Cageless Birds - East and West Lyrics
Lyrics
Verse 1
East went looking for West, but never found him
Guilt went looking for my past, but only found love
Verse 2
I heard about a sea, where sin sinks like stones
There's no floor there, just mercy down below
Chorus
You could run for all your days, but you'll never run away
There's no mistake I could make
That could ever make You change
Your love
Verse 3
Heard about a Man with holes in His hands
He can hide mountains of sin in them
His smile destroys my religion
His love shakes down my prison
Chorus
You could run for all your days, but you'll never run away
There's no mistake I could make
That could ever make You change
Your love
Bridge
Oh-oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh-oh-oh
Outro
East went looking for West, but never found him
Video
East and West | Jonathan David Helser & Cageless Birds | Live at Home
Meaning & Inspiration
Released on December 24, 2013, Cageless Birds' "East and West" stands as a poignant declaration of God's boundless grace and unwavering love, particularly resonant during a season celebrating the arrival of Christ. The song immediately establishes its profound theme by painting a vivid picture of the infinite distance between East and West, an image borrowed directly from Psalm 103:12, illustrating how completely God removes our transgressions from us. This metaphor is quickly applied to personal experience, where guilt's search for a past burdened by sin is met not with condemnation, but with an overwhelming discovery of divine affection. It speaks to a transformative encounter where past failures lose their power to define, absorbed instead by a love that remembers them no more.
The lyrical journey continues, guiding us to a captivating image of a boundless sea where sin, heavy as stones, plunges without hope of return. The absence of a floor in this metaphorical ocean symbolizes the infinite depth of God’s mercy, emphasizing that once sins are cast into this sea, they are truly gone forever. This echoes the powerful promise in Micah 7:19, that God will "tread our iniquities underfoot" and "cast all our sins into the depths of the sea," assuring a thorough and irreversible cleansing that liberates the soul from the weight of its past. It’s a compelling vision of forgiveness, offering genuine solace and freedom from the lingering shadows of regret.
Central to the song's enduring message is the chorus, a resolute affirmation of God's steadfast character. It proclaims that no matter how far one might try to escape His presence, His pursuit is relentless and His love unchanging. "There's no mistake I could make that could ever make You change Your love" is a powerful testament to His immutable nature. This echoes Scriptural assurances found in passages like Romans 8:38-39, which declares that nothing in creation can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus, and Malachi 3:6, where God Himself states, "For I the Lord do not change." This profound truth offers immense comfort, assuring that divine love is not conditional on human performance but is a constant, unwavering force.
The narrative deepens as the song introduces the figure of a Man with "holes in His hands," a clear and tender reference to Jesus Christ and the crucifixion. This Man's ability to "hide mountains of sin" in those wounded hands speaks to the all-sufficient sacrifice made on the cross, capable of covering even the most egregious offenses. The line, "His smile destroys my religion," is particularly striking, revealing a profound shift from a system of rules and self-effort to an intimate, grace-based relationship. It’s an embrace of the freedom Christ offers from the legalism that can often bind and burden, instead of liberating. His love then proceeds to "shake down my prison," signifying a deliverance from the spiritual bondage of sin, shame, and condemnation, replacing it with the glorious freedom that Christ purchased for us, as highlighted in Galatians 5:1.
Ultimately, "East and West" is a profound meditation on the boundless nature of God’s redemptive love. The repeated image in the outro, "East went looking for West, but never found him," serves as a final, resonant reminder of the complete and permanent separation of our sins when they are given to God. It’s a song that ministers to the weary soul, encouraging a deep rest in the knowledge that forgiveness is absolute, love is unwavering, and true freedom is found not in running away, but in running to the One whose grace knows no limits. It beautifully articulates the core of the Gospel, inviting all to experience the transformative power of a love that transcends every mistake and melts away every fear.