EBEN + Phil Thompson - Agunechemba One Lyrics

Video

Eben - Agunechemba One Feat Phil Thompson

Meaning & Inspiration

I was listening to this, and the phrase "lifter of my head" kept sticking in my mind. It’s right there in the third Psalm, isn't it? David, right when everything feels like it’s collapsing, calls God the lifter of his head. It’s such a human picture of shame or heavy grief being pushed down, and then having God actually reach out to bring your face up to look at Him. It feels honest, like a real reaction to the weight of just being alive.

But then I start thinking about the title—Agunechemba, which I understand means the lion that watches over the nation or the people. It puts me in mind of the Lion of the tribe of Judah. There is something grounding about calling God a protector who keeps watch. But I have to be careful here, because sometimes I get carried away with the music and forget to ask if I’m actually looking at the God of the Bible. Is He just someone who makes me smile again, or is He the One who demands everything?

The lyrics talk about grace, asking where we would be without it, which is the heart of everything. Without that, there’s nothing. Yet, sometimes I wonder if we make the relationship feel a bit too much like a transaction of "You gave me victory, so I give You praise." It’s true that He gives us the victory, but the Psalms—the real ones, the messy ones—don't always end with a smile. Sometimes they end with just waiting in the dark. I want to believe that the God who lifts my head is the same one who stayed in the grave to bring me out, but it’s so easy to focus on the "wind beneath my wings" part, which feels a little light, maybe even a bit secular in how it’s phrased. I don't know. Does it actually matter if the metaphor feels a little borrowed, as long as the focus is on Him deserving all the praise? I'm still trying to figure out if I’m singing to the King who rules or just to a version of God that makes me feel better when I'm down.