What Are the Words?

Song Meaning

The lyrics open with a profound question, "What are the words? What are they saying?" This immediately sets a tone of seeking deeper meaning beyond the surface. The narrator suggests that stillness is key to understanding, proposing "If I am still, I too can hear." This isn't just about quiet; it's about actively listening to the world around, as the "skies are singing" and "breezes whisper." The invitation to "Make friends with silence" implies a spiritual or internal dialogue that requires a cessation of external noise. The core of the message seems to be a divine calling, presented through a powerful, almost elemental, presence. The lyrics declare "Our God is true, our lord is mighty," and identify this divine figure as "Glorious Jehovah." This calling isn't limited to pleasant times; it comes "Now through the thunder, now through the raining," and even "through the laughter, now through the pain." This suggests a constant, pervasive divine communication that transcends all human experiences, good and bad. The repeated "Hallelujah" serves as both an affirmation and a response to this divine communication. It’s a word of praise, but in the context of the seeking narrator, it also feels like an acknowledgment, a dawning understanding, or an embrace of the divine presence. The structure, with its repetition of the initial questioning verse and the subsequent devotional verses, mirrors a process of seeking, finding, and then celebrating that discovery. The contrast between the initial uncertainty and the final, resounding "Hallelujah" highlights the transformative power of finding these "words."