MercyMe – Joseph’s Lullaby

MercyMe is well-known as the artist behind I Can Only Imagine, originally intended to be Amy Grant’s comeback song.  MercyMe released a jaw-dropping 18 albums, including:

• Pleased to Meet You (1995)
• Traces of Rain (1997)
• Traces of Rain Volume II (1998)
• The Need (1999)
• The Worship Project (1999)
• Look (2000)
• Almost There (2001)
• Spoken For (2002)
• Undone (2004)
• The Christmas Sessions (2005)
• Coming Up to Breathe (2006)
• All That Is Within Me (2007)
• The Generous Mr. Lovewell (2010)
• The Hurt & the Healer (2012)
• Welcome to the New (2014)
• MercyMe, It’s Christmas! (2015)
• Lifer (2017)
• Inhale (Exhale) (2021)

They received 12 awards for their work, including 1 Billboard, 8 Doves, 1 ASCAP, and 2 American Music.  They were also mentioned 10 times on Billboard’s magazine Decade (2000–2009).

Also, check out my reviews of Word of God Speak, Flawless, Happy Dance, I Can Only Imagine, and Even If.

Lyrics can be found at https://genius.com/Mercyme-josephs-lullaby-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?

Almost the entire song is poetic license from MercyMe from Joseph’s perspective.  Not a single Scripture contains words spoken by Joseph; However, MercyMe reasons that Joseph may have had the following thoughts perhaps spoken to Jesus:

• Jesus requires rest
• Christ’s road is long and treacherous
• Whether baby Jesus understood, as a baby, the price He paid to become one of us, much less pay for our sins
• Jesus’ divine protection
• Prayer that, for this moment, Jesus would not be the Messiah, but simply his son
• Jesus is a Savior

The following comes directly from Scripture:

• Joseph was Jesus’ fatherly caregiver
• Jesus was laid in a manger
• Jesus is God’s glory made flesh

Score: 10/10

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

In terms of Biblical accuracy, there are two questions I have to ask myself:

1. Is it probable that Joseph would have said/thought this?
2. What elements are pulled directly from Scripture?

With these questions in mind, the entire lyrics seem reasonable to Joseph’s circumstances written in Scripture.  There are a few portions that draw directly from the Bible without contradicting it.

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

[Stanza 1]

Lines 1 and 2: These opening lines, along with the song’s title, inform us that Joseph is speaking (or more to the point, singing) to His baby boy Jesus.  While Scripture doesn’t specifically say that Jesus slept, he was a baby!  Babies eat, sleep and poop.  Their only job is to look cute.  We all know these axioms are true, whether Scripture states it or not. 

Line 3: If we consider Joseph’s dream in Matthew 1:20-23, Verse 21 tells us that Jesus will save His people from their sins.  That’s a tall order!  Therefore, it seems reasonable for Joseph to say “your road is long”.

Line 4: See commentary on lines 1 and 2.

[Stanza 2]

Lines 1-4: Great questions!  Given that Jesus would be called “God with us”, some of these inquiries could potentially swirl within Joseph’s mind.  If I were to venture an educated guess, I would say the answer is probably no, He did not understand these things as a baby.  He grew in wisdom and stature and favor with God (Luke 2:52).  This assumes that, before this moment in Luke 2, including His time as a baby, He was less wise, was shorter, and was less connected with God through prayer.

Does God guard Jesus?  Of course!  We saw evidence of His providence when He told Joseph to flee to Egypt, that Jesus would be killed if he remained in Bethlehem (Matthew 2:13).

[Stanza 3]

Line 1: Repeats Stanza 1, line 1.

Line 2: Another way of saying “go to sleep”.

Line 3: Jesus’ ministry can wait while He sleeps.  Joseph probably didn’t know this at the time, but it would be 30 years before Jesus “officially” started (Luke 3:23).

Line 4: Essentially repeats Stanza 1, line 1.

[Stanza 4]

Lines 1 and 2: If we return once again to Joseph’s dream, Matthew 1:20 is where he finds out Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit.  Combined with my commentary on Stanza 1, line 3, and Stanza 2, it’s not difficult for Joseph to conclude that Jesus is God’s glory manifest in a baby, held in his arms.  Also, see John 1:1, John 1:14, and Philippians 2:5-7.

Lines 3 and 4: This seems like a reasonable request given the weight that Joseph likely felt, with him and Mary raising Immanuel.

[Stanza 5]

Line 1: Repeats Stanza 1, line 1.

Line 2: Yet another way of saying “go to sleep”.

Line 3: See commentary on Stanza 1, line 3.

Lines 4 and 5: Essentially repeats Stanza 1, line 1.

Score: 10/10

3. How would an outsider interpret the song?

The song’s title, alongside mentions of “manger”, “child”, “heaven”, and “Jesus”, are indicators that it’s a Christmas song based on Jesus’ birth.  I’m uncertain if they will realize that the majority of lyrics are not in the Bible; However, I’m also not sure how much that matters to their interpretation.  It’s a song that Joseph sings to Jesus that contains a few provoking questions about how much Christ understood at that age, alongside beliefs he might have had.  I can’t think of anything that unbelievers would likely misread.

Score: 10/10

4. What does this song glorify?

It glorifies God that MercyMe draws inspiration from the Scriptures to create something that Joseph may have wanted to sing amid Jesus’ infancy.

Score: 10/10

Closing Comments

MercyMe’s Joseph’s Lullaby is a wonderful tear-jerker.  MercyMe draws inspiration from the Christmas accounts in Scripture to provoke our thoughts into what Joseph might have been thinking while holding baby Jesus without straying from the original source material, glorifying God.  Unbelievers should be able to interpret similarly.

This song is inspirational, but not appropriate for corporate worship.

Final Score: 10/10

Artist Info

Track: Joseph’s Lullaby (listen to the song)

Artist: MercyMe

Album: The Christmas Sessions

Genre: Christmas, Contemporary Christian Music (CCM)

Release Year: 2005

Duration: 3:45

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