Lyrics
Look, he's covered in dirt
The blood of his mother has mixed with the Earth
and she's just a child who's throbbing in pain
from the terror of birth by the light of a cave
now they've laid that small baby
where creatures come eat
like a meal for the swine who have no clue that he
is still holding together the world that they see
they don't know just how low he has to go
Lower still
Look now he's kneeling he's washin' their feet
though they're all filthy fishermen, traitors and theives
now he's pouring his heart out and they're fallin' asleep
but he has to go lower still
there is greater love to show
hands to the plow
further down now
blood must flow
all these steps are personal
all his shame is ransom
oh do you see, do you see just how low, he has come
do you see it now?
no one takes from him
what he freely gives away
beat in his face
tear the skin off his back
Lower still, lower still
strip off his clothes
make him crawl through the streets
Lower still, lower still
hang him like meat
on a criminal's tree
Lower still, lower still
bury his corpse in the Earth
like a seed, like a seed, like a seed
Lower still, lower still
Lower still, lower still...
The Earth explodes
she cannot hold him!
And all therein is placed beneath Him
and death itself no longer reigns
it cannot keep the ones he gave himself to save
and as the universe shatters the darkness disolves
he alone will be honored
we will bathe in his splendor
as all heads bow lower still
all heads bow lower still
Video
Meaning & Inspiration
Lower Still follows the humiliation of Christ from the manger to the grave, then turns sharply toward resurrection and universal honor. The opening places the infant Jesus amid dirt, blood, and animals, stressing how far the one who sustains creation descends. The foot washing extends that pattern of humility, while the sleeping disciples and approaching betrayal deepen the loneliness surrounding his willing service.
The crucifixion section uses severe physical images to portray shame, violence, and burial. Yet the descent is not presented as defeat. The lyric explicitly says that Christ gives himself freely, an idea that closely reflects the Gospel account of the Good Shepherd laying down his life. Resurrection reverses the apparent victory of death, and the final bowing of every head recalls the movement in Philippians from self-emptying obedience to exaltation. Across the song, lowness describes both sacrificial love and the worship finally offered to the risen Christ.
Related Scripture
- Philippians 2:6-11 Christ humbles himself to death on a cross and is then exalted above every name.
- John 10:18 Jesus says that no one takes his life from him because he lays it down willingly.
- 1 Corinthians 15:20-26 The risen Christ defeats death, the last enemy.