How it works
Most Christians sing worship songs without knowing what those words are really declaring. Know Your Lyrics changes that, giving you a clear, Scripture-grounded look at what you’re singing so you can decide for yourself whether it’s worth singing.
1.Find a song
Browse our growing library of worship songs. Search by title or artist and open any song to read the full biblical examination.
2.Read the examination
Each song is examined line by line against the King James Bible, American Standard Version, and Berean Standard Bible. You’ll see what each line is declaring, how closely it reflects Scripture, and where there are concerns worth considering.
3.Make your own call
The examination is a starting point, not a verdict. Once you’ve read it, open your personal assessment, add your own reflections, and set your own conclusion: Use it, Use with caution, or Do not use. Your verdict is yours alone.
What the examination covers
Every song examination looks at the same areas so you can compare songs consistently and know what to expect.
Theological soundness
Does the song reflect sound Christian doctrine? Does it represent God, Christ, and salvation accurately?
Line-by-line biblical alignment
Each line is rated on a five-point scale from Directly Biblical through to Misleading or Unbiblical, with Scripture references shown.
Imagery and emotional tone
What feelings does the song evoke, and are they grounded in truth or sentiment?
Context and suitability
Is this song appropriate for corporate worship, personal devotion, or specific seasons of the Christian calendar?
Artist and background
Brief context on the songwriter and any denominational background that may be relevant.
Your personal verdict
After reading, record your own assessment and conclusion. It’s saved to your personal library for future reference.
Our commitment to you
- The examination is a starting point. Scripture and your own prayerful reflection come first.
- We critique lyrical content only, never artists, movements, or persons.
- Your verdict is final. We encourage you to weigh any examination against Scripture yourself.
Standing on Scripture
The practice of testing what we sing against Scripture is not new. The Bereans of Acts 17 were commended for doing exactly this:
“Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.”
Acts 17:11 (ASV)
Paul’s instruction to the church at Thessalonica goes further still:
“But test everything; hold fast what is good.”
1 Thessalonians 5:21 (ESV)
These are not modern opinions; they are apostolic commands. Know Your Lyrics applies this same standard to worship. Every examination begins with the lyrics, maps them line by line to Scripture, and returns a verdict grounded in the text, not in preference, trend, or tradition.
We are not the only resource doing this work. TheBereanTest.com has spent years applying disciplined, Berean‑style reflection to Christian song lyrics, using a four‑part framework that considers the song’s message, how its words track with Scripture, how someone unfamiliar with Christianity might understand it, and what or whom the song is ultimately glorifying. We recommend The Berean Test as a companion to our own examinations: read their reviews, read ours, and then come to a conviction before God. That is what it means to be a Berean.
How scoring works
Each examination uses a shared Assessment Framework so scores mean the same thing from song to song. Below are the full scale definitions, then the initial verdict levels, then how the verdict is calculated from your scores.
Theological dimensions
Doctrine Accuracy
Whether the song's explicit doctrinal claims are correct.
| Score | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 5 | Every explicit doctrinal claim is precise and clearly supported by Scripture. |
| 4 | Doctrinal claims are sound; wording may be poetic rather than precise, without risk of misreading. |
| 3(neutral) | Claims are broadly orthodox but general or devotional rather than precise. Common and not a warning by itself. |
| 2 | At least one claim is ambiguous enough that it could be read as unorthodox. |
| 1 | At least one explicit claim contradicts Scripture on the same subject. |
Trinitarian Clarity
How correctly the song handles the Trinity where it engages the Trinity at all.
| Score | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 5 | Persons of the Trinity are clearly distinguished and represented correctly. |
| 4 | Trinitarian references are correct; emphasis on one person is not an error. |
| 3(neutral) | The Trinity is not this song's focus. That is common and not a concern. |
| 2 | Language could be read as blurring the persons of the Trinity. |
| 1 | The song denies or clearly contradicts Trinitarian teaching. |
Atonement Representation
How faithfully the song represents Christ's atoning work where atonement is addressed.
| Score | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 5 | Substitutionary atonement is clearly and correctly expressed. |
| 4 | Atonement is sound but expressed poetically or partially rather than with full precision. |
| 3(neutral) | Atonement is not this song's subject. Absence is neutral, not a deduction. |
| 2 | Atonement is addressed incompletely and could be read in a therapeutic or moralistic way. |
| 1 | Atonement is distorted or replaced (for example, salvation as self-achieved). |
Scripture Alignment
How well the song's claims align with retrieved Scripture overall.
| Score | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 5 | Every major claim finds strong supporting Scripture in the examination. |
| 4 | Most claims are supported; at most one minor claim lacks a direct match without contradiction. |
| 3(neutral) | Claims fit with Scripture generally, but support is broad rather than specific. Often expected for general worship language. |
| 2 | One or more claims lack support and could be read against the grain of Scripture. |
| 1 | One or more claims directly contradict the Scripture used in the examination. |
Lyrical dimension
Lyrical Quality
Craft and coherence of the lyrics (non-theological).
| Score | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 5 | Rich imagery with strong structural and emotional coherence. |
| 4 | Competent and coherent, with at least one notable craft strength. |
| 3(neutral) | Serviceable and singable but generic, typical for many congregational songs. |
| 2 | Noticeably weak structure, empty repetition, or emotion disconnected from content. |
| 1 | Incoherent imagery or lyrics that undermine the song's own message. |
Context & suitability
Context Fit
Suitability for congregational or personal worship use.
| Score | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 5 | Suitable across most worship contexts. |
| 4 | Suitable for most contexts, with one especially good setting. |
| 3(neutral) | Best suited to a specific context. Neutral, not a deduction. |
| 2 | Narrow fit with some risk of being used in the wrong setting. |
| 1 | Actively unsuitable for congregational use as commonly performed. |
Line-by-line biblical alignment (1–5)
Each lyric line is rated separately on this scale. It is distinct from the six dimension scores above.
| Rating | Label | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | Directly Biblical | Quotes, closely paraphrases, or unmistakably alludes to a specific, identifiable verse or passage of Scripture |
| 4 | Strong Biblical Inference | Faithfully expresses sound biblical doctrine drawn from Scripture broadly, without pointing to one specific verse |
| 3 | Generally Orthodox | No clear error but broad or more emotional than doctrinal |
| 2 | Theologically Weak / Ambiguous | Vague or easily read in a non-Christian way |
| 1 | Misleading / Unbiblical | Contradicts or distorts clear scriptural teaching |
Theological concern severities
Concerns flagged during theological analysis also feed into the initial verdict calculation.
minor
A minor observation about emphasis or style, not by itself a doctrinal error.
Effect on verdict: Does not lower any score below 3 on its own.
moderate
A real ambiguity or incompleteness that a careful listener could misread.
Effect on verdict: Consistent with, and typically the reason for, a score of 2 on the affected dimension.
significant
A clear contradiction of Scripture, the most serious concern level.
Effect on verdict: Requires the affected dimension score to be 1. A significant concern and a score above 1 on the same dimension is an internal inconsistency and must not be produced.
Initial verdict levels
The initial verdict is a starting point for your own reflection, not a final judgment. You set your own verdict in a personal assessment.
Generally suitable
No significant concerns were found. This is a sound starting point for your own discernment.
Use with discernment
Some ambiguity or incompleteness was found. Worth reviewing before deciding.
Consider carefully
A serious concern was found. Treat this as a prompt to reconsider carefully, not a final ruling.
How the initial verdict is calculated
The verdict is computed from all six dimension scores and any concern severities, using ordered rules, not a simple average. We work through the questions below in order; the first one that applies determines the level.
Are there any serious concerns that should be considered?
We answer this by checking whether any of the six dimension scores = 1, OR any concern with severity significant. A serious problem was found in at least one dimension (a score of 1, or a significant concern). This starting point flags the song for careful reconsideration.
When this applies, the starting point is Consider carefully.
Is there notable ambiguity or incompleteness worth reviewing?
We answer this by checking whether no dimension score = 1, but at least one of the six scores = 2, OR any moderate concern. Some ambiguity or incompleteness was found. Treat this as a starting point for careful review.
When this applies, the starting point is Use with discernment.
Are all dimensions sound with no more than minor concerns?
We answer this by checking whether all six dimension scores are 3 or higher, with no concerns above minor severity. All dimensions scored 3 or higher with no more than minor concerns. A sound starting point for your own discernment.
When this applies, the starting point is Generally suitable.
Does the score pattern fall outside the clearer rules?
We answer this by checking whether any combination not covered by the preceding rules. The score pattern did not match a clearer rule, so discernment is the safe starting point.
When this applies, the starting point is Use with discernment.
- A single dimension score of 1 (in any dimension) always forces the lowest verdict level, regardless of other scores.
- A profile of all 3s with only minor concerns resolves to the highest verdict level. Mediocrity is not the same as risk.
Browse songs to see scores on individual examinations. Hover the ? on each score tag for a short explanation.
Our examination framework
Every examination on Know Your Lyrics is produced through a defined framework. Not written freehand, not generated at random, and not the result of one person’s opinion.
Our framework combines structured prompts, direct Bible text retrieval across three translations (King James Bible, American Standard Version, and Berean Standard Bible), and a defined scoring rubric covering theology, lyrical alignment, imagery, context, and background. Every examination follows the same structure, so you can compare songs consistently and weigh them against the same standard.
Our framework uses AI as one component of its methodology. We are transparent about that. What the AI produces is a starting point, grounded in retrieved Scripture and scored against our rubric. It is then reviewed against the framework outputs before the examination is published. Like any tool, it works because of the methodology behind it.
What you read on this platform is our starting examination, not yours. It is the result of our framework applied to a song’s lyrics, checked against Scripture, and published for you to weigh. You bring your own reading of the Bible, your own discernment, and your own verdict. No examination here replaces that.
We have guard rails in place, but neither the framework nor the human review behind it is infallible. Small doctrinal and theological variations exist across traditions, and reasonable believers will sometimes reach different conclusions. That is expected, and it is precisely why recording your own verdict matters. Where our starting examination and your reading of Scripture diverge, yours takes precedence.
What we do ask is this: if you spot a clear factual error (a misquoted verse, a wrong attribution, an obvious mistake) please tell us. The tool exists to serve you, and accuracy depends on the people who use it. We would rather be corrected than leave something wrong.
Where users allow it, we also intend to use anonymous verdict data to validate and improve our starting examinations over time. If enough believers independently reach a different verdict to ours, that matters, and we should know about it. We are building toward that capability and will ask your explicit permission before any verdict data is used this way.
We make no claim that any examination replaces your own reading of Scripture. Every examination on this platform carries that caveat. We mean it.