Holy is the compelling, poetic track of JACRE that summons the lines of the-yearning for peace, for unison, for the why of being beyond the lure of the life of the present moment in fierce tones. Vocals contain the tension of the clamor of the computer age against the silence of the natural cosmos and of affection. With few but forceful lines, JACRE summons the-yearning to break free back to something more substantial, more earthy.

Arguably the most powerful part of the lyric is the way in which JACRE addresses the emotional weariness of the present age. You can feel the pain and the tiredness of being in the company of negativness and of all the hullabaloo. When JACRE speaks of “screens” and “angry faces,” it is acknowledging the kind of scenario that the rest of us fall prey to—one in which opinions come pouring out, the temper is frayed, and the requirement for constant virtual presence can feel tiring. And the lyric doesn’t linger in this place; it is more of a forthright recommendation to escape it all.

JACRE is not trying to get away from the sounds; they want to return to the holy, the quiet. Nature is this kind of soil of healing—a sanctified space. With the phrase “sacred green and blue,” the image is idyllic forests, blue sky, creating a still universe in which love, quietness, can flourish without end. What is distinctive here is the notion that JACRE is searching for spirituality in non-traditional locations, in daily communal experience, quiet space, but not in ritual, nor in establishment. This is presence, this is community, not ritual, not denomination.

And there is, too, rich emotional substructure in the lyric grounded in love. JACREỊ describes “time alone with you” as holy in itself. This litany-like phrase is meant to underscore the intoxicating power of, the priority of, distraction-free intimacy. Love is not the boisterous, trumpeting phenomenon, but the quiet revolution against the Noise. Selecting one another, selecting peace, is courageous in the culture that all too often worships speed, efficiency face, at the expense of the true relationship.

Another emotive aspect of the lyric is the notion of standing still in the eyes of JACRE. In a society ever driving people onward, there is something amazingly emotive in the notion of merely “standing still” together. It is as if it is this unspoken resistance—to not be swept along on the stream of life, but to, in one’s tracks, stop and feel whatever is most precious for oneself. The notion of trees as symbols of freedom and wisdom is rich in this, lest the listener forget the power of the natural world to teach one how to live and to breathe.

These last verses introduce the appropriate note of quiet protest. If the rest of the universe finds this quiet manifestation of devotion ungodly or selfish, JACRE could not possibly care less. They swallow it, as it were. This part lends the piece a stronger voice—not loud or indignant, but assertive and serene. It affirms that love, in the simplest, most private context, is worth the choosing come what may, the rest of the universe’s opinions notwithstanding. 

All in all, the “Holy” is calming, contemplative, and richly human. JACRE embodies the longing all of us share—to break free of the distractions, to experience peace out in the wild, and hug the people one loves most of all with one’s arms tightly around them. It’s as if one breathes new air, recollecting the experience of quiet, of love, of quiet resistance.