Arden, North Carolina (September 1, 2023) — After the “heart project” of 2021’s Appalachian-flavored, all-acoustic Some Distant Mountain, acclaimed Southern Gospel singer and songwriter Mark Bishop returns to form with “I Met Somebody On The Way To The Cemetery,” a mesmerizing, minor-key look at Christ’s redemptive power. Following producer Jeff Collins’ evocative organ introduction, Bishop’s meditative vocal begins to recount a simple yet profound story:
There was a funeral march in the town of Nain.
The widow’s son in death’s domain.
Till Jesus walked by and He changed the game
When He said, “Young man arise…”
The song’s powerful lyric unfolds over a hushed yet driving arrangement, supported by empathetic harmonies from Freddie Ratliff and 11th Hour’s Amber Eppinette Saunders and punctuated by multi-instrumentalist David Johnson’s harmonica and an appropriately spare piano solo. Still, the focus stays fixed on its essential message, fleshed out in two additional verses that recount Jesus’ resurrection and the narrator’s own salvation and a memorable chorus:
They met somebody on the way to the cemetery.
They should’ve been afraid but they weren’t very.
He came to give life, and not to bury.
They met somebody on the way… to the cemetery.
“I was in a service where a friend of mine was preaching,” recalls Bishop. “He was talking about how hopeless our journey would be without Jesus, and then he said, ‘But I met somebody on the way to the cemetery!’ I believe that that message should resonate with all of us who have found Jesus Christ. I had no hope of getting into heaven, but thank God I met somebody on the way to the cemetery.”
The song is streaming in Dolby Atmos spatial audio on Apple Music, TIDAL and Amazon Music. Dolby Atmos is a sound experience you can feel all around you. Familiar from its “surround sound” application in thousands of movie theaters” Dolby Atmos reveals “depth, clarity and details like never before.”
Listen to “I Met Somebody On The Way To The Cemetery” HERE.
About Mark Bishop
GRAMMY-nominated Mark Bishop has one of the most distinctive voices in all of Gospel Music. He is also regarded as one of the preeminent Gospel songwriters of our generation. His songs have been recorded by several of today’s most popular Gospel Music groups. Once you have heard one of Mark’s thought-provoking songs, you’ll immediately know why Gospel Music lovers consider him one of the genre’s top singer/songwriters.
Mark’s musical roots trace back to idyllic summer evenings in Kentucky, singing on the front porch with his family. It was then that the Bishop family began to form a musical foundation that would usher them to the forefront of Gospel Music. During their career, The Bishops enjoyed enormous success across all outlets, with twenty-seven national Top-40 songs, including twelve Top 5 songs and three Number 1 songs.
Since embarking on a solo career in 2002, Mark Bishop has not missed a beat. He has been honored with multiple nominations and awards in a broad range of categories from leading Gospel Music publications and organizations. He is one of the select few soloists who have been invited to perform on the Main Stage of Gospel Music’s signature event, the National Quartet Convention. Over the past thirty years, Mark’s songs are staples on Gospel Music radio, accumulating numerous hits on the national airplay charts. In 2021, his album, Beautiful Day, was nominated for the Best Roots Gospel Album GRAMMY.