I found out late one Saturday night that we would be having a blessing for a newborn in the church the next day. I wrote this for the occasion. This recording was made at night, trying to keep quiet enough to not disturb any of the sleeping people in the house. It’s rough, but you’ll get the point.
This was written as a “first fruits” offering for a songwriting group I participate in. I have an alternate section for the section beginning “He will be like a tree”, but I haven’t recorded that version yet.
Psalm 1
D How blessed is the man who does not walk C In the counsel of the wicked, G D Nor stand in the path of sinners, C Nor sit in the seat G D Lord like I do, the seat of scoffers!
D Blessed the man whose delight is C In the law of the Lord, G D And in His law he meditates (both night and day)
D He will be like a tree planted by the water G A tree that gives good fruit when it’s time comes D All its leaves stay green, you will not see them wither; G And all his does, finds victory.
D The wicked, my Lord, they are not so, C They are lost like the chaff G D Lost like the chaff and blown away.
D The wicked will not stand in the judgment, C And sinners have no place among G D Among your righteous assembly
D For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, C But the ways of the wicked G D The ways of the wicked will perish
I woke up Saturday morning from a dream. In the dream, either I, or someone else, was singing grace before a meal at a table with some other folks. The second line of this song was the second line of the grace that was sung. It’s all I was able to reassemble from the dream.
Lyrics:
Come and join us at this table Were we all share in God’s finest Ponder sacrifice divine As we break bread and drink wine
Think about a time when you didn’t want stand up Think about a time when you wanted to go Counted on a friend and he didn’t even show up Stepped on the gas but it still went slow
Down on your knees, down on your knees, son Face to the ground, lift up your please Look to the Father for an answer Just get down on your knees
Raining on a day when you wanted it sunny Not enough change to get another pop Want to get a drink but you haven’t got the money Neighbor’s playing music and you want him to stop
Down on your knees, down on your knees, son Face to the ground, lift up your please Look to the Father for an answer Just get down on your knees
Our Father which art in heaven Hallowed be thy name Forgive us our debts as we forgive those Who sin against us Amen
Think about a time when you didn’t want stand up Think about a time when you wanted to go Counted on a friend and he didn’t even show up Stepped on the gas but it still went slow
Down on your knees, down on your knees, son Face to the ground, lift up your please Look to the Father for an answer Just get down on your knees
So this is a long one, with more characters than most of my stories. Here’s how it happened. I started writing a hymn on the piano perhaps back in 2010 or so. Although I liked the music, I just couldn’t come up with any lyrics. “As we humbly bow before you” was all I could do. So I wrote to my friend Greg Scheer, asking for advice. Greg is a fantastic composer and an even better person. You should visit his sight and at least get to know him through his music and musings.
Well Greg said “Why don’t you ask my friend Colin if he would write something”. I was familiar with Colin Gordon-Farleigh through the songs he and Greg have written together and Greg posts on his music blog. I wrote off to Colin asking if he would be interested, and to my immense pleasure, he agreed. Shortly thereafter I had lyrics to my hymn, so I put the whole thing together, and before you know it, Colin had it published on his site.
Here is where Raise Your Hands beings: Colin wrote back with lyrics, and asked me to put music to it. Being the putz that I am, I started, but never got it finished. I think part of the reason is that I had written a song called Raise Your Hands just a few days earlier, and it just kind of freeked me out. But I also had a bit of time away from writing due to other pressing matters in my life. I’ve had this nagging guilt for the past year. Then last week Colin wrote to me and asked if I’d ever gotten it done. “No, but I’ll do it by next weekend”. Earlier this week I started over entirely with a more folky-tune on the guitar. But being unsure how Colin felt about that sort of music, I dug back in and finished up the original.
Like the forest for the trees Can’t distinguish which of these My soul for the sin, but He’s Washing me within Can’t stay up on my knees So I fall down on my face Before him
David is chosen to be king Giving his heart to the Lord, never ashamed to sing The praises to our God he brings Like incense on an altar But David is known to falter This king is not the one we need, we need a savior
Only man can atone for man’s great sin Jesus is God and man within A body broken, on a tree He’s pinned Blood poured on the ground Therein salvation’s found Salvation. Hallellujah.
My shepherd is the Lord my God I shall not be in need He makes me lie down and take my rest In fields that are so green
He leads me by the quiet streams And He restores my soul He guides my path to righteousness For His name’s sake, oh oh.
You prepare a table before me In the presence of my enemies You anoint my head with oil And my cup is overflowing And my cup is overflowing
Even though I walk through the valley of death, I have no fear Lord you’re with me, and my comfort Is Your staff and Your shield
You prepare a table before me In the presence of my enemies You anoint my head with oil And my cup is overflowing And my cup is overflowing And my cup is overflowing And my cup is overflowing And my cup is overflowing And my cup is overflowing
INSTRUMENTAL
You prepare a table before me In the presence of my enemies You anoint my head with oil And my cup is overflowing And my cup is overflowing And my cup is overflowing And my cup is overflowing And my cup is overflowing And my cup is overflowing
Lord I know Your goodness, Your lovingkindness Will follow me for all of my days, I know Your goodness, Your lovingkindness Will follow me for all of my days,
And I will dwell in Your house And I will dwell in Your house And I will dwell in Your house And I will dwell in Your house forever
Jesus died and he saved my soul Buried my sins in a great big hole To tell the truth – he washed them all away He’ll do the same if you ask him to Wash those sins all away from you And brother, it’s good to be clean
Now I’ve been bad and I’ve been good Sometimes do the things I should But nothing I can do can fix this ragged soul It’s something of a mystery When Jesus gave his life for you and me Ours souls – he made them whole
Jesus washed my sins away When on that cross He died that day Then from the grave He rose again He won the victory over sin
Now you ask me why, tell you “I don’t know why sin get’s it’s teeth so deep in our soul” Brother Paul wrote many years ago He does the things that he don’t want to And what he wants is what he just don’t do But Jesus, he makes us whole
Jesus washed my sins away When on that cross He died that day Then from the grave He rose again He won the victory over sin
Jesus died and he saved my soul Buried my sins in a great big hole To tell the truth – he washed them all away He’ll do the same if you ask him to Wash those sins all away from you And brother, it’s good to be clean
Jesus washed my sins away When on that cross He died that day Then from the grave He rose again He won the victory over sin
Jesus washed my sins away When on that cross He died that day Then from the grave He rose again He won the victory over sin