Lyrics
John saw a golden city
New Jerusalem come down
Twelve jasper walls and gates of pearl
Such splendor all around
And he tells about a river of life
That flows beneath the throne
Where we'll drink and live eternally
In a mansion all our own
Oh, if that don't make you wanna go brother
If that don't make you wanna go sister
If that don't make you wanna go to Heaven
I don't know what does
They say there is no heartache there
And no more curse of sin
No sickness and no cross to bear
And death can't enter in
No fighting and no battlefields
No war, no enemies
Where the lamb and lion lay side by side
In that land of perfect peace
Oh, if that don't make you wanna go brother
If that don't make you wanna go sister
If that don't make you wanna go to Heaven
I don't know what does
No worries and no more to fear
Our faith will be made sight
It's a glorious land of endless day
Where Jesus is the light
Got a lot of friends and loved ones there
And the Savior I will meet
And I'll lay my crown of jewels down
When I bow at Jesus' feet
Oh, if that don't make you wanna go brother
If that don't make you wanna go sister
If that don't make you wanna go to Heaven
I don't know what does
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Meaning & Inspiration
If That Do Not Make You Wanna Go looks toward the New Jerusalem with the plainspoken warmth of country gospel. The verses gather images associated with the closing chapters of Revelation: jeweled walls, pearl gates, the river of life, the throne of God, and a city illuminated by Jesus. The recurring chorus answers those images with eager hope for heaven rather than abstract speculation.
The song also emphasizes what will be absent there. Heartache, sin, sickness, conflict, fear, and death give way to peace, life, and worship in the presence of Christ. Its language about faith becoming sight expresses longing for promises presently trusted but not yet seen. Friends and loved ones appear within that hope, yet the final focus rests on meeting the Savior and laying a crown at his feet. The lyric therefore presents heaven chiefly as restored life under the reign and light of Jesus.
Related Scripture
- Revelation 21:2 John sees the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God.
- Revelation 21:4 The passage says death, mourning, crying, and pain will be no more.
- Revelation 22:1-2 John describes the river of the water of life flowing from the throne.