1. |
Rock bottom blues
04:35
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LYRICS
When you hit rock bottom there’s only one way to go—
so help me God I’ve never been so low—
You tell me Jesus is my Saviour—
tell me something that I didn’t know.
There was a man called Joseph, he dressed flamboyantly—
he was a slave to fashion, you could say quite literally—
so don’t go dissin’ your big brothers when your Daddy’s not around to see
Down in Jericho was a girl with no reputation—
she was more than shrewish, doing deals with the Jewish nation
and those falling walls led to her Rahab-ilitation (How interesting!)
When you hit rock bottom...
Well you sure looked cute in your birthday suit
but they say you spoiled the party for a piece of fruit—
you started out again as the wife of Cain,
kept the kids and livestock out of the falling rain,
putting food on the table doing anything you’re able,
making rough translations in the Tower of Babel
There’s a man I know said “I’m in hell today—
no hope, no family, no way I can pray.
My despair is my prayer, that’s all that I can say!”
There’s a woman I know kept apart from her family
and the drugs that filled her would have killed her eventually.
She said “I’ll take my chances, I’m scared but at least I’m free!” (Exactly!)
When you hit rock bottom...
You were the joint MD of an SME
taking net profits from the Lake of Galilee—
when you heard the call you might have known you’d fall—
if you fish for men there’ll be a catch after all
and now you’re lying low after you lied so low
between the kiss in the garden and the cockerel’s crow
Pilate said “Hey Jesus, tell me what it is you’re doing—
hanging out in Jerusalem on Friday afternoon?”
“Oh, it’s a long weekend, but Sunday’s coming soon!”
Mary Magdalene found that Easter scene looked bleak—
though it started strong you know it ended wholly weak
but her mourning turns to morning when she hears that gardener speak (I see!)
When you hit rock bottom...
You believed your eyes when he materialised
but it’s your doubt that marked you out as being worldly wise
and a few more weeks playing hide and seek
only set a new agenda for the long critique—
now the text’s been glossed and the plot’s been lost
and you’re waiting, speculating, for the Pentecost
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2. |
Who can we turn to?
04:41
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LYRICS
We come to your table, strangest of food,
to eat of your flesh, drink of your blood,
to lay at your feet our hopes and our fears,
the lightness of youth, the burdens of years.
Who can we turn to? Where can we go?
You have the words of life for our souls.
I go down on my knees, know just who I am—
the glory of God, the puzzle of man;
making war with my questions, peace with my doubt
and you are my hope when patience runs out.
Who can we turn to? Where can we go?
You have the words of life for our souls.
All that you did, all that you said—
voices of heaven go round in my head.
If you take this world and make it again
then give everything to a new kind of men,
who’d be faithful and honest, patient and wise,
wouldn’t take someone’s love, exchange it for lies.
Who can we turn to? Where can we go?
You have the words of life for our souls.
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3. |
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LYRICS
Well some of these days I wanna say
I’m alone here in my room and won’t you please go away—
you can tell me I’m paranoid—
there are many things and people I’d prefer to avoid:
it’s safer in here with a pizza and beer
singing Cafe C songs ‘bout the things I fear—
Save me—from the wishing well!
Save me—from the fires of hell, well
save me, O save me!
I’m crying out to heaven, I’m down on my knees,
won’t you save me from my enemies?
(Give me some examples…)
Lethargy and selfishness and ingratitude,
cowardice and saying things that sound a little rude,
begrudging other people things that they might like
like a Snickers or a girlfriend or a nice new bike.
Save me from the people who do nothing but moan
and the interest on the interest on my payday loan—
Save me—from broken sleep!
Save me—from my iPhone’s beep, O
save me, O won’t you save me!
Please be frugal with Google’s robot sorceries,
won’t you save me from my enemies?
Jealousy, resentment, unforgiveness and greed,
rejection by the very people I most need,
being irritated by the smoothest of lies,
punching someone smug right between the eyes.
Don’t make me sit with people with a fake, fixed smile,
don’t make me take a lie detector test on Jeremy Kyle—
Save me—from my alibis!
Save me—from your prying eyes!
Save me—I’m just requesting that you save me!
Give me an app to delete them from my dreams and my memories,
won’t you save me from my enemies?
Self-deception, fear of failure and hypocrisy,
nosey people, anger, joblessness and poverty.
Save me from the things I think I’d rather not think,
the things I drink too much of that I better not drink,
chugging neat nostalgia from the fountain of youth
and rubbernecking the car crash at the death of truth—
Save me—from the mark of Cain!
Save me—from legerdemain!
Save me—it’s getting urgent that you save me!
Please take me out of scare quotes and italics and parentheses,
won’t you save me from my enemies?
Discouragement, loneliness, persecution—
save me frae believin’ in a final solution.
Save me frae Big Brother, the shame of it all—
don’t wannae be evicted by Davina McCall.
Save me frae ma doubts and fears, if you please
be certain to save me frae ma certainties—
(Well, that’s not very politically correct!)
Save me—from liberal irony!
O save me from a thousand different voices of theology!
They say they’ll get me into heaven when St Peter finds the keys—
won’t you save me from my enemies?
(For instance)
Helplessness, estrangement, temptation and pride,
save me up with interest at the Nationwide.
Save me from the future, save from the past,
save me for the last dance if it’s really the last.
Save me from my sickness, save me from my health,
save me from believing I can save myself—
Save me—from the wishing well!
Save me—from the fires of hell!
Save me, won’t you save me?
I’m crying out to heaven and I’m down on my knees,
won’t you save me from my enemies?
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4. |
Deep calls to deep
04:11
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LYRICS
Like a deer that longs for cool, clear water
my soul it longs for you,
and like a bird that aches for land to rest her body,
for a place where I can meet with you.
My tears have been my food
every night and day—
Where is your God now? people say—
yet I remember all the nights we spent in thanks
and how my heart would overflow with joy—
Why be cast down within me
O my soul, O my soul?
for I will hope anew, my living God.
Why be disturbed within me
O my soul, O my soul?
for I will praise you, my Saviour, my God.
And now the words of those who mock and disbelieve you
are like a blade that lames and weakens me.
You were my God, my Rock, my shield and my defender,
why is it you have now forgotten me?
Deep calls to deep
like the sound of many waters,
dark waves of sorrow break on me—
yet I remember all the days we walked in love
and how by night your music filled my soul—
Why be cast down...
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5. |
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LYRICS
(Words outside brackets are first "faith" voice
Words in brackets are second "doubt" voice)
I can (can I?) feel the touch of your presence
I can (can I?) feel the touch of your presence
healing me,
you are (are you?) healing me
You say "The world is full of trouble
as the sun shall rise and fall
but in me you have peace that passes understanding
I've overcome it all—
yes I've overcome it all"
(And here's the plain good news
if only I could understand it
you died immortal
and bring peace with a sword,
you come not to judge but judge
where first is last and poor is rich
and fools are wise—
speaking plainly we are freed into complete subjection
where the only way to live is to die)
I can (can I?) feel the power of your presence
I can (can I?) feel the power of your presence
healing me - what does it mean to heal me?
you are (are you?) healing me - nobody lives forever
You say "Don't worry about tomorrow,
let it worry for itself
but do what is good and seek my kingdom
and all shall then be well—
yes all shall then be well"
(Father, Son, Spirit, riddle of the one-in-three,
how could you be wholly God and wholly man?
King of a world ruled by someone else,
uniting us to live apart,
you're the God whom we believe and we don't believe,
that's the simple gospel truth.)
You say "As high as are the heavens
beyond your human gaze
so far are my thoughts beyond your understanding,
my ways above your ways."
(Still the old, familiar puzzle—
good God and a wicked world.
Why did you choose to lose the power and control?
How should we comprehend this suffering God
who kills us with his endless love
and blesses his beloved with freedom's curse,
and the bittersweet gift of doubt?)
I can (can I?) feel the touch of your presence
I can (can I?) feel the touch of your presence
healing me,
you are (are you?) healing me
Our days are like grass,
we flourish like the flowers of the field.
The wind blows over us, we are gone,
our place remembers us
Prayers in time constantly
crossing the bridge to eternity
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6. |
Lay down my angry heart
04:13
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LYRICS
Since I was a little child
if someone crossed me I was wild—
day by day it became my way,
I grew with a selfish heart,
became a man with an angry heart
and if you know me now I’m as nice as pie
till you cut me up then the sparks will fly
or I’ll cut you dead for what you said
when I speak from my selfish heart,
or keep my silence with my angry heart.
I've got to lay down my angry heart—
it fires me up, tears me apart.
Got no place for saving grace—
stand down my selfish heart,
lay down my angry heart.
Angry heart is a long hard ride,
it rules with fear, it swells with pride—
open the gate to a world of hate
when you speak from your selfish heart,
or keep your silence with your angry heart.
Anger grows, it never ends—
hurt your loved ones, you lose your friends—
what a sad surprise to realise
I’m a slave to my selfish heart,
in prison with this angry heart.
I've got to lay down my angry heart...
Jesus said There’s another way
to bring your soul to the light of day—
forgive if you want to live,
have my spirit in your selfish heart,
bring peace to your angry heart.
And Jesus when it came to your time to die
the angry crowd shouted Crucify!
you said My work is done, forgive each one,
you died with your breaking heart,
and you rose with your loving heart.
I'm gonna lay down my angry heart....
Lay down my angry heart—
it fires me up, tears me apart.
Got no place for saving grace,
rise up my forgiving heart.
rise up my forgiving heart.
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7. |
The sound of heavy rain
04:22
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LYRICS
So many years of drought in this land—
idol worship born of idle hands.
God is mocked, ambition is laid bare
in worthless creeds of pleasure and despair.
We your people have come to you today,
come to worship, like Elijah come to pray—
see a tiny cloud on the horizon again
and in our souls the sound of heavy rain.
Pour down on every willing heart:
rain in this desert, Holy Spirit, counterpart,
pour down your power and your grace—
we can do the father’s will,
make a difference in this place.
So many times we have stood upon this ground,
pride and indifference the enemies we’ve found.
So many lives lived in darkness all their days
that never know the liberty of praise.
Open our eyes and our ears to your desire,
to see around us your chariots of fire,
to hear your still and quiet voice again
and in our souls the sound of heavy rain.
Pour down...
We don't find you in the earthquake,
we don't find you in the fire,
we don't find you in the howling wind,
you whisper to our desire
Pour down...
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8. |
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LYRICS
Lord, where did you leave your hands?
Lord, where did you leave your hands?
You left your hands on everybody’s arms,
you count on our fingers, you wave with our palms—
Lord, here’s where you left your hands.
Lord, where did you place your eyes?
Lord, where did you place your eyes?
You placed a pair on everybody’s face
to see a world that’s dying for compassion and grace—
Lord, here’s where you placed your eyes.
Lord, where did you put your ears?
Lord, where did you put your ears?
You put them on the side of everybody’s head
to hear the cries of those who should be healed and be fed—
Lord, here’s where you put your ears.
Lord, where do you find your voice?
Lord, where do you find your voice?
You find it in the breath of everybody’s lungs
with words of grace and justice on the tips of our tongues—
Lord, here’s where you find your voice.
Lord, where do you keep your feet?
Lord, where do you keep your feet?
You keep a pair in everybody’s shoes
so everybody’s soles can carry your good news—
Lord, here’s where you keep your feet.
Lord, where is your body now?
Lord, where is your body now?
It’s not on the cross, it’s not in the grave,
we touch it when we brush our hair or shower or shave—
Lord, we are your body now,
Lord, we are your body now.
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9. |
Open doors
05:06
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LYRICS
The Web we wove for wonder caught the faces of our fears—
images flashed on our screens, sound streamed in our ears
like doors that open out upon a world without relief
from the empty eyes of hunger, the bitter voice of grief.
It is the landscape of the victims of the lies we can't defend
we turn to our amusements and our families and our friends—
the doors cannot be closed now that we've seen what we have seen
and we've heard the words of Jesus and we know what they now mean—
Open doors to those in suffering and loss,
waking to our world in the shadow of the cross:
never shirk from our commitment as you never shirked from yours
to meet the crying need we see through open doors.
Onto the refugee whose crime was to be born in the wrong place,
to the moment's inattention that a lifetime won't erase,
to the prisoner of conscience being tortured just for fun,
to the children drinking water that will kill them one by one;
onto the rude and awkward neighbour who needs a loving friend,
to the smiling wife and mother's secret cancer of the brain,
to the bullied anorexic who has gone from losing hope
to the end of her tether to the end of a rope.
Open doors…
The doorway opens out on the agendas of the hour—
shameless priests and politicians trade their principles for power
each beaten-down minority walks on through hate or pain
till the tables in the temple are turned over once again.
If we turn from the doorway we are turning to despair—
it takes time, it takes talent, it takes money, it takes prayer:
what was good for the Samaritan is good for everyone
who can't do everything for all but who will do something for some—
Open doors...
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10. |
In need of grace
03:38
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LYRICS
At the break of day, before I go my way
to all the give and taking that I face,
every place I go, with every friend or foe,
in all I do I know I'm in need of grace.
In noon’s activity, with every hurt I see
and every bright ambition that I chase,
in courage or in stealth, in poverty or wealth,
in sickness or in health I'm in need of grace.
I'm in need of faith for restoration
in the moment of betrayal,
in need of love that gives forgiveness
when I hammer in the nail,
in need of hope of resurrection
when the powers of death prevail:
when all is said and done I'm in need of grace.
At the set of sun, when my race is run
and I lay down upon my resting place,
for all that's passed my way and all that’s left to say
every single day I'm in need of grace;
every single day I'm in need of grace.
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