Charity Gayle - Name Above All Names Lyrics
Lyrics
The sun was darkened and The heavens thundered For a moment death had thought it conquered But it wasn't over 'til You said, "it's over" Your Word is greater still
The perfect sacrifice, Your body broken As You restored to us what sin had stolen Once and for all You tore the veil wide open Your power is stronger still
All praise, all praise To the name above all names Jesus, You reign 'Cause You're the name above all names
You turned the grave into a new beginning Our God is risen, You're alive and breathing There's nothing that can rise against Your victory Your name is higher still Your name is higher Your name is higher still
All praise, all praise To the name above all names Jesus, You reign You're the name above all names
Yes You Are Yes You Are There is no name higher There is no name greater
The cross still stands, the blood still flows The work is finished and hell still knows The grave is still empty The stone is still rolled And You're still high and lifted up You're still seated on the throne
The cross still stands, the blood still flows The work is finished and hell still knows The grave is still empty The stone is still rolled And You're still high and lifted up You're still seated on the throne
All praise, all praise To the name above all names Jesus, You reign 'Cause You're the name above all names
Let the church sing Hallelujah
Hallelujah, every voice will proclaim There is no higher name Hallelujah, age to age we will sing There is no higher name
Hallelujah, every voice will proclaim There is no higher name Hallelujah, age to age we will sing
All praise, all praise To the name above all names Jesus, You reign 'Cause You're the name above all names You're the name above all names You're the name above all names
Yes you are Jesus Jesus Somebody say Your name Somebody shout the name No name higher No name greater than the name of Jesus
We pray that the eyes of your understanding will be enlightened
That you may know what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe
And according to his might, the working of his mighty power Which he wrought in Christ When he raised him from the dead And he set him at his own right hand in heavenly places He's far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion And every name that is named, not only in this world, but in The world that is to come: And God hath put all things under his feet And gave him to be the head over all things to the church Which is his body The fullness which filleth all in all Who is the image of the invisible God The firstborn of every creature For by him were all things created Whether they're in heaven, whether they're on earth Whether they're visible or invisible Whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: All things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and through him all things consist And he is the head of the body, the church: Who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead That in all things he might have the preeminence For it pleased the Father that in him should all the fullness dwell And wherefore And wherefore God hath also highly exalted him And given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow Of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth And that every tongue will confess: That Jesus Christ is Lord That Jesus Christ is Lord Jesus Christ is Lord To the glory of God the Father With one sound and one voice Let's lift up the name above every name Lift up that name above every name The name above all names The name of Jesus Shout the name of Jesus
Sing Hallelujah
Hallelujah, every voice will proclaim There is no higher name Hallelujah, age to age we will sing There is no higher name
Hallelujah, every voice will proclaim There is no higher name Hallelujah, age to age we will sing There is no higher name
Hallelujah, every voice will proclaim There is no higher name Hallelujah, age to age we will sing There is no higher name
Video
Charity Gayle - Name Above All Names (Live)
Meaning & Inspiration
Charity Gayle’s "Name Above All Names" begins with a heavy, necessary concession to the historical reality of the crucifixion: "The sun was darkened and / The heavens thundered / For a moment death had thought it conquered."
There is a precise theological weight here that many modern songs lack. We live in an era of sanitized worship, where the "it is finished" of the cross is often treated as a victory lap before the sprint has even started. But Gayle forces the listener to sit in the tension of that "moment"—the chilling, silent interval where, from a strictly human vantage, the Light of the World appeared to be extinguished. It is a reminder that the atonement wasn’t a cheap transaction. It was a cosmic collision where the Son bore the full wrath of the Father to satisfy the demands of justice. If we skip past the darkness of the cross, we lose the staggering gravity of the resurrection.
However, the line that truly anchors this piece is: "But it wasn't over 'til You said, 'it's over.'"
This is the doctrine of Christ’s sovereign agency. In John 10:18, Jesus says, "No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord." The crucifixion was not a tragedy that spiraled out of control; it was an act of deliberate, finished work. By singing that death’s dominion was subject to the Savior’s decree, Gayle moves the listener away from viewing Christ as a victim of circumstance and toward the reality of the High Priest who holds the keys of Hades and Death. It shifts our gaze from the emotional wreckage of the scene to the objective, unassailable authority of the One standing in the midst of it.
The song eventually pivots into a spoken-word reading of Ephesians 1 and Colossians 1. While this risks feeling like a "cheat code" to manufacture gravitas, it actually acts as a necessary theological ballast. By reciting the preeminence of Christ—the One by whom all things consist—the song transitions from a celebration of personal rescue to an acknowledgment of ontological reality.
Still, I find myself lingering on a lingering question: does our worship actually grasp the "name above all names," or are we just throwing around a title like a talisman? When we shout His name, are we acknowledging the Christ who commands the principalities and powers mentioned in the spoken section, or are we merely seeking an emotional high?
There is a danger in singing about the empty grave if we aren't simultaneously bowing to the Authority who emptied it. If the name of Jesus is truly higher, then every area of our lives—our ethics, our finances, our private thoughts—must be subjected to His rule. Gayle’s song serves as a solid starting point, but the work of theology isn't done when the music fades. It’s done when we walk out of the room and live as if the name we just shouted is, in fact, the only one that dictates our reality.