Andrew Peterson's Deepest Cuts—A Guided Tour by Matt Conner

by Matt Conner, host of The Deepest Cut

Last year, the Rabbit Room launched a new podcast, The Deepest Cut, dedicated to short interviews with songwriters about some of their most painful, vulnerable songs. Now, as we prepare for the launch of (many) more episodes of The Deepest Cut—one featuring Andrew Peterson coming later this week—it made sense to revisit Peterson’s past work to illuminate some of my favorite deep cuts in the catalog.

The term “deep cuts” refers to an artist’s more obscure songs, so perhaps this song list will deepen your appreciation for some overlooked tracks in Peterson’s body of work.

“Day By Day,” Light for the Lost Boy

A proper playlist needs a propulsive starting point, and “Day By Day” fits the bill. This song found in the middle of Light for the Lost Boy belies its pace with honest ruminations on the “curse’s toll.” The exhortation here is important for the believer: “So don’t lose heart though your body’s wasting away / Your soul is not / It’s being remade day by day by day.'

“Pillar of Fire”, Love and Thunder

It’s impossible to pick a favorite lyric in Peterson’s catalog, but an early favorite is this deep cut from Love and Thunder that should be much more well-loved than it is (to my knowledge). The beauty and fury of this “Pillar of Fire” captures the journey of following Jesus so beautifully. “From a barn in Bethlehem to Hell and back again / You blazed the trail that leads me home.”

“The Coral Castle,” Carried Along

In 1923, a young native of South Florida by the name of Ed Leedskalnin began a 28-year journey of shaping 2.2 million pounds of limestone into what he termed a “Coral Castle,” an ode to the girl who broke his heart. (It’s now a tourist attraction near the town of Homestead.) Peterson’s debut album featured this song that tells Leedskalnin’s story, and it’s one of the loveliest songs in his entire catalog.

“Venus,” Clear to Venus

The life of a musician feels like a sexy thing for some of us—the chance to travel, a life in the spotlight, the mystery of the muse—but in truth, it can be a tough and even toxic lifestyle. Endless days without routine, endless hours in a van, endless nights on sub-par bedding. This song, which is found around Neptune’s orbit on Clear to Venus, is Peterson’s vulnerable and honest depiction of the vocational rhythms for a young songwriter and his family. I get why this is not a popular concert closer, but I love it all the same.

“Windows in the World,” Resurrection Letters, Vol. 2

Author John Graves said it best: “You notice. And noticing, you live.” This deep cut from Resurrection Letters, Vol. 2 is a simple acoustic number that’s reminded me of the importance of noticing time and again—to find these windows where “the goodness gets through.”

“The Power of a Great Affection,” The Burning Edge of Dawn

Brennan Manning first stumbled upon the phrase “seized by the power of a great affection” to describe the moment of Christian conversion in the early ‘80s. He chronicles how he himself responded to the love of God in his book The Ragamuffin Gospel, and Peterson calls it “the theme of his song” as well on this song near the end of The Burning Edge of Dawn.

“Mountains on the Ocean Floor,” The Far Country

The impact of Peterson’s music for me has always been about much more than enjoyment. I cannot count the number of times one of his songs has reached me at a desperate place to provide some comfort or companionship, and “Mountains on the Ocean Floor” is a great example. At a point where I found myself desperate for answers, Peterson offered me this, “Nothing ever seems to change / But miles away beneath the waves / Down below the dirt / Hotter than a flame / In the belly of the earth / He has given you a name.”

“The Last Frontier,” Counting Stars

“Love below me / Love around me / Love above me / Oh love has found me.” This short and ultimately sweet track feels overlooked at the tail end of Counting Stars, but its movement from having “nowhere to go from here” to the promise of being found by love is a powerful encouragement.

“Shiloh,” Carried Along

Peterson has always painted a vivid picture with his lyrical turns, whether conjuring images of David penning a psalm or describing the 2010 Nashville floods (“Come Back Soon”), and that’s why I love “Shiloh” so much. Found on the back half of Carried Along, the song is a warm welcome home—with its “green and ripe” garden and “autumn breeze.” And the sentiment is heartening whether referring to his childhood home in Florida or the joy of the new creation.

“Don’t You Want to Thank Someone,” Light for the Lost Boy

It’s mind-boggling to me how this song isn’t one of the most popular in Peterson’s catalog (and the same goes for this entire album), but I can’t make it through a full listen without getting emotional. The tension is deeply felt here as Peterson feels both the pain of a fallen world and gratitude for life’s beautiful moments: “Eaten by this endless ache / But still I will give thanks for this.”

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