Skillet - Paint Lyrics
Lyrics
We take a walk in the garden
We share the fruits of life
We live beneath this canopy
Why did we take that bite?
We cover up our shame
We walk in black and white
We turn this ground for hunger
Why did we take that bite?
Paint me with an endless sunrise, Paint me
Paint me open eyes, Paint me with the color of love
You took a walk on the planet
You gave us shad and light
You create mood and substance
How can I can take a bite?
Paint me with an endless sunrise, Paint me
Paint me open eyes, Paint me with the color of love
Paint me, mark me up,
In these frail, dot-to-dot lines
Color me from one red stream
From which all others flow
Take my black and white and yellow
Brown and pink and pain and sorrow
Take my black and white and yellow
Brown and pink and hate and sorrow
Paint me with an endless sunrise, Paint me
Paint me open eyes, Paint me with the color of love
Video
Paint
Meaning & Inspiration
Skillet’s profound anthem, "Paint," released on October 29, 1996, from their self-titled debut album *Skillet*, stands as a powerful testament to the human condition and the redemptive grace of God. Far from merely a song, it is a lyrical journey that navigates the landscape of sin, shame, and ultimately, the fervent desire for divine transformation. The opening lines immediately plunge us into the biblical narrative of humanity's fall, echoing the genesis account where "we take a walk in the garden" and partake of forbidden fruit. This poignant question, "Why did we take that bite?" encapsulates the original sin that fractured our relationship with a holy God, as depicted in Genesis 3. This act brought not only separation but also shame, compelling humanity to "cover up our shame" and walk in a world now characterized by spiritual starkness, a "black and white" existence devoid of the vibrant colors of God's initial creation, a world where the ground must be turned for sustenance, reflecting the curse of toil described in Genesis 3:17-19.
The chorus then erupts as a desperate, beautiful plea for spiritual renewal and enlightenment. The prayer to "Paint me with an endless sunrise" speaks to a yearning for new beginnings, for God’s mercies which are fresh every morning, as Lamentations 3:22-23 so eloquently puts it. It is a cry for the dawn of grace to dispel the darkness of sin. The petition to "Paint me open eyes" powerfully resonates with the prayer in Ephesians 1:18, asking for the eyes of our understanding to be enlightened, to truly see and comprehend the hope of His calling. To be "Painted with the color of love" is to be immersed in the very essence of God, for as 1 John 4:8 declares, God is love. This transformation by divine love promises to restore the vibrancy lost through sin, filling the soul with a hue that is eternal and life-giving, mirroring the way God's love is poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5).
The song then shifts its focus to the answer to humanity's predicament, turning our gaze to the Creator Himself: "You took a walk on the planet." This line unmistakably points to the incarnation of Jesus Christ, the Son of God who descended to Earth. He is the one who "gave us shad and light," illuminating our understanding and offering refuge, much like John 1:4-5 describes Him as the life and light of mankind, and John 8:12 proclaims Him as the light of the world. He alone "create[s] mood and substance," bringing order, meaning, and purpose to a broken existence, upholding all things by His powerful word (Hebrews 1:3). The subsequent question, "How can I can take a bite?" becomes a reflective query, not of transgression but of how one can partake in the divine nature of Christ, how one can truly commune with such holiness without repeating the original sin, or rather, how one can be made worthy to partake of His boundless grace.
The bridge serves as the song's climactic surrender, a profound act of vulnerability before the Divine Artist. "Paint me, mark me up, / In these frail, dot-to-dot lines" is a raw request for God to take our incomplete, flawed lives—our "dot-to-dot" existence—and connect the points to form a masterpiece, to imbue us with His divine mark. This transformation is rooted in a desire to be colored "from one red stream / From which all others flow." This imagery powerfully evokes the sacrificial blood of Jesus Christ, the "red stream" that atones for all sin and from which flows all forgiveness, mercy, and new life. Hebrews 9:22 states that without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins, and Revelation 7:14 speaks of those who have "washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb." The song culminates in a complete surrender of every facet of the human experience, both light and shadow: "Take my black and white and yellow / Brown and pink and pain and sorrow / Take my black and white and yellow / Brown and pink and hate and sorrow." This is an offering of our entire being—our joys, our failures, our deepest wounds, even our darkest emotions like hate—to God for purification and renewal. It is a heartfelt echo of Romans 12:1, urging us to present our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God, allowing Him to transform us (Romans 12:2) from the inside out, making us new creations (2 Corinthians 5:17). "Paint" is not just a song; it is a profound prayer, an invitation for God to reclaim and re-create, to fill our lives with His endless sunrise and the vibrant, redeeming color of His love.