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Uncle Theology · That Nazarene · Track 1

Shovel, Sword, Headphones

That NazareneTrack 1 of 6
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About this songDoubt and cynicism meet the ordinary tools of grace — a shovel to clear the mess, a sword to chase the snakes, and headphones to drown out the lies while God works through us.
Big ideaBecause the Lord's mercies are new every morning, the believer can pick up the ordinary tools of sanctification — hard labor, spiritual warfare, and guarded attention — and work out a salvation God is Himself working within.
Doctrine
Sanctification as God-empowered human effort (Phil. 2:12-13) grounded in covenant mercy (Lam. 3:22-23)
Anchor text
Lamentations 3:22-23; Nehemiah 4:17-18; Ephesians 6:17; Philippians 2:12-13
Form
Reverb-soaked shoegaze folk in the Lord Huron vein — a weary, wide-open morning ache under a chorus that squares its shoulders; wall-of-sound guitars standing in for the dust and clamor of rebuilding
Voices
Jeremiah (Lamentations); Nehemiah; the Apostle Paul
Verse 1

Will you really restore what I've ruined?
Will you really wipe these tears away?
I've been holding my breath till I'm blue in the face,
to see if mercies are new but here to stay.

Chorus

But yeah, I've got some work to do.
You work through us. That's nothing new.
You gave me tools and an ancient plan:
a shovel, a sword, and some headphone cans.
A shovel to clear all the mess I made,
a sword to chase the snakes away,
and some headphones just to keep me sane,
and drown out all the lies.

Verse 2

I've had so many false alarms,
thought I had beat this sin'n.
So Lord, I've got to add to your work —
please fix this cynicism.

Chorus

And yeah, I've got some work to do.
You work through us. That's nothing new.
You gave me tools and an ancient plan:
a shovel, a sword, and some headphone cans.
A shovel to clear all the mess I made,
a sword to chase the snakes away,
and some headphones just to keep me sane,
and drown out all the lies.

Scripture References

  1. Lamentations 3:22-23
  2. Nehemiah 4:17-18
  3. Ephesians 6:17
  4. Philippians 2:12-13

Study this song

Teaching aids drawn from the song — for personal study or group discussion.

How the song moves

1
Verse 1 — the anxious question
The song opens holding its breath, half-afraid to hope: will God really restore the ruin and wipe the tears? The doubt is not whether mercy exists but whether it will 'stay' — a direct wrestle with the promise that His compassions never fail and are new every morning (Lam. 3:22-23).
2
Chorus — tools and an ancient plan
The answer is not passive waiting but a handed-down assignment: 'You work through us. That's nothing new.' God supplies the tools — shovel, sword, headphones — echoing the wall-builders who labored with one hand and held a weapon in the other, and the believer who works because God works in him (Neh. 4:17-18; Phil. 2:12-13).
3
The three tools — labor, warfare, guarded attention
Each tool names a discipline: the shovel clears the mess sin made (repentance and honest labor), the sword chases the snakes away (the Word wielded against the tempter), and the headphones drown out the lies (guarding the mind so faith can hear truth over accusation) (Eph. 6:17).
4
Verse 2 — cynicism as the last snake
The final confession is the subtlest sin: 'so many false alarms' have bred a cynicism that no longer trusts the fresh mercy. The singer asks God to 'add to your work' and cure the unbelief itself — trusting that the God who began the good work will complete it (Phil. 2:13; Lam. 3:23).

Key terms & allusions

  • Mercies are new every morning — From Lamentations 3:22-23, sung by Jeremiah amid the rubble of Jerusalem: 'Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.' The Hebrew chesed (steadfast, covenant love) is the ground the whole song stands on — and the source of the hymn 'Great Is Thy Faithfulness.'
  • Shovel and sword — The central image is Nehemiah 4:17-18: as the exiles rebuilt Jerusalem's wall, 'each of the builders wore his sword at his side as he worked,' carrying material with one hand and a weapon in the other. It pictures sanctification as simultaneous construction and combat — you rebuild your life while fending off the enemy.
  • A sword to chase the snakes away — The sword is 'the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God' (Eph. 6:17) — the only offensive weapon in Paul's armor of God. The 'snakes' recall the serpent of Genesis 3 and Christ's own use of Scripture ('It is written') to repel the tempter; the Word is how lies are driven off.
  • Work out your salvation — Philippians 2:12-13: 'work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act.' Not working FOR salvation but working OUT what God has planted — the paradox the chorus names as 'You work through us.' Human effort and divine grace are not rivals; God's inner working is the engine of our outer labor.
  • Cynicism / 'false alarms' — The 'many false alarms' of thinking a besetting sin was finally beaten name the discouragement of slow sanctification. The song treats cynicism itself as a sin needing grace — a hardened refusal to believe mercy is really 'new every morning' — and asks God to heal the unbelief, not just the visible sin (Lam. 3:22-23; Phil. 2:13).

Discussion questions

  1. Nehemiah's builders held a tool in one hand and a weapon in the other. Where in your life right now are you trying to build and fight at the same time — and which hand feels overloaded?
  2. The song calls the headphones a tool 'to keep me sane, and drown out all the lies.' What are the practical 'headphones' in a believer's life — the practices that guard attention — and how do we tell them apart from mere escapism?
  3. Philippians 2:12-13 holds together human effort ('work out') and divine action ('God works in you'). How does knowing God is already at work inside you change the way you approach your own hard work of change?

For contemplation

  1. The singer confesses holding his breath 'to see if mercies are new but here to stay.' Where are you waiting to be sure God's mercy will last before you trust it — and what would change if you believed it was new this morning?
  2. Verse 2 names cynicism after 'so many false alarms' with a besetting sin. Is there a place where repeated failure has quietly hardened into unbelief that God can really fix it?
  3. Of the three tools — shovel (clearing the mess you made), sword (the Word against lies), headphones (guarding your mind) — which one have you been neglecting, and what would picking it up tomorrow morning look like?