House of Heroes – In the Valley of the Dying Sun

Have you ever had the feeling that you once remembered hearing a song and couldn’t remember what it was, what it was about, or who sung it?  I had that experience during my review of House of Heroes’  In the Valley of the Dying Sun.  When I do reviews, one of the first things I do is quickly read through the lyrics to get a feel for its message.  Then, I listen to it at least once.

Then I had this “aha” moment.  I heard this one before, somewhere!

I first heard it on Christian rock dot net, back in the days when I was single, going to college, and slacking off my work by playing RuneScape, Maple Story, and Neopets.  I found it mildly entertaining, yet, did not pay much attention to the lyrics as I do today.

In terms of discography, they released a total of six albums under House of Heroes and one under their previous band name, No Tagbacks.  As of this writing, they have not been active since 2016.

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?

Loosely based on Jacob’s wrestling with God in Genesis 32:22-32, it is a fictional story of a man who walks alone in his perverse and crooked ways, controlling his own destiny and obtaining security at any cost.  He will kill anyone to obtain it, as he has done in the past.  He longs for peace, yet, he dwells in his past, unable to let go or move on.  He believes God is his enemy.  From here on out, the main character depicted will be called “the lonely man”.

He encounters a man with an angel’s breath (presumably God), someone who sees the lonely man’s future and calls himself “the reaper”.  With his life threatened by “the reaper”, the lonely man begins his assault, attempting to kill his enemy, realizing that he will either die or find new beginnings.  The two wrestle all night.

As the lonely man wrestles with God in the appearance of a man, he realizes that God is not his enemy and migrates towards a new life, one presumedly without guilt or shame, forever changed after his encounter with God, letting his light shine before men.

Overall, I found this message to be creatively crafted poetry, presenting a beautiful testimony that is more accessible and less formulaic than typical “sinner to saint” accounts.  The lonely man’s life is transformed after his encounter with God, just as Jacob’s was when he wrestled with God.  It becomes more obvious when House of Heroes explicitly mentions “God” as the One who is not the enemy of the lonely man.  Yes, there is a lot of repetition; However, it adds to the creativity and poetic overtones expressed throughout this song.

I have a small concern in regards to calling God “the reaper”.  It may for some give the wrong impression that God is out to get us, actively killing people for whatever reason suits him.  Perhaps I am overthinking this, in part, due to my own questions and concerns when I was an unbeliever.

Score: 9/10

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

Although this song takes creative license, borrowing from Genesis 32:22-32, I cannot find any lines that are unbiblical or compromises the Word of God. Most lines parallel Scripture directly.  Lyrics are posted with permission.*  Since I could not find a verse/chorus/bridge layout, I assigned numbers to each stanza to distinguish them.

[Stanza 1]

In the valley of the dying sun
I walk a crooked path alone

Much like most of humanity, this lonely man is living a life of sin.  He is of the devil and will not inherit the Kingdom of God.  Although there is a huge list of Bible verses containing examples of sin-filled lives, these concepts are succinctly captured in 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 and 1 John 3:4-9. Although both passages are contrasted with a life of righteousness in Christ, we can examine the context to find application within these first few lines within this song.

I came across the shadow of a man
With an angel’s breath

The parallel between this and the man Jacob wrestled with in Genesis 32:22-32 starts to come into focus.

[Stanza 2]

“Oh, boy,” he said to me
“I see your future

Of course He knows the future!  After all, God knows all things (1 Kings 8:39, 1 Chronicles 28:9, Psalm 44:21, Psalm 139:4, Psalm 147:4-5, Isaiah 40:28, Matthew 10:30, John 16:30 [reference to Jesus], John 21:17 [reference to Jesus], Acts 1:24, Hebrews 4:13, and 1 John 3:20).

Though you long for peace
The sword is your father

House of Heroes contrasts the lonely man’s desire for internal peace with his harsh reality of war and destruction.

[Stanza 3]

“I’m thinking of you
I’m thinking of you when I kill a good man
To keep myself from being killed by him

Thinking God is his enemy, the lonely man knows that the man he is about to kill is innocent, though probably not realizing that this man is God.  He believes that he must kill him to prevent his own death.

I’m thinking of you
I’m thinking of you when I hold my girl
And wonder if she’ll ever love again

This hints at some sort of betrayal at the fault of the lonely man, breaking her heart.  He wonders if his actions will prevent her from finding love with another person.  At this point, he has remorse but not regret, much like the experience of the Judas Iscariot in Matthew 27:3-5.

I’m thinking of, I’m thinking of, I’m thinking of you

Repeated from above.

Wash the blood off my hands

Only the blood of Jesus can cleanse us from sins (Ephesians 1:7, Colossians 1:14, and Hebrews 9:22), a reality that is unknown to the lonely man, but is perhaps learned after he wrestles with God.  For now, he is expressing his desire to remove the stains from his past, through perhaps too prideful to humble himself before God.

I’m thinking of, I’m thinking of, I’m thinking of you”

Repeated from above.

[Stanza 4]

Bathed in the powder of a thousand guns
I am the king of sorrows

This was Paul’s attitude about himself in 1 Timothy 1:15.  The difference is, Paul repented.  The lonely man has not yet expressed this.

Watered by the tears of the innocent ones
The river grows
It moves
It swells

As the lonely man kills more innocent people, the “river of tears” starts to catch up with him, much like the voice of the blood of Abel cried out to God in Genesis 4:10, shortly after Cain murdered him.

[Stanza 5]

 “Son,” it calls to me
“Your days are numbered
Sow the seeds you will
But I am the reaper”

The man personified as God threatens the lonely man’s life, referring to himself as “the reaper”.  God has the power of life and death, as spoken through God Himself in Deuteronomy 32:39 and described elsewhere in 1 Samuel 2:6 and Job 1:21.

[Stanza 6]

“I’m thinking of you
I’m thinking of you when you kill a good man
To keep yourself from being killed by him
I’m thinking of you
I’m thinking of you when you hold your girl
And wonder if she’ll ever love again
I’m thinking of, I’m thinking of, I’m thinking of you
Wash the blood off your hands
I’m thinking of, I’m thinking of, I’m thinking of you”

Repeated from the third stanza.

[Stanza 7]

I howled at the moon like a wolf in the night
You want to finish it
We’re gonna finish it right

The lonely man girds his loins and prepares for battle.

[Stanza 8]

And then I felt it with a chill up my spine
There are no words to use that truly describe
The glory of the angel or the terror in me
Tonight will be my ending or tonight my new beginning

The lonely man knows that this encounter will forever change him, either through death or new life.

[Stanza 9]

All through the night
I wrestled the angel
To undo the curse
That’s burdened me all of my life

Consistent with Genesis 32:22-32, the lonely man wrestles with God all night;  However, there is a major difference.  Jacob wrestled with God to receive a blessing.  The lonely man does so in an attempt to erase his past.  Both are unaware that their opponent is God.

[Stanza 10]

And for the first time I could see
That God was not my enemy

After his encounter with God, the lonely man realizes that God is his friend, not his enemy.  This begins his journey towards repentance and faith in Jesus, paid for by His sacrifice (Leviticus 17:11, Isaiah 53:1-12, Matthew 20:28, Mark 10:45, John 1:29, John 3:16, 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, Hebrews 9:22, Hebrews 9:26, 1 Peter 1:17-21, 1 Peter 2:24, 1 Peter 1:18-19, 1 John 1:7, 1 John 2:1-2, and Revelation 5:9).

[Stanza 11]

“I’m thinking of you” (for the first time I can see)
“I’m thinking of you”
“I’m thinking of you” (That God was not my enemy)
“I’m thinking of you”

Combines lines within stanza 3 and 10.

[Stanza 12]

Like pieces of the sun
Our light burns on and on and on
Like stars in the night sky we shine
I’m living to shine on
I’m living to shine on
I’m living to shine on
I’m living to shine on
I’m living to shine on
I’m living to shine on

We have light (Matthew 5:14-16, Ephesians 5:8, 1 Peter 2:9, 1 John 1:5-7, and 1 John 2:7-11) and should shine it in the darkest of places (Psalm 107:10-16, Luke 1:79 (read in context; “child” refers to Jesus), John 1:1-13, John 12:46, Ephesians 5:8, Colossians 1:13, and 1 Peter 2:9).

Score: 10/10

3. How would an outsider interpret the song?

Unless an unbeliever is familiar with the account of Jacob wrestling an angel, the references will be lost on them.  There are a few connections that hint towards a religious overtone, including the encounter with an angel,  that He can see the future, and that the lonely man figures out that God is not his enemy.  The “reaper” reference may throw people off this trail.

I find that if those who are not Christ followers can understand one thing about this song, that God is not our enemy, I would say that House of Heroes gave them a huge step in the right direction, even if the rest of the lyrics are confusing.

Score: 8/10

4. What does this song glorify?

It most certainly glorifies God.  He is shown in an accurate light, One who will wrestle with us and grant us life should we decide to choose Him.  The apex of this song, that God is not our foe, is shown front and center.

Score: 10/10

Closing Comments

I am happy that House of Heroes’ In the Valley of the Dying Sun is more biblically accurate than I initially gave it credit for prior to this review.  Much like the Psalms, its linguistic craftsmanship is quite exceptional, deriving from Jacob’s entanglement with God.  Armed with a wonderful message undertoned strong themes of regret, war, and transformation, it brings glory to God and provides a wonderful lesson to unbelievers and Christ followers alike: God is not the adversary.

Final Score: 9.5/10

Artist Info

Track: In the Valley of the Dying Sun (listen to the song)

Artist: House of Heroes

Album: The End Is Not the End

Genre: Alternative Rock

Release Year: 2008

Duration: 4:33

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*Copyright © 2009 House Of Heroes Music (SESAC) Universal Music – Brentwood Benson Tunes (SESAC) (adm. at CapitolCMGPublishing.com) All rights reserved. Used by permission.