MercyMe’s Bart Millard Says ‘Oh Death’ Carries Deep Significance
For MercyMe's Bart Millard, the hit song Oh Death is deeply personal -- even if he didn't pen its poignant chorus. Millard was on his way to Texas last year to visit his ailing father-in-law, Frank Street, when country singer/songwriter Walker Hayes sent him the chorus that would eventually become part of the chart-climbing hit. The words struck a chord, and Millard was moved.
"My father-in-law had been diagnosed with leukemia about the same time and was given about a month to live -- but they couldn't guarantee the next day," Millard told media members while previewing the group's newest project, Wonder & Awe. It is the band's 12th studio album.
Walker "had no idea what I was going through." Millard recalls driving down the road, crying as he listened to the words set to its upbeat tune: "Oh death, I will not be afraid, in the end, you will lose, I will dance on your grave with the One who buried you."
"My father-in-law passed away a month later, but got to let him hear the song," Millard said. "And for me, it's forever attached to my father-in-law. He was chairman of the deacons of a Baptist church his whole life. He was my second-grade Sunday School teacher."
The song's upbeat tune is an unexpected match for its words — so much so that the five members of the group break into a dance in the music video.
Millard remembers his father-in-law telling him, "Bart, you know, I can't dance" before adding, "I'm gonna get down when I see Jesus."
"The timing couldn't have been [more] perfect," Millard said of the song.
Oh Death, the album's first radio single, soared to No. 1 on multiple charts, including the Mediabase Christian AC and Christian AC Activator charts.
"It gives me a chance to talk about my father-in-law to a lot of people, which is pretty cool," he said.
Wonder & Awe took about 18 months to complete and, like all of their albums, is a mixture of different styles.
"It's just a really joyful record," MercyMe's Michael John Scheuchzer said.
Meanwhile, Millard jokes that the band often says they're living on "borrowed time," half-expecting CCM fans to eventually lose interest. But, he adds with a smile, "people keep listening."
"Our level of gratefulness is probably at an all-time high, and we were old enough to realize and understand how fortunate we are to get to do this for a living," Millard said. "That's what the last 11 albums have taught me -- is to enjoy it every step of the way. Because we're doing something that's pretty special as far as just being able to do it this long."
WATCH: MercyMe - Oh Death (Official Music Video)
Photo Credit: ©Fair Trade Services
Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
Listen to Michael's Podcast! He is the host of Crosswalk Talk, a podcast where he talks with Christian movie stars, musicians, directors, and more. Hear how famous Christian figures keep their faith a priority in Hollywood and discover the best Christian movies, books, television, and other entertainment. You can find Crosswalk Talk on LifeAudio.com, or subscribe on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an interview that will be sure to encourage your faith.
Originally published August 12, 2025.
