Today Is the Day

Song Meaning

The lyrics immediately establish a powerful contrast between sorrow and celebration. The opening lines command the listener to "Put your sadness away" and "Wipe the tears from your face," directly juxtaposing grief with an urgent call to "rejoice" and "celebrate life." This sets up a clear emotional pivot, urging a transformation from "mourning to dancing." The repeated invitation, "Everybody come on," functions as a communal summons to participate in this radical shift in perspective and feeling. The central tension revolves around a profound, life-altering event, explicitly stated as "He is risen" and "He is living." This declaration is the bedrock of the song's message, driving the imperative to celebrate. The lyrics suggest this event has the power to fundamentally change one's state, moving from personal sadness to collective jubilation. The act of telling "everybody you see" underscores the infectious and urgent nature of this good news. The most striking craft element is the relentless repetition of the phrase "Today is the day." This insistent refrain hammers home the significance of the present moment, imbuing it with immense, almost overwhelming, importance. It transforms a simple temporal marker into a declaration of profound, immediate impact. The bridge, with its imagery of the "stone was rolled away" and an "empty grave," provides the specific narrative anchor for this triumphant declaration, grounding the abstract celebration in a concrete, miraculous event. These lyrics achieve their emotional power through direct, imperative language and a clear, unwavering focus on a singular, transformative moment. The structure, built around the insistent chorus, creates a sense of overwhelming joy and conviction. By urging listeners to actively participate through "praise Him" and "sing with delight," the song aims to make the listener feel the immediacy and profound significance of the declared event, turning a historical occurrence into a present-day reality of hope and renewal.