‘damascus road’ by Josiah Queen - Lyrics & Meaning

The title-track from Josiah Queen's 2026 studio album, Damascus Road, this soul-stirring offering finds the ‘Dusty Bibles’ hitmaker likening the way in which he went from a life spent in darkness to one built around Jesus to that story of Saul of Tarsus.

In the Bible, Saul was one of the most vicious persecutors of early Christians. After being authorised to travel to Damascus to try and uncover more Christians, he sets off along Damascus Road. But he then encounters a blinding light from Heaven, and a voice echoes out, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?”

When Saul asks who is speaking, he hears the voice reply, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting”. He loses his eyesight for three days, before a disciple, Ananias, is sent to him by God to restore his vision. This transformative experience leads to Saul becoming a revitalised evangelist, preaching passionately about Jesus.

In this instance, Queen compares the way in which he was walking through life without God and Jesus to that of Saul before he sets off along Damascus Road. But ultimately, God and Jesus found him and “threw a lifeline”, in the process, changing Queen's life.

Over the course of his two previous albums, The Prodigal and Mt. Zion, Queen has honed his folk-leaning take on Contemporary Christian Music. On ‘damascus road’, he leans into his trademark euphoric, anthemic choruses and banjo-backed verses.

The song pivots around the soaring hook, with Queen keeping the composition relatively pared-down throughout most of the song, accentuating the intensity of the crescendo. It builds and builds, mirroring the illuminating journey along Damascus Road.

Queen's ‘damascus road’ follows the protagonist's journey from living a life without God at its heart, to one where he spends each day focussed on doing his best to live a life that will make God happy. This evolution is symbolised by the cover art for the album, which features four versions of Queen walking from darkness into light.

He confesses that he was on a one-way path to a “white-washed grave”, with the fact that it's polished and ‘white-washed’ hinting at the shiny but hollow appeal and temptation of a life lived without God. He recalls the moment that God threw him a lifeline, likening it to the “blinding light” Saul experienced on the road to Damascus.

He paints a visceral picture of being angry and hateful in his heart, and goes as far as depicting himself as a “foe” of God. But even so, God didn't hesitate to meet him where he was. He expresses his immense gratitude for how God healed his “heart of stone”.

“I was headed to a white washed grave
I thought I had it all, but I was far away
I was righteous, but in my own eyes
It's hard to see the truth when you lose your sight
Oh, I lost my sight
-
Yeah, woah, woah
-
Oh, I threw stones, You threw a lifeline
I was blinded like a deer up in the headlights
Heart was cold, filled with hate, I
Clenched a fist and fought against life in Your light
When I was still Your foe
You met me there on Damascus Road
-
I was running, but so was God
I couldn't slow You down with all the things I've done
Oh, hallelujah, this broken man's been saved
And all my life, I give to the King of gracе
-
Oh, I threw stones, You threw a lifеline
I was blinded like a deer up in the headlights
Heart was cold, filled with hate, I
Clenched a fist and fought against life in Your light
When I was still Your foe
You met me there on Damascus Road
-
Woah, on Damascus Road
Woah, You healed my heart of stone, woah
-
I threw stones, You threw a lifeline
I was blinded like a deer up in the headlights
Heart was cold, filled with hate, I
Clenched a fist and fought against life in Your light
When I was still Your foe
You met me there on Damascus Road
-
I was headed to a white washed grave
Until I saw the light, and He changed my name”

Explore Josiah Queen

Songs, albums, news, tours and more

Enter the artist hub