Refuge

Album: Dominion (2022)
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Songfacts®:

  • This song takes inspiration from one of the first Bible passages Skillet frontman John Cooper memorized as a kid, Psalm 46:1: "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble."

    The scripture has remained one of his favorites. "I've always loved that passage, as it's so simple and you don't need to know a lot about the Bible, theology, or philosophy," Cooper told New Release Today. "You just need to know that whatever your circumstance, God is our refuge."
  • One thing Cooper wanted to get across in the song is Christian believers aren't exempt from going through hard times. Having a refuge indicates that things won't always be good; the goal is to overcome the hardship. "You don't need a hiding place if things are always going well," Cooper explained. "I always understood we're going to have times of trouble. Whatever may come it's going to be okay because God is my refuge. It may not guarantee the outcome you want, but He will keep you safe. It's a simple message but it has lasted with me my whole life."
  • It's getting harder to say I'm undefeated

    Though the lyric is the opposite of Cooper's message in other Skillet songs where he proclaims being victorious, it's his favorite line in the song. "We all want to say we're undefeated, but man, it's getting a little bit harder now," Cooper told Billboard. "This is no fun, and it feels hopeless at times, but then when the chorus comes you are professing what you know to be true, which is that God is going to be my refuge no matter what is happening. He's the place that I run to and that is how we survive."
  • Skillet recorded "Refuge" for their Dominion album. Produced by Kevin Churko (Ozzy Osbourne, Five Finger Death Punch, Papa Roach, Disturbed) they created the record 100% remotely between the band's tour dates, home studio in Wisconsin, and Churko's studio in Las Vegas.

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