Gaither Vocal Band - Then Came The Morning Lyrics
Lyrics
They all walked away,
Nothing to say;
They’d just lost their dearest friend.
All that He said,
Now He was dead;
So this was the way it would end.
The dreams they had dreamed
Were not what they seemed
Now that He was dead and gone.
The garden, the jail,
The hammer, the nails—
How could a night be so long?
The angels, the star,
The kings from afar,
The wedding, the water, the wine—
And now it was done;
They’d taken her son
Wasted before His time.
She knew it was true.
She’d watched Him die, too.
She’d heard them call Him “just a man.”
But deep in her heart,
She knew from the start
Somehow her Son would live again.
Then came the morning!
Night turned into day;
The stone was rolled away;
Hope rose with the dawn.
Then came the morning!
Shadows vanished before the sun;
Death had lost and life had won,
For morning had come.
Video
Guy Penrod - Then Came the Morning (Official Live)
Meaning & Inspiration
The Gaither Vocal Band's rendition of "Then Came The Morning," released on June 22, 2012, is a profound musical meditation on the desolation of Good Friday giving way to the triumphant reality of Easter Sunday. The song masterfully captures the utter despair that must have enveloped Jesus' followers in the immediate aftermath of His crucifixion. It vividly paints a picture of grief and confusion, where the dreams of a Messiah who would redeem Israel seemed to shatter with His final breath. The lyrics eloquently describe the disciples' silence, their stunned realization of loss, and the stark imagery of the garden, the betrayal, and the brutal instruments of death. The verses acknowledge the earthly signs of Jesus' divinity – the angels, the star, the wise men, the miracles like turning water into wine – all of which now seem cruelly overshadowed by His demise. Crucially, the song brings into sharp focus the anguish of Mary, His mother, who had to witness her Son’s suffering and endure the taunts that He was "just a man." Yet, even in that unbearable moment of loss, a flicker of faith persists in her heart, a quiet certainty that this could not be the end.
This foundation of sorrow and dawning hope is what makes the chorus, "Then came the morning!" so powerfully resonant. It is not merely a shift in time from night to day, but a spiritual and eternal transformation. The rolling away of the stone, a pivotal detail often overlooked in the rush to celebrate the resurrection, is presented as the physical manifestation of God’s intervention, signifying the end of death’s dominion and the dawn of a new era. This concept directly echoes the Apostle Paul's declaration in 1 Corinthians 15:54-57: "When the perishable has been put on immortality, then the saying that is written will be fulfilled: 'Death is swallowed up in victory! O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?'" The lyrics encapsulate this victory, asserting that "Shadows vanished before the sun; Death had lost and life had won." This triumph over death is the very cornerstone of Christian belief, as articulated in John 11:25, where Jesus proclaims to Martha, "I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he may die, he shall live." "Then Came The Morning" doesn't just tell a story; it proclaims a truth that has reshaped history, offering an enduring message of hope that even in the deepest darkness, the light of Christ's resurrection inevitably breaks through, ushering in eternal life.