Thomas Rhett recruited country powerhouse performers Reba McEntire, Lady Antebellum‘s Hillary Scott, Chris Tomlin and Keith Urban to “Be a Light” for their timely Billboard Hot 100 hit, which landed at No. 71 (dated April 18).
The song earned Tomlin and Scott their career-first Hot 100 hits, and for McEntire, “Light” helped the legend find her way back onto the all-genre tally after 10 years. Although the lyrics seem to point toward the current unsettling times, Rhett discussed why he put out the song a year after he wrote it in a recent Instagram Live.
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“I wrote this song last year. This song was really just about being a light in a dark place; being an encouragement to people,” he said last month. “We weren’t supposed to release this now, but I really felt like the song needed to come out today. I hope it puts a smile on your face in this crazy, crazy time.”
In a world overshadowed by the darkness of coronavirus, check out the bright lyrics below.
In a time full of war, be peace
In a time full of doubt, just believe
Yeah, there ain’t that much difference between you and me
In a time full of war, be peace
In a world full of hate, be a light
When you do somebody wrong, make it right
Don’t hide in the dark, you were born to shine
In a world full of hate, be a light
(La-la-la, la, la, la, la)
In a place that needs a change, make a difference
In a time full of noise, just listen
‘Cause life is but a breeze, better live it
In a place that needs a change, make a difference
In a world full of hate, be a light
When you do somebody wrong, make it right
Oh, don’t hide in the dark, you were born to shine
In a world full of hate, be a light
La-la-la, la, la, la, la
La-la-la, la, la, la, la
La-la-la, la, la, la, la
La-la-la, la, la, la, la
In a race that you can’t win, slow it down
Yeah, you only get one go around
‘Cause the finish line is six feet in the ground
In a race you can’t win, just slow it down
In a world full of hate, be a light (oh)
When you do somebody wrong, make it right (make it right)
Don’t hide in the dark (don’t hide in the dark), you were born to shine
In a world full of hate, be a light
Yeah, it’s hard to live in color, when you just see black and white
In a world full of hate, be a light
Lyrics licensed & provided by LyricFind
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Josh Thompson, Joshua Miller, Thomas Rhett Akins, Matthew Peters Dragstrem