Eric Church took us to church with his new album Evangeline vs. The Machine.
That shouldn’t come as a surprise. Faith has always been an underlying theme in much of Chief’s catalogue, and it’s arguably never been more present than in this latest project. Eric Church has always loved to write within the cosmic story of good and evil, thus a lot of his songs can be linked to moments in the book that did that story better than anything else: The Bible.
Throughout Evangeline vs. The Machine, there’s an overarching message of two great powers butting heads with one another. Man and machine. Creativity and commercialism. Light and dark. Instant profit or lasting persistence. Most of the songs in the album – if not all of them – hint at various portions of the Gospel. And the sound of the album itself, stemming from the horns, strings, an organ and the backing choir, make you feel like you are sitting in a church pew.
So I thought it’d be fun to do a deep dive to find all of the biblical references, or at least moments that can be related to scripture, in Eric Church’s latest project. I’ll present the lyrics, and then showcase the Bible verses that back them up. Shall we?
“Hands Of Time”
The opening track of the album acted as the lead single, and it’s the perfect song to ease listeners into the spiritual experience that is Evangeline vs. The Machine. This first song isn’t as heavy on the references to the Bible, but it does mention the beloved hymn that I’d venture to say everyone knows. Mentioning “Amazing Grace” prompts a visit to the book of Ephesians.
Hands of Time Lyrics – “‘Amazing Grace,’ how sweet the sound.”
Ephesians 2: 8-9 – “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast.”
“Bleed On Paper”
Church’s next song, “Bleed on Paper,” ties in plenty with the Good Book. There’s two separate biblical references, and though I might be stretching a bit with the second one, I still think the “crossroads” and “selling of the soul” can be linked to Jeremiah 6:16. Then the repeated mentioning of the devil and the Savior… c’mon, that’s an easy one. There’s undoubtedly a lot of “Get behind me Satan” in Church’s work… especially this song.
Bleed on Paper Lyrics – “A little bit of devil, little bit of Savior.”
Matthew 16:23 – “Jesus turned and said to Peter, ‘Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.'”
Bleed on Paper Lyrics – “Yeah I met a man at the crossroads, Suit and tie with a smile like gold, He tried making me a deal like I had me a for sale sign hanging on my soul.”
Jeremiah 6:16 – “This is what the Lord says: “Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. But you said, ‘We will not walk in it.’”
Of course this last one is also a more direct reference to blues icon Robert Johnson, who as legend has it, allegedly sold his soul to the Devil in exchange for his musical talent.
“Johnny”
This is the song that stands out to me on this album. There’s so much passion in every part of it, and a whole lot of references to the devil. That’s because it’s the sequel to Charlie Daniel’s “Devil Went Down to Georgia,” and Church is pleading for “Johnny” to come back and send the devil back to hell. When there’s a battle with the devil implied in the song, there’s bound to be some biblical references. It’s also inspired by Covenant School shooting in Nashville, a senseless and tragic act of evil… the Devil had his hands all over it.
Johnny Lyrics – “There’s fire on the mountain and the flames are closing in.”
Exodus 19:18 – “Mount Sinai was covered with smoke, because the Lord descended on it in fire. The smoke billowed up from it like smoke from a furnace, and the whole mountain trembled violently.”
Johnny Lyrics – “Won’t you put on your rattlesnake boot and crush that serpent head?”
Romans 16:20 – “The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.”
“Storm In Their Blood”
“Storm In Their Blood” is a great song to get you fired up if you ever need one. It goes through a number of different figures in history and culture that were willing to fight for what they knew was right, and mentions “The Lion of Judah.” Jesus is often referred to, or understood as, the Lion of Judah in the Bible, and this track was the most direct to the scripture that Church got with Evangeline vs. The Machine
Storm In Their Blood Lyrics – “The Lion of Judah flippin’ tables on Pharisees.”
John 2:13-16 – “When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple courts he found people selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple courts, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. To those who sold doves he said, ‘Get these out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a market!'”
“Darkest Hour”
“Darkest Hour” ended up being the impromptu lead single for Church’s album, and there’s an overwhelming sense of “take my hand, trust me, and I’ll guide you to safety” distributed throughout the song. Sound like anyone in particular? I likened one of the lines of the song to the classic Old Testament story of Moses parting the Red Sea.
Darkest Hour Lyrics – “If your tide was low, and you lost your rudder, I’d show you where to go.”
Exodus 14:29 – “But the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left.”
“Evangeline”
Another standout from Church’s 8-song masterpiece, “Evangeline” is littered with religious references. There’s a mentioning of “Knocking on the Door of Heaven,” and a “Highway to Hell,” and I decided not to find where those connect to the Bible (much like the Crossroads reference above, they connect more to rock and roll) but there’s still a part of the chorus that’s a direct reference to being baptized, and there’s plenty of scripture that mentions being “washed clean.”
Evangeline Lyrics – “Tale me down to the water, dunk my head into the river. Raise your hands, all hail rock ‘n’ roll. Change my life, wash me clean.”
Psalm 51: 2 – “Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.”
Acts 22:16 – “And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name.”
“Rocket’s White Lincoln” and “Clap Hands”
This is where the plentiful biblical references came to a stop. I felt like I’d be reaching with “Rocket’s White Lincoln” and considering “Clap Hands” is a Tom Waits cover (that fits in perfectly with the rest of the album), and this is a list of Church’s references to the Bible, I omitted that one from the list.
But how do you feel after reading through that? Like you just got out of Bible Study or Sunday School? If that’s the case, I’ll take that as a compliment. I’m sure Eric Church would as well.
Check out the new “Hands Of Timer” music video while you’re here:
