Question:
Hello all. I've started writing music lately, and I thought I'd post it on here to get some feedback. It's all sort of folk music style, for acoustic (steel-string) guitar. I've got not only lyrics, but also mp3s of me playing these songs, with one caveat: the audio quality is rather poor, but not poor enough to hide my lack of Music Theory and vocal training. The following may cause discomfort or pain to ears more musical than mine. With that disclaimer in mind, read on...
Answer:
We need never be afraid to come to God. We need not fix our lives to be worthy of His love: He loves us beyond any question of our deserving. Right standing before God is not achieved through self-discipline, but received as a gift. So even – and especially – when we are at our lowest, we can confidently seek His help. (Heb 4:16, Rom 5:8, Lk 11:2-4, Mt 11:28)
(Verse 1)
In the morning I lift up my prayer to You, Lord
For the strength that I need this day
I am weak, I am poor, and I know on my own
I’ll do nothing but fall away
But I come to you not through what I’ve achieved
But because I have so great a need
So be my daily bread. Be all that I need today.
(Verse 2)
When I trusted in my own strength, Lord,
I was scared to call on You
Afraid that if I acknowledged my failings
I’d prove the Accuser true
But now I know I’m never holier than
When I come as a sinner repenting
So I fall at Your throne. Receive me as Your own once again.
(Verse 3)
And all of yesterday’s sin cannot keep me
From being made holy today
And all of the ways that I’ve pushed You aside
Cannot keep Your grace away
And all of the thoughts that came running and racing
Through my restless mind last night
Are no reason to think that You do not love me this morning.
morning_prayer.mp3
Answer:
Through Christ, even those not descended from Abraham are drawn into the Israel of God, His chosen people. And the words of the prophets – such as this passage from Isaiah 52 – are for us as well as for ancient Israel.
(Chorus)
Awake, awake! O Daughter of Zion, arise!
Awake, awake! O Daughter of Zion, arise!
Shake off your dust, take off these chains
Put on your splendid garments and arise
(Verse 1)
My people have been sold away for nothing, for nothing
My people have been mocked by those who rule, and
People who don’t know My name blaspheme it, blaspheme it
My people must know My name
(Verse 2)
Beautiful feet are on the mountains, the mountains
Beautiful feet that bring good news,
Beautiful feet that bring salvation, salvation
How beautiful the feet that bring good news!
(Verse 3)
The watchmen on the heights scan the horizon, horizon
The watchmen on the heights await the dawn
The watchmen on the heights are singing “Glory, glory!”
The watchmen lift up a song of praise
(Verse 4)
The ruins of Jerusalem are singing, are singing
The rubble of Her glory is redeemed,
The Sovereign Lord has comforted His people, His people
The desolate places ring with joy
(Verse 5)
The Lord will lay bare his holy arm among us
The Lord will reveal His sovereign hand
The Lord will be seen in all the ends of the earth, and
All nations will see the salvation of our God
awake_awake.mp3
Answer:
To meet to Christ is death: death of self, death of ego and self-sufficiency and pride. But it is also rebirth. Our old self is crucified with Him, and new life begins – but only after His Word and His Spirit have struck dead our pride. Without knowing brokenness, we cannot know Christ- and what a gift is the brokenness He brings! (Eph 4:22-24, Gal 2:20, Mt 5:1-20)
(Verse 1)
Before I met You
I was an island all alone
I could do just fine on my own
Before I met You
Thought I was better than the rest
And I would never fail life’s tests
I thought my life was a success.
(Verse 2)
When I met You
Everything died inside of me
I saw everything I’d trusted crumbling
When I met You
My pride came crashing to the floor
Turned my back on all that came before
Wasn’t self-sufficient anymore
(Verse 3)
When I met You
New life sprang up inside of me
For the first time ever I was free
When I met You
I found love like I had never known before
Now I’m always thirsty to know more
Life isn’t empty anymore
when_i_met_you.mp3
Answer:
We try so hard to be worthy of God’s love. But what a foolish, prideful quest! God’s love makes the unlovable lovely – no need to pretty ourselves up first. It is in neediness, brokenness, weakness, helplessness that we must come, trusting His goodness and not our own. (Jn 5:39, Is 64:6, 2 Tim 2:13, Lk 5:31-32, 2 Cor 12:9-10, 1 Cor 1:26-31, Ps 127:1)
(Verse 1)
You want to be a holy warrior, fighting for what’s right
Using all your determination, and all your will and might
Well, you will never be victorious until you give up the fight
Because it’s where our strength ends that grace begins
(Chorus 1)
It’s where our strength ends that grace begins
And it’s when we are most weak we enter in
If we trust in our own power
By our strength we’ll be betrayed
But the battle’s won the hour
That we call on God for aid
In our frailty and our need
We will find He’s strong indeed
Because it’s where our strength ends that grace begins
(Verse 2)
You want to live a pure and holy life, obeying all the laws you’ve learned
You think that God will love you more because of all the sin you’ve spurned
Well, you do not know the love of God if you think it can be earned
Because it’s where our goodness ends that grace begins
(Chorus 2)
It’s where our goodness ends that grace begins
He is faithful to the faithless ones who sin
We perish in our health
While the sick ones find true rest
And we offer Him our wealth
But it’s the bankrupt who are blessed
Because all that He demands
Is that we come with empty hands,
And it’s where our goodness ends that grace begins.
(Bridge)
Grace begins, grace begins
When our hopes and plans all fail us
And our fears and doubts assail us
And we don’t know where to run
Grace begins, grace begins
When we’re lost, confused, dejected
And the God we had rejected
Shows He’s still our Faithful One
grace_begins.mp3
Answer:
God longs to be our source of pleasure and fulfillment and unending delight. But we turn to lesser pleasures, and then wonder why we have fallen. We fall because we fail to taste God’s goodness and savor in Him the joy that makes all temptations seem bland by comparison. (Is 55:1-2, Jn 7:37-39, Jn 4:13-14, Ps 37:4, Ps 36:8, Neh 8:10, Ps 28:7, Mt 6:19-20)
(Verse 1)
You have offered me a feast of the finest food and drink
But I prefer to feed myself with a meal of meager crumbs
You have promised living water ever flowing from within
But I trust my own cistern though my life seeps through the cracks
(Chorus)
Lord, please make me unhappy
Lord, please keep me dissatisfied
Lord, don’t let me find my joy
In anything less than You
In anything less than You
(Verse 2)
You have called me as Your son, gave me a home and royal robes
But I’d rather dress in rags, and make my home in the gutter
You have offered me true wealth that will never spoil of fade
But I cling to fleeting things that the moth and rust consume
easily_satisfied.mp3
Answer:
This song speaks from two perspectives: first a leper in the time of Jesus, then an Israelite in the wilderness during the plague of serpents (Numbers 21). Both know that God alone can bring healing; both fear what it would mean to seek Him. And to both God offers the invitation to look to Him and live.
(Verse 1)
My eyes are cast down at my feet
Not daring to look at the people I meet
I need to find some disguise to hide me
From their all-too-knowing eyes
My body is frail and weak
Somewhere must be the healing I seek
I believe that Your touch could restore me
But I’m too afraid to meet Your eyes
(Chorus 1)
Only look up, lift your eyes and you will live
But I can’t, I’m too afraid to look to You, to look to You
So I cover my face, and cover this shame that covers me.
And I am wasting away
And I am wasting away, wasting away
(Verse 2)
Fiery serpents are among us
They’ve laid low both the strong and weak
There’s no place of safety, nowhere to run
But to the God we’re afraid to seek
I feel their hot breath down my back
And I see them rise to attack
I feel the venomous fangs strike my heel
And burning poison runs through my veins
(Chorus 2)
Only look up, lift your eyes and you will live
I am dying; nowhere to turn so I turn to You, I turn to You
And uncover my face, and let Your grace cover me
And outwardly I’m wasting away
But inwardly I’m being renewed, day by day
lift_your_eyes.mp3
Answer:
A snowstorm turns the bleakest landscape into something exciting and new. Likewise through Christ we are renewed: made as beautiful and pure as snow in His sight, and enabled to see the world anew, finding joy and wonder and hope and delight where we could see none before. (Is 1:18)
(Verse 1)
I watch the snow falling down
As it covers the ground, and everything’s changed
Bare trees and buildings transformed into crystal
And fairy-tale castles and caves
(Chorus)
It’s the world as it used to be
Shrouded in mystery
Wrapped up in wonder
Surprising and new
That’s the world where I live each day
As You show me the way
Lost in Your love and
The wonder of You
(Verse 2)
Bare trees stood lonely, their branches clothed only
With ragged and tattered remains
Day followed dark grey day, clouds chased the sun away
'Til the bright snow-cover came
(Verse 3)
Though I sank down so low, You made me white as snow
Washed away my crimson stains
Opened my eyes to see love, joy, and mystery
Wonder that everything’s changed
snow.mp3
Answer:
Jesus chose Isaiah 61 as a “mission statement” for His ministry. The day of God’s favor has come, and through Christ broken hearts are healed, prisoners set free from darkness, the sorrowful comforted, the unlovely crowned with beauty, and the despairing clothed in garments of praise.
(Verse 1)
Declare good news (3x)
To the poor
Bind up the broken hearts (3x)
And make them whole
(Chorus 1)
And proclaim the day has come (3x)
The favored day
(Verse 2)
Set free the prisoners (3x)
From their bonds
Fill every darkened cell (3x)
With Your light
(Chorus 2)
And proclaim the day has come (3x)
And light has dawned
(Verse 3)
Come comfort all who mourn (3x)
And give them peace
Provide for those that grieve (3x)
And give them rest
(Chorus 3)
And proclaim the day has come (3x)
The day of joy
(Verse 4)
Bestow Your crown of beauty (3x)
Cover shame
Let faces shine with glory (3x)
And with joy
(Chorus 4)
And proclaim the day has come (3x)
And we’re reborn
(Verse 5)
And clothe us all in praise (3x)
Drive out despair
Lift our heaviness away (3x)
And let us dance
(Chorus 5)
And proclaim the day has come (3x)
To celebrate
the_day_has_come.mp3
Answer:
Dear Blindman,
I have liked you for quite a while and so I am interested in your music. I am nobody special. I'm not any special musical anything. I play guitar. I am not a great theologian. At best, to you, I am a consumer who might buy your music some day.
My computer is dreadfully slow. I don't have much time for this today. I should be able to return on Monday.
I want you to be encouraged.
I really like Awake Awake. I think that I would have a hard time playing the tricky part.
Do you write your music on paper? I'd like to try playing some of these. I fingerpick. Do you? I wonder what some of these would sound like if they done were fingerpick style.
My first impression, and I am no expert, but it seems to me that some of these should be slower and softer. Sound sadder??? It could be my personality quirk saying that.
I'm sorry, that's the best I can do for now. I'll get back to you on Monday.
It's good work. I do think so. It sounds like church music to me!
I'm sorry that I made you wait so long before I wrote to you about this. It must have been very painful. It would have crushed me if no one answered. I'm so sorry. This can be a very odd place. I call it the land of the ones and zeros. Computer land.
Yours,
ff
Answer:
Originally Posted by finchfeeder I really like Awake Awake. I think that I would have a hard time playing the tricky part.
I tried recording that one at least twenty times before I finally made it through the song once without messing it up completely...
Originally Posted by finchfeeder Do you write your music on paper? I'd like to try playing some of these.
Ok, I've put the chords up here.
Originally Posted by finchfeeder I fingerpick. Do you? I wonder what some of these would sound like if they done were fingerpick style.
I'm learning, slowly. Yes, it probably would sound better...
Originally Posted by finchfeeder My first impression, and I am no expert, but it seems to me that some of these should be slower and softer. Sound sadder??? It could be my personality quirk saying that.
I made all those recordings on the same day, a few days before Christmas, and I was in a bit of a frantic mood. I guess it shows. Plus, I had just come back from a Lost & Found concert (most of their music is rather loud and fast-paced). Yes, some of these songs probably should be sung a bit slower.
Answer:
I was able to get in a day early.
Do you have support in your community for this?
How long did it take you to write these songs?
I want to try to clarify what I said last time. I liked your Morning Prayer song. It's just that if I was saying those things to the Lord, I would want to walk somewhat softly before Him as I did. It could still be accomplished with strumming.
I think that you have great talent and I hope that you will continue writing songs.
I like the way you do that catch in your voice! You have some nifty skills with words and music. I see professionalism in you. Also, you seem to be orderly and well organized.
Most of your songs contain catchy words and musical phrases that stuck with me after hearing the song only once. I take that as a VERY good sign. Some of your songs are fun to sing.(For sure Snow is fun!) You offer great variety! Not boring at all.
Very nice work! I salute you!
You should not give these away for free. May I pay your membership dues? Better let me check into the legality of this before doing it.
Hope to hear from you soon.
ff
Answer:
Originally Posted by finchfeeder How long did it take you to write these songs?
Well, all these songs were written over the past four months or so. I just graduated from college, and being at least a thousand miles away from my college friends leave me with a lot of free time to do this sort of stuff...
Most of the individual songs were written in an hour or two, sometimes even less. I made up many of the tunes and lyrics while riding the subway home from church, and then wrote them down and figured out the chords once I got home.
Originally Posted by finchfeeder You should not give these away for free. May I pay your membership dues? Better let me check into the legality of this before doing it.
Well, I'm more interested in sharing a message through this music than in earning money. Plus, a few attempts in the past to earn money as a shareware programmer have taught me that collecting money is more of a hassle than it's worth. So I'm viewing all this music as a sort of "freeware."
Answer:
I'll get back with you soon.
I'm still trying to learn to play your songs.
Answer:
Originally Posted by Blindman To meet to Christ is death: death of self, death of ego and self-sufficiency and pride. But it is also rebirth. Our old self is crucified with Him, and new life begins – but only after His Word and His Spirit have struck dead our pride. Without knowing brokenness, we cannot know Christ- and what a gift is the brokenness He brings! (Eph 4:22-24, Gal 2:20, Mt 5:1-20)

(Verse 1)
Before I met You
I was an island all alone
I could do just fine on my own
Before I met You
Thought I was better than the rest
And I would never fail life’s tests
I thought my life was a success.

(Verse 2)
When I met You
Everything died inside of me
I saw everything I’d trusted crumbling
When I met You
My pride came crashing to the floor
Turned my back on all that came before
Wasn’t self-sufficient anymore

(Verse 3)
When I met You
New life sprang up inside of me
For the first time ever I was free
When I met You
I found love like I had never known before
Now I’m always thirsty to know more
Life isn’t empty anymore

when_i_met_you.mp3 I like this one a lot. At times it uses cliche phrases but they seem to work within the context of the song. Cliche doesn't always mean cheesy, and I think you managed that here. The rhyme scemes are simple but you keep them from sounding tired. I think you have a solid song here.