Some Songs (and Two Riddles)

It's coming close to the end of the year, so I thought I'd compile the lyrics to the songs I wrote since I got home from the states. I don't think I've quite lived up to the 'song' part of 'riddle and song' too well on this blog. Actually, I don't think I've lived up to the 'riddle' part either, so here's a couple to start off:

Q:What do you call a deer with no eyes?
A:No-eye deer.

Q:What do you call a deer with no eyes and no legs?
A:Still no-eye deer.

I guess it's a good thing I don't put up too many riddles here.

I wrote 'The Lord Your God Is With You' after Gretchen Paxton emailed me about her trip to Mexico. In it, there was a reference to the book of Zephaniah. I picked it up, read it, and liked it a lot. There were parts of Chapter 3 that sounded like they would make a good song. So I took the words, paraphrased a little, and came up with a fairly simple but (I think) singable tune to go with. The tag came to me a while later than the rest of the song. I was playing the song to myself last week and started freestyling at the end, and realized that what I came up with at the time was good enough to keep. I think a lot of good songs come about like that.

The Lord Your God Is With You

Chorus:
The Lord your god is with you
He is mighty to save
The Lord your god is with you
X2

Verse 1:
He rejoices over you with gladness
And stills your heart with His love
He rejoices over you with song
O daughter of Jerusalem
Do not fear!

Chorus

Verse2:
On that day you shall not be put to shame
For all the evils of your past
Upon His holy hill, He glorifies the meek
O Israel, shout aloud
And be glad!

Chorus

Tag:
Sing a new song unto Him
Sing a new song to the Lord
Sing a new song to your God...


When I started writing 'I Will Come To You Again', I had it in mind to write something you could safely put on a contemporary Christian CD without confusing too many people. Folks familiar with the stuff I have written in the past know that I tend to be too cryptic, angsty, jokey, folky, or a combination of these to ever be classified as mainstream CCM. I wanted to write something fairly pop-ish, mainstream, and heartfelt, but would yet be something I wouldn't detest singing over and over again. I guess time will tell if I've fulfilled that last criteria.

I Will Come To You Again

Many are the times
I'd hidden my heart in a box
And pretended I'd lost the key
Many are the times
When you pointed at the locks
And said "I rolled away the stone... what's this to me?"

Well you know I'm good at hiding
And you know how far I've run
It's no further than you've come
To find me

Many are the times
I'd lost myself in stuff to do
Looking for a brand new thing to start
Many are the times
You said "Well, just look at you"
"Your hands look full, what's in your heart?"

Well this heart is prone to wander
In search of what the fall had stole
But only you can make it whole

Chorus:
So I will come to you again
In times of joy and times of pain
And speak with you as a man speaks with his friend
To let your grace wash me like rain
I will come to you again

Many are the times
I'd found a good thing on this earth
And desired it more than it was made to be
Many are the times
In darkness that my heart had birthed
You broke the silence and made your plea

Not just to me nor just with words
But with blood poured from your side
And with arms that stretched out wide

Chorus:
And I will come to you again
In times of joy and times of pain
And speak with you as a man speaks with his friend
To let your grace wash me like rain
I will come to you again

Bridge:
And you knew my heart so well
Its darkest rage and deepest fear
But it's your grace that makes me holy
And it's grace that draws me near
Oh, to You Lord

Chorus:
So I will come to you again
In times of joy and times of pain
And speak with you as a man speaks with his friend
To let your grace wash me like rain
I will come to you again


Something my friends in the Navigators impressed upon me was the sheer beauty and theological heaviness of the old reformation hymns. A lot of them had attended various Reformed University Fellowship (RUF, and acronym that I had a lot of fun saying) meetings, and I think maybe that's where they got that love of hymns from. These old hymns made up the bulk of the songs we would sing during the smaller Nav meetings. We sang mostly the versions that came out of the Indelible Grace project (a bunch of people putting new music to the old words) and the RUF hymnbook, and quite a few of those made it into the staple of songs I like to do for private worship ('Arise My Soul Arise', 'Thy Mercy My God', 'Come, Ye Sinners', 'O Love That Will Not Let Me Go', among others).

I suppose at one point I wanted to try writing something along the same lines. I know of one contemporary song that sounds like an old hymn (In Christ Alone, the only worship song I know with the word 'babe' in it!), so there's a precedent for that at least =). I'm not sure I succeeded as thoroughly as I would've liked (the grammar seems a little off here and there), but I like the result as a whole. It has guy and girl parts, which is my favorite thing to have in a worship song, so I think that helps me like it.

Lift Up Your Voices

Men:
Lift up your voices, brothers, sing
Your great Redeemer’s praise
Recall your hearts’ first wakening
To love Him all your days

All:
Recall that first bright fledgling light
The cross’s quiet demand
Repledge your heart, your soul, your might
To His strong guiding hand

Chorus:
Sing Praise! Sing Praise!
Lift up your voices, sing!
Sing Praise! Sing Praise!
O let His praises ring!

Women:
Lift up your voices, sisters, sing
Of wonders Love has wrought
For His dear cross, let praises ring
For mercies Christ has bought

All:
As far as to the East and West
Our sins, our misdeeds cast
Forgot’n by Him who knows us best
And loves us to the last

Chorus:
Sing Praise! Sing Praise!
Lift up your voices, sing!
Sing Praise! Sing Praise!
O let His praises ring!

All:
Lift up your voices, heaven and earth
From sea to hill and plain
All creatures laud His matchless worth
Declare the Master’s reign

Join with the songs of starry host
Let swell a gladdening sound!
O ransomed man, now take your post
With grateful heart, resound

Chorus:
Sing Praise! Sing Praise!
Lift up your voices, sing!
Sing Praise! Sing Praise!
O let His praises ring!
Sing Praise! Sing Praise!
Lift up your voices, sing!
Sing Praise! Sing Praise!
O let His praises ring! X3