Guy Penrod and the Living Testimony of “Yes, I Know”
The lights dimmed, but not to darkness — just enough for a hush to ripple across the hall like a tide of expectancy. The stage was ready, the musicians waiting, yet the room was already alive with something greater than music. It was reverence, built from years of voices lifted in praise.
At the center stood Guy Penrod, tall and steady, silver hair brushing his shoulders. For a long moment, he didn’t move. He stood with head bowed, as though the weight of every lyric he had ever sung rested on him. Then, lifting his eyes, he spoke softly but with conviction that reached every seat in the hall:
“This one… this is the song that carried me through.”
A Song That Transcends
The band gave a single, gentle chord, and then it began. The opening line of “Yes, I Know” flowed from Guy’s lips with the gravity of truth. His baritone — deep, steady, weathered like oak — needed no theatrics. It was the sound of a man who had lived every word, who had faced valleys and risen again only by grace. Slowly, the harmonies of the Gaither Vocal Band joined him, stacking upward like cathedral arches. The rafters seemed to tremble.
The crowd rose to their feet. Some lifted their hands heavenward. Others pressed tissues to their eyes. From scattered corners came shouts of “Amen!” and “Thank You, Jesus!” It wasn’t performance anymore — it was release, a breaking open of burdens, a reminder that no chain or sin was greater than the blood of Christ.
By the final chorus, Guy’s voice soared above every harmony, strong and aching, carrying the truth straight into the night:
“Yes, I know! Yes, I know!
Jesus’ blood can make the vilest sinner clean…”
When the last note faded, silence filled the room — not emptiness, but awe. For a moment, no one clapped, no one moved. The air itself felt consecrated. And when the applause finally came, it wasn’t for a performer. It was for a truth.
A Hymn That Carries Generations
First written by Anna Waterman in the late 1800s, “Yes, I Know” has carried generations through nights of fear and mornings of doubt. The Gaither tradition gave it new life, but when Guy Penrod sings it, the hymn becomes something more than music. It becomes testimony itself.
Guy has often said that his passion for gospel music is not about applause or charts, but about souls finding hope. That night, when he declared, “This is the song that carried me through,” it was clear he wasn’t just talking about melodies. He was talking about the faith that held him together when only truth remained.
Guy’s Journey of Song and Faith
From his years as the long-haired powerhouse lead of the Gaither Vocal Band to his solo career bringing hymns and gospel standards to life, Guy Penrod has always been more than a performer. His rugged baritone has filled arenas, chapels, and living rooms, but behind every note has been the same unwavering witness: faith is real, and Jesus is faithful.
For fans, songs like “Yes, I Know,” “Because He Lives,” and “Then Came the Morning” are more than concert memories. They are milestones of their own journeys — funerals where comfort was needed, hospital rooms where faith was stretched thin, quiet nights where only a whispered hymn kept despair away.
More Than Music — A Testimony
As the audience left that night, the echo of “Yes, I Know” followed them into the night air. For some, it stirred nostalgia for childhood church pews and hymnals. For others, it brought healing — a lifeline in grief, sickness, or doubt. But for all, it was testimony.
Because when Guy Penrod sang, it was more than artistry. More than entertainment. It was a man standing before thousands, declaring the truth that had carried him through every valley and mile of the road:
Jesus saves. Jesus heals. Jesus is faithful.
And in that hall, beneath trembling rafters and fading lights, faith itself was set free in sound.