful behavior. Christians, while they have no reason to live in shame, often choose to do so because they lack trust in their full redemption and/or rely on their own ability to live sinless lives. We aren’t sinless, rather we are forgiven.
The more I think these lyrics over, the more I like them. Romans 10:11 says “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.” It’s actually actually a reference to Isaiah 23, but the meaning is clear.
Vince Wright
Daryl,
Thank you for your comments! Those are good points and adds some flesh to my initial commentary on this song’s opening lines.
-Vince Wright
Todd McCormick
One hundred percent on the shame aspect! Some of us have been conditioned to have shame, and actually take the blame for things that we aren’t/weren’t accountable for. A type of childhood brain washing that we bring into adulthood from people who were accountable, and shifted the blame. Yet, we sing Leave it at the cross, and don’t. Shame is a grave, and holds us back. To be clear hear, I’m not talking about the shame/guilt that leads to repentance, and confession.
Jerrad Rickard
This is a bluegrass standard, not a Bethel song, just their cover. It has been played by countless performers for 90 years. I appreciate the theological analysis, but correctness or lack of should not be credited to Bethel.
Vince Wright
Jerrad,
Are you thinking of the Claude Ely song? The lyrics are not the same. However, you are correct, that this is a cover. For this iteration of lyrics, with the same title, Cageless Birds is the original artist. I’ll update the intro, credit, and Song Review Index when I get an opportunity.
-Vince Wright