Inspiration for songs knows no boundaries. Indeed, it can come from numerous sources, including the Bible. While many of the artists and bands listed in this gallery are not followers of a specific faith, many took to the Holy Book to find inspiration for their tunes. From literal biblical quotes, to lyrics inspired by biblical references, in this gallery you'll find it all.
Click through and discover the rock songs that are surprisingly inspired by the Bible.
First performed by folk group The Limeliters in 1962 (under the title 'To Everything There Is a Season'), this 1965 song hit no. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Chart when it was released by The Byrds.
This Leonard Cohen song from 1969 has a pretty biblical title, and indeed it is about the biblical story of Abraham being commanded by God to sacrifice his son, Isaac.
Bob Dylan was born and raised Jewish. Even though he went on to become a born-again Christian for three years (1979 to 1981), this song was released in 1965, while he was (according to some critics) attempting to come to terms with his Jewish heritage.
Like Cohen's, this song is also about Isaac. The lyrics, in a very Dylan-esque style, contain lines such as "Oh God said to Abraham, 'Kill me a son'/Abe says, 'Man, you must be puttin' me on'."
'Creeping Death' can be found on Metallica's 1984 album 'Ride the Lightning.' The lyrics give voice to the Angel of Death described in the Book of Exodus, who was sent by God to kill the firstborn sons of the Egyptians.
Front man James Hetfield, inspired by the 1956 movie 'The Ten Commandments,' went on to write lyrics for the song. Some of which read "Slaves, Hebrews, born to serve the pharaoh / Heed to his every word, live in fear / So let it be written, so let it be done / To kill the first-born pharaoh son / I'm Creeping Death."
The famous hip-hop trio from New York City released this track in 1989. 'Shadrach' is about the story of the three Hebrews Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego mentioned in the Book of Daniel.
The three men refused to worship the statue built by the Babylonian king, Nebuchadnezzar. We can see how three rebels can appeal to the rap trio who happen to have Jewish heritage, right?
This song, which can be found in the band's 1967 album 'The Piper at the Gates of Dawn,' is inspired by one of the most famous miracles performed by Jesus in the New Testament.
This specific miracle is described in John 5:8. Jesus heals a paralytic man who's been sitting on a mat for years. The band went on to draw inspiration from the Book of Ecclesiastes for their iconic 1973 album 'Dark Side of the Moon.'
Steven Tyler's lyrics contain lines such as "Man he was believer/ Lady was deceiver / So the story goes but you see / That snake was he / She just climbed right up his tree."
This track from Springsteen's 1978 album 'Darkness on the Edge of Town' is inspired by brothers Cain and Abel's relationship, as described in the Bible.
U2 are a known Christian group, so perhaps a biblical reference doesn't come as a surprise. This song in particular was inspired by the Sermon on the Mount, as described in Matthew 5:3-11.
The lyrics include lines such as "Blessed are the arrogant: for theirs is the kingdom of their own company / Blessed are the superstars: for in the magnificence of their light we understand better our own insignificance / Blessed are the filthy rich: for you can only truly own what you give away, like your pain."
"We let somebody use the studio the night before, and they held a Bible study session. A Bible was left in the studio open to the hymn 'Rock of Ages.' So, I picked it up and started singing," said Elliott.
The song is about "what he'd do and imagining him coming back and turning the rich into wine and drinking them and walking on the mean and maybe getting on Mary Magdalene," explained Ferdinand's front man, Alex Kapranos.
May wrote the song after having a dream about a natural disaster, like an Old Testament-inspired flood. It also makes reference to the story of Noah's Ark.
