Shine On You

Album: Spark Seeker (2012)
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Songfacts®:

  • Matisyahu closes his Spark Seeker album, with this song which ties in with the record's theme of light. Lyrically, it's similar to the track "Sunshine." Matisyahu explained to Artist Direct: "Whereas 'Sunshine' is more about getting in touch with that light in yourself, 'Shine On You' asks, 'What do you now do with that light? Where do you take it?' It's fittingly the last song on the record. The place to take the light is to shine it outwards and share it with other people."
  • The Jewish reggae singer told Artist Direct that his favorite part of the song is the lyric, "O my soul," which he took from The Psalms. He commented: "There's something about that. It's a very simple phrase. It's only three words, but it gave me a certain perception. We think of the soul as almost a separate or holy part of the self. I have a song called 'Warrior,' which talks about how the soul comes down from heaven and gets invested into a body in the physical world. If you look at the soul as something separate, that means you need compassion to treat it in a certain way. It's a cool perspective."

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