Know The Song!

I recently heard a worship song leader introduce the song "Glorious Day" like this; she said something like, "Even though it's cloudy outside and it looks like it might rain, we are trusting God to move away the clouds so that we can have a great church picnic this afternoon. Let's sing together, trusting that it will be a 'Glorious Day'!"
After I picked my jaw up off the floor and got over my rage that such a great song would be misused like this, I engaged with the truth of the lyrics being sung:
"Living, He loved me
Dying, He saved me
Buried, He carried my sins far away
Rising, He justified freely forever
One day He's coming, oh glorious day!"

Nothing about sunshine, rain, clouds, or church picnics in there at all. I wonder if the song leader was simply trying to make an announcement along with the song intro, or if she really thinks that the song is about God making every day a 'glorious day'. Regardless, she led me as part of the congregation she has the role and responsibility to lead into worship, rather into confusion.
A worship song leader should know the song he or she is having the congregation sing! Many songs are quite popular but have bad theology (a few come to mind, but I won't list them for the sake of brevity). Others are simply confusing. But if a song leader is asking the congregation to sing it in a worship setting, she should at least try to unpack some of what the song is singing. Take the song "Hosanna" by Brooke Fraser for example. Is this a praise song? A song of surrender? Of prophecy? A song declaring eschatological beliefs? An encouragement or hope or prayer? Yes, all of the above. I think it's tricky leading this song. Where do you go with it? On the occasions I have led this song (which have been many) I try to emphasize a part of it - the prophecy part ("I see a generation..") or the eschatology part ("coming on the clouds with fire...") or the surrender part ("break my heart for what breaks yours...") or the praise part ("Hosanna in the highest"). I resist the urge to give a 15 minute explanation of how these themes fit together, but I do try to lead the congregation to understand a part of what the song is trying to say and, of course, how that fits into the themes of the particular service or gathering.
I remember the first time I was stirred by singing a worship song. The song was "Faithful One" by Brian Doerksen, and the song leader had us imagine ourselves on a boat crashing on the waves, and when somebody drops the anchor even though the storm still rages, the boat stays still. I sang out "Your love is the anchor" with tears streaming down my face because both Brian Doerksen and the song leader had made that truth come alive to me.
Song leaders, know the song you're leading! Do your homework. What themes does it explore? How will it fit into your gathering? How will it flow? How can you introduce it? Will you have to explain something? How will your music emphasize a particular phrase? Get accustomed to singing it yourself, and feel the emotions of the truth it conveys.
Otherwise, stop singing it. You're doing nobody any favours by performing a popular song "just because".