Switch (Feat. Dillon Chase) – Symphony

Not to be confused with the 1970’s and 1980’s R&B band Switch, this up-and-coming artist is another home-grown church band, hailing from Life Church based in Edmond, Oklahoma.  Life church has 24 locations in nine separate states, with some of their worship pastors forming the band.  They released their title album Symphony in 2019, with their flagship song as the subject of this review.

Lyrics can be found at https://genius.com/Switch-band-symphony-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?

Though the believer struggles with the world, the flesh, and the devil, it is through faith in Jesus that we may endure as God’s skillful masterpiece.  They use music imagery to communicate this message, comparing a symphony to God’s handiwork, bringing the entire Body of Christ together as a unified whole.  Switch is clear in their communication, providing enough breadcrumbs to piece together that our hope is found in the name of Jesus.

Score: 9/10

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

Almost all of it aligns with the Bible, though I have a (possible) issue with the latter portion of Verse 2, depending on one’s own interpretation.

[Verse 1]

Lines 1-6: Describes spiritual warfare internalized within the believer (Matthew 4:1-11, Romans 7:21-25, Ephesians 6:12-17, and 2 Corinthians 10:3-5).  There is also additional external struggle with the world around them (Romans 5:3-5 and James 1:2-4).

Lines 7 and 8: Who is “You” and what is this hope?  Verse 2 tells us the answer.  It is in the name of Jesus (Acts 4:10-12).

[Pre-Chorus]

Line 1: A chant to invite Casper the friendly ghost to visit.

Lines 2 and 3: God works everything for our good (Romans 8:28), finishing the good work He started in us (Ephesians 2:10 and Philippians 1:6).

Line 4: Casper’s encore presentation.

Line 5: Great!  I do too.

[Chorus]

Lines 1-4: Despite the onslaught of external hardships and struggles, the Christian finds their internal peace in Christ that overrides it (John 14:27, John 16:29-33, Romans 5:1, Ephesians 2:14-15, and Colossians 3:15).

Lines 5 and 6: Orchestras bring together various instruments into a unified, cohesive whole that brings forth beauty in the ear of its listeners.  In the same way, God works together good to those who love God, called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28).  He brings the entire body of believers together, which includes both Israelites and Gentiles (Romans 11:11-21 and Ephesians 2:10-22).

Lines 7-12: Repeats lines 1-6.

[Verse 2]

Lines 1 and 2: That is, a petition to God for Him turn this wicked heart (Jeremiah 17:9) of stone and turn it into a heart of flesh (Ezekiel 11:19, Ezekiel 36:26, Jeremiah 31:33, and Hebrews 8:10) that conforms to His Image (Romans 8:29 and Romans 12:2).

Line 3: This requires faith, which itself is the evidence of the things unseen (Hebrews 11:1).

Line 4: See Chorus, lines 5 and 6.

Lines 5 and 6: This is true or false depending on what is meant by “let me drown”.  God will allow us to walk away if we choose to, which itself is evidence that we are not saved (Hebrews 6:4-6 and 2 Peter 2:21) because God will never lose those who are His (John 6:39 and John 18:9).

Lines 7 and 8: See commentary on Verse 1, lines 7 and 8.

[Verse 3]

Line 1: Agreement.

Lines 2 and 3: How is this accomplished?

Lines 4-11: My guess here is that the answer to the question in lines 2-3 lies in personal experience, by trusting in God.  This vivid description explains what the singer has experienced, though perhaps not to the same degree as Paul’s in 2 Corinthians 11:22-33.  Paul recognizes that our strength comes from weakness (2 Corinthians 12:7-10).

Line 12-15: Recognizes that God as the source of molding and shaping us to become better people (Jeremiah 18:1-6, Isaiah 64:8, and Romans 9:21), pruned and disciplined for our betterment (John 15:1-2 and Hebrews 12:4-11), and refined with fire to test our character (1 Peter 1:7-17).

Lines 16 and 17: We require continual reminders of what Christ has done for us.  His establishment of communion helps us accomplish this task (Mark 14:22-25, Luke 22:18-20, and 1 Corinthians 11:23-25).

Score: 9/10

3. How would an outsider interpret the song?

Verse 2 makes it obvious that this is a Christian song.  That eliminates any possible boyfriend interpretation from unbelievers.  They should walk away with the understanding that symphony is not literal, but has a figurative meaning.

It is hard to say if they will comprehend its meaning without further research, especially given its thickness in metaphors;  However, they will likely know that the solution to life’s struggles and chaos is Christ based on Verses 1 and 2.  Switch’s heavy usage of allegory does little to distract from their literal statements.

Score: 9/10

4. What does this song glorify?

It glorifies Christ.

Score: 10/10

Closing Comments

Switch’s Symphony is a note-worthy song (sorry, I couldn’t resist).  Highly Biblical, it communicates well the struggle believers endure from the world, flesh, and the devil, trusting in God to mold and shape us through our trust in Jesus.  Non-Christians, despite the onslaught of musical metaphors, will still know its core message that brings glory to Jesus.

I am not a huge fan of congregational worship that uses singular personal pronouns in a corporate setting; However, if that is not a concern for you, consider adding this one to your set.

Final Score: 9/10

Artist Info

Track: Symphony (Feat. Dillon Chase) (listen to the song)

Artist: Switch (Feat. Dillon Chase)

Album: Symphony

Genre: Pop

Release Year: 2019

Duration: 4:02

Agree?  Disagree?  Don’t be shy or have a cow!  Calmly and politely state your case in a comment, below.

Updates:

03/25/2021 – Updated per repetition announcement.