Lyrics are important, but the message of the underlying music vehicle carries more weight; in other words, Christian lyrics cannot make immoral music right, no matter how spiritual the words.

When we speak, people believe our tone, rather than our words. Most of the time, our words match our tone of voice and we are believable. Other times, we betray our true feelings by our tone of voice and we send a mixed message.

The meaning of the tone of our voice far outweighs our words if the tone doesn’t match what we are saying. For example, “I love you,” gruffly uttered through clenched teeth, is far less believable than if it’s spoken in a loving tone of voice.

Using another example, if a person were to reprimand his or her dog using a sweet and loving tone of voice, the dog would be confused.

Our tone of voice, not our words, conveys our real message; similarly, the tone or style of the music, not the lyrics, conveys the music’s message.

There’s a musical term called “text painting,” and it means that the style of the music should match what the words are trying to say. Early Church music, such as traditional hymnody, is a clear example of text painting: words about God were sung to a musical style that also gives a message of reverence of a Holy God.

We see this concept of text painting demonstrated perfectly in the secular world. For example, angry lyrics are matched with angry sounding music; happy, uplifting lyrics are paired with happy, uplifting music.

In the film industry, musical text painting is even more evident, because we have all experienced how appropriate movie music enhances the story line and conveys impressions and emotions such as suspense, melancholy, comedy, urgency, or sultriness. We don’t even have to be watching the movie to understand what message the music is conveying, without lyrics.

Unfortunately, much contemporary worship music ignores the concept of text painting, although the secular world understands it perfectly.

It’s interesting to note that we have a universal ability of being able to understand the intended message of any music, even though the lyrics may be in a foreign language. This is done through specific music techniques of musicians and delivery styles of vocalists, not through any lyrics.

In a TIME magazine special issue about music, it was demonstrated that even when lyrics are indiscernible, it doesn’t matter. Listeners can still understand the meaning, because the feeling intended to be conveyed comes through in musical phrasing.

For example, one British band selected the words to some of their songs from cut up sheets of lyrics they drew out of a top hat, and an Icelandic band sometimes sang in a made-up language. (Christopher John Farley, “Music Goes Global,” TIME Special Issue (Fall, 2001).

Christian lyrics and sensual music together sends a conflicting message, but the musical message far outweighs the message of the lyrics, whether or not we think that message is affecting us.

[See article, “What is the Voice of the Harlot?” for an example of how innocuous words performed in a seductive musical style sent a sensual musical message that far out-weighed the lyrics.]

The bottom line is this: Immorality in either the music or the lyrics will corrupt and negatively affect the overall musical piece. Lyrics, no matter how spiritual they are, do not make immoral music right.