Some songs shake the walls of our hearts with their sheer, defiant hope. They sing with the weight of eternity wrapped in melody, with a chorus that dares to mock death itself. And MercyMe’s Oh Death? It does just that. It’s the kind of anthem that lifts your soul straight up, defying the darkness, proclaiming the victory already won.

What makes the song so interesting is how it almost didn’t make it onto MercyMe’s album. They had finished putting the album together when Walker Hayes changed everything. He sent the bones of the song to Bart Millard–it was a foot-stomping, soul-clapping tune that felt like a full-on eviction notice to death. And MercyMe? They picked up the pen and ran with it. 

But for Bart, the song took on deeper meaning when his father-in-law, Frank, passed away a couple of weeks later. As he witnessed Frank’s peace his confidence in stepping into eternity, the lyrics of Oh Death became more than just words—they became a testimony. “If you were blessed to know Frank, your life was better for it. He laid a foundation my family will forever build on. And he always told me—‘Never stop telling people about Jesus.’” He said.

‘Oh death, I will not be afraid
In the end you will lose
I will dance on your grave
With the One who buried you’

The words of the song echo 1 Corinthians 15:55: “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” Each line carries the weight of that truth with victorious joy that we have life waiting on the other side of all of us. The lyrics serve as an eviction notice to death, a victory cry for all who belong to Jesus. So let it play loud. Let it shake the walls of doubt. And let it be sung as it was meant to be—boldly, triumphantly, without fear. May this song be as uplifting to you as it was to MercyMe when they released it. 

1 Corinthians 15:55 “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?”