LION

“Lion,” by Elevation Worship with Chris Brown and Brandon Lake, is built from titles of Jesus. The first verse piles them up: “God of Jacob, Great I Am, King of Angels, Son of Man, voice of many waters, song of heaven's throne.” It asks that the glory be made known, “louder than the thunder,” and the refrain is a shout, “hail, hail, Lion of Judah, let the lion roar.”

The second verse uses Revelation's story of the scroll. “Pride of Zion, prophets spoke, our Messiah, flesh and bone, You alone are worthy to open up the scroll.” The next line holds two images together: “like the lamb, You suffered, but the lion has a roar.” The bridge gives a call of preparation, repeating “prepare the way of the Lord,” with a valley that must be raised and a mountain made low. The repeated roar works as a congregational response, with the room making the sound the song names.

The Lion of Judah who can open the scroll is Revelation 5:5, and the voice of many waters is Revelation 1:15. Preparing the way and the leveled land come from Isaiah 40:3-4.