Back’s Against the Wall
Finding hope and inspiration from a popular song by Judah & the Lion.
By Chris Lawrence
Perhaps you have never heard of the song, “Back’s Against the Wall,” by Judah & the Lion, a contemporary rock and roll band based in Nashville. But if you are looking for an anthem of hope to lift your spirit during difficult times, this is a good one.
The term “your back’s against the wall,” is a metaphor for being trapped or facing overwhelming challenges.
Sooner or later, we all face such times, and we need to be able to stand strong in hope and know that we are not alone, whether facing cancer or other challenges.
Why we need hope
The song’s chorus immediately gets right to the heart of our need for hope:
Just stand strong, hold onto hope
Just grab on, don’t ever let it go
At Hope Has Arrived, we often say hope is a powerful expectation of good, even when circumstances scream the opposite.
And when experiences rob us of hope, and we don’t see a way forward, that’s when we need this virtue most of all. That’s why this song is so powerful.
More about Judah & the Lion
Judah & the Lion often sing about themes related to hope and resilience. They are known for blending genres like folk, hip-hop, rock, and pop into emotionally raw and high-energy songs. Some of their most popular include “Take It All Back 2.0” and “Suit and Jacket” (110 million listens and 86 million listens on Spotify as of 2025).
The songs are deeply autobiographical and written by frontman Judah Akers, and often speak of personal struggle, family and faith.
While they are not always overtly Christian, many of the lyrics touch on spiritual themes.
More about “Back’s Against the Wall”
While it is unclear exactly what Akers was writing about with “Backs Against the Wall,” the call to hold on to hope is undeniable (some have guessed it was related to his mom’s alcoholism, which he writes about overtly in “Starting Over” and “Queen’s Song”).
The song’s lyrics are not complicated, but a help lift people out of an emotional funk, encouraging them to dig deep into the hope they have found.
Let’s take a closer look at the lyrics.
Lyrics of Back Against the Wall
In my head I may not know
What I feel down in my soul
With my eyes I may not see
The fire that burns inside of me
[Chorus]
Just stand strong, hold onto hope
Just grab on, don’t ever let it go
When your backs against the wall
You’re not alone
[Verse 2]
You know I have been set free
Fear has got no grip on me
You know I can see the light
A dead man coming back to life
[Chorus]
Just stand strong, hold onto hope
Just grab on, don’t ever let it go
When your backs against the wall
You’re not alone
Yeah, when your backs against the wall
You’re not alone
First verse
The song immediately feels light and hopeful, starting with mellow guitar, building with a mandolin and banjo, and starts with these words:
“In my head I may not know, what I feel down in my soul.”
The first verse describes someone trying to understand what his true feelings are. This is such a universal struggle, as often it’s hard to surface our feelings of doubt, fear and grief. But it’s important to try to assess how we are really doing.
Chorus
Then the song quickly leads into the powerful chorus:
“Stand strong, hold onto hope. Just grab on, don’t ever let it go.”
This life can steal our hope and joy. And when we find hope, something that gives stability and a reason to keep moving forward, we need to grab onto it and never let go.
“When your backs against the wall, You’re not alone.”
When “your back’s against the wall,” you are trapped or facing overwhelming challenges. Picture a hero getting hemmed in by opposing forces—like Frodo trying to fight of the oncoming rush of goblins, in “The Lord of the Rings,” as they literally force his back against a stone wall, making escape difficult.
Insights from the second verse
You know I have been set free
Fear has got no grip on me
You know I can see the light
A dead man coming back to life
These words speak loudly to spiritual faith and Judah & the Lion certainly has many undertones of this. While their songs are not always religious per se, they express raw emotions and many of them speak of spiritual hope and the importance of it.
Spiritual hope in “Back’s Against the Wall”
Here are some lyrics that point to spiritual hope:
“You know I have been set free.”
To be free, especially through a relationship with God, is to be set free from sin and hopelessness.
Therefore, if we have a relationship with God, then “fear has no grip on me.” As Psalm 34 says, “I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame (34:4-5, NIV).”
“You know I can see the light…”
Jesus is the light. We see his light and we can experience it. As Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12, NIV).
“A dead man coming back to life.”
When people find a relationship with God, they describe it as finding new life or even being brought back from the dead. “When you were dead in your sins…God made you alive with Christ (1 Colossisans 2:13, NIV).”
Meaning of the lyrics
While only the writer, Judah Akers, knows all he meant by the lyrics, we can draw much hope and inspiration from them, and easily draw connections with spiritual hope.
To me, this song is a call to double down on the places we find hope, spiritually and through the people that God has placed in our life.
You are not alone
The chorus underscores these four powerful words, which are often said in the cancer community: “You are not alone.”
While maybe the words “you are not alone” sound or sentimental or trite, they are exactly what a person needs when you go through challenges. Another article on our website explores this topic, by diving into the ever-popular song, “You’ll Never Walk Alone.” This article continues to be one of the most popular on the website, and for good reason, as this theme is so universal.
We need to know that we are not facing our struggle alone. And often, God provides hope to us through the people he puts in our lives, like family and close friends.
Experience with not being alone
I certainly have felt that in my own cancer journey, and I was reminded of this recently when my mom went through cancer.
She faced glioblastoma, a type of deadly brain cancer. I remember listening to this song during that season and being inspired that we needed to hold on to hope in the places we had it.
My mom had a deep relationship with Jesus, and this is where she continued to find hope, even as her journey continued to grow more difficult. She also leaned on her family and many friends—very close friends—that kept coming to be with her, bringing a meal, prayers or words of encouragement. Even as the battle raged on, their loyalty only increased.
While my mom liked hymns more than the style of someone like Judah & the Lion, she certainly appreciated the words of “Back’s Against the Wall,” when I shared them with her. The lyrics and feeling of the music have a universal feeling of hope that seems to transcend many styles, genres and generations.
Never alone
Throughout my mom’s cancer journey, she was never alone. Her friends and family supported her, even to the end. God also never left her. And when she passed from this life to eternity, she went to be with Jesus forever. And those left behind have the powerful hope of being reunited with her one day, because of what God promises about heaven in the Bible.
Truly, my mom was not alone. And now more than ever, she is not alone.
Finding spiritual hope: how to never be alone
For many facing difficult challenges, they find an undefeatable hope through a relationship with God. To discover more about how to have a relationship with God, see this article: Knowing God Personally.
We face ever-increasing challenges in this life, and we need hope. As Akers wrote in “Heart Medicine”: “This life can be so difficult, tough times just come with age.
Yes, tough times keep coming. But no matter what befalls, know you can find a hope worth holding onto. If you have never opened your heart to God, you can pray these words right now:
“God, I’m opening the door to my life. I need your help. I’ve never been so in need of hope, so secretly afraid of what I’m facing. You are the Creator. I want you to be my God and to know you. Come into my life right now as you promised you would. Thank you for giving me this relationship with you. Help me grow to know you more.”
Once you have started a relationship with God, know you can stand strong in hope, even when your backs against the wall.
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Note: We are not doctors and we cannot answer your medical questions. However, we welcome your questions about finding hope and knowing God.