Light Will Dawn (Song Analysis)

It’s only fitting to follow up our Remake of the Fortnight, “There is a Fountain Filled with Blood” with a song that tells the rest of the story. We therefore turn the page to Easter and see Jesus’ resurrection as Rivers & Robots proclaims it in their song, “Light Will Dawn.”

Rivers & Robots from Manchester, UK describes itself as an “indie worship project.” Now in its fifth year, Rivers & Robots has refined a mix of indie, folk, and electronic into a distinct sound with which they praise God. Their songs are compelling by virtue of their simplicity. “Light Will Dawn” from their 2014 album “All Things New” demonstrates this well.

River & Robots introduces to us the song’s prevailing guitar and drum riffs right away, indicating that there’s no time for fluff in this song. Aside from vocal reverb and a few tasteful accents from verse two on, River & Robots stays true to their utilitarian instrumentation and efficient song structure. The band’s folk genre takes spotlight in this song with the characteristic bass note drone on in the chord picking pattern and clean quick chops on the snare. Tight male vocal harmonies insinuate bluegrass undertones. Muted toms and a humble bass fill in underneath just enough to elevate the guitar and snare.

Through their particular instrumentation in “Light Will Dawn,” Rivers & Robots creates a sound that is almost tangible.  There’s nothing that can’t be produced through good old-fashioned metal and wood. This authentic sound gives the song’s setting a tight relevance to its message.

The chorus states this message well: “Though darkness surrounds, / the Lord will arise and light will dawn across this land.” Simply put, “Light Will Dawn” speaks to Christians who live in sin’s frustration and hurt of post-Eden earth. In those moments of darkness, the rising of the Lord brings hope.

The earthy sound of “Light Will Dawn” pairs well with the message of frustration and hurt in life. It doesn’t make the human experience into a melodrama nor does it brush off suffering as inconsequential. It forgoes any embellishment, but presents life as it is.

The verse’s melody similarly paints the earth’s darkness. In a minor setting, each line of the verse swells with an ache under the frustration of the human experience of sin. There are minor upturns in the verse that hint towards a light to come, but within the verse, they remain just hints. It isn’t until the chorus that the melody breaks beyond the introspective groan. Starting at ground level with “though darkness surrounds,” each subsequent phrase steps up the scale as the chorus culminates with the refreshing, “the Lord will arise and light will dawn across the land.”

“Light Will Dawn” breaks one more time when the lead voice sings a Capella in a tag the reason for his hope: “and I believe that I will see / the goodness of the Lord while I’m breathing / and I will trust upon your name / You are my hope and my strength.”  Free from any instrumental distraction or competition, this statement of faith rings out as both prayer and praise.

Throughout “Light will Dawn,” Rivers & Robots weave a generous dose of Scripture into the song’s theme. There are very few lines, perhaps none, that do not at least nod to a specific Bible passage. The most direct references are “And I know I will see You face to face my God ” (Job 19:27), “One day every knee will bow/And one day every tongue confess that You are God ” (Isaiah 45:23, Romans 14:11), and “And I believe that I will see / The goodness of The Lord while I’m breathing .” Malachi 4:2, Isaiah 58:8, 2 Peter 1:19 all contribute to the chorus “Though darkness surrounds, / the Lord will arise and light will dawn across this land.” Other references aren’t as explicit, but they are certainly present. Doctrinally, “Light will Dawn” is sound.

Although re:invention labels “Light Will Dawn” an Easter song, there is very little explicit Easter. “And I know I will see You face to face my God ” points to Job 19:27 in which Job expresses his confidence of a bodily resurrection on the Last Day. “Dawn starts to break / And life will be forever changed” might conjure Easter Sunday imagery. Perhaps it even draws from Paul’s commentary on resurrection in 1 Corinthians 15:51-52: “We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.” But this Easter song doesn’t tell the Easter story. It doesn’t even mention the name “Jesus.”  Yet every statement of hope that Rivers & Robots purports in “Light will Dawn” is a confidence that believers have because Jesus rose from death.

Humans have hope for something beyond hurt of life on earth because Jesus is alive. God has brought humans out of darkness and death because Jesus defeated death and hamstrung sin through his resurrection. Humans have an unquenchable hope because our life is unquenchable in Christ’s resurrection.

When the light dawned on Easter morning 2000 years ago, Light dawned in the hearts of all humanity. For no longer was suffering, hurt, fear, and frustration the status quo of life. Now humans had an end game to look forward to: redemption, liberation, salvation. “Light Will Dawn” praises God for the Light of life that dawned Easter morning and prays for that Light to sustain until we follow Jesus, the firstfruit, in his resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:23).

By tying themselves closely to Scripture, Rivers & Robots put themselves in a difficult situation as they make this song poetic. While it feels like the band maybe forced a few lines into meter (I’m thinking “And one day every tongue confess that You are God” in the bridge and the last line of the tag “You are my hope and my strength ”) they walked the balance well between not obscuring Scripture and not sacrificing singability and poetry.

Speaking of singability, the chorus of “Light will Dawn” is catchy and simple enough that I could see a group of Christians worshiping corporately with this song. The verses would prove a bit challenging since they lack a strong melody. However, with the simple instrumentation and clear message, “Light will Dawn” is definitely a song worth considering as worship leaders look towards Easter (or End Times).

“Light Will Dawn” is available as a free download at comeandlive.com, along with the entire Rivers & Robots discography. If you’re unfamiliar with Come&Live!, make sure you browse through their artist page. Come&Live! brings together a solid lineup of indie Christian bands that will resonate with anyone who’s ever thought, “It’s not that I don’t like Christian music, it’s just that it’s not very good.” I hope you find something there you like while you’re checking out Rivers & Robots!

 

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