October 26 2007
Simple lyrics, are we only reaching the surface areas?
Tagged Under : creativity, lyrics, music, Nina Persson, songwriting, The Cardigans, worship
I’ve been really challenging myself in my congregational worship songwriting to bring the same level, hopefully higher, of lyrical creativity that I would when I’d write “secular” songs. I find it quite shameful that we as a church have stopped using that part of our brains in our worship and particularly in our songwriting. I can’t imagine that the psalmist sat down and in just a moment of clarity and streaming consciousness wrote, “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God” (Psalms 42:1Psalms 42:1
English: American Standard Version (1901) - ASV
42
1 As the hart panteth after the water brooks, So panteth my soul after thee, O God.
">Psalms 42:1Psalms 42:1
English: American Standard Version (1901) - ASV
42
1 As the hart panteth after the water brooks, So panteth my soul after thee, O God.
). I believe that took devotion and an intense searching of his heart to find the words that captured best what was happening in his spirit at the time. So often we as congregational worship leaders and songwriters, will use an attitude of, “I just want a simple song to praise Jesus” as a musical crutch. But I really think it’s even more than that. I think it’s cheapened our sacrifice in that all we offer is simple phrases which unsurprisingly tends to exercise only the surface areas of our heart, emotions, mind and body. We want total engagement of spirit, heart, strength, mind right?
Don’t get me wrong, I know God is pleased with a simple “I love you Jesus”. That can be very powerful and as long as it is uttered and offered up as truth and not reflex I know God is moved and honored by that. But are we writing “I love you Jesus”, or “You alone or worthy” out of reflex? We’ve sang it so many times, heard it so many times, are we just emulating what we know fits the church and is proven to work?
Shouldn’t we sit in the presence of God, pen in hand, hear what is spoken, then challenge ourselves, how is this best communicated for my church body. We shouldn’t approach it as, how has this best been communicated in the past. Human creativity didn’t stop at Psalms. God is still speaking, moving, and we better learn to capture it and express it with our best in every area. I refuse to settle with any of my lyrics, I have in the past, even very recently. But this has really been driven deep in my heart. No more wasted words, no more reflexively offering up a cheap praise, that’s my religion showing up. I want every part of me engaged in worship of the King of Kings, my creative self has been on vacation and it’s time to return.
It’s been a real struggle these last few weeks of songwriting. This is hard, it goes against every religious bone in my body. To find the balance between creativity, practicality, singability, it’s no easy task. I’ve gotten it wrong in the past and I’m sure I’ll get it wrong again, but one things for certain. All of me will be showing up to write for my God, and in that I know he’s pleased, what else could I desire.
I wanted to include some lyrics from one of today’s lyrical masters Nina Persson of the Cardigans as an example. English isn’t even her first language and she writes some of the most beautiful words I’ve ever heard. I encourage you to buy Long Gone Before Daylight, this was the first album she wrote all the lyrics for, it’s unbelievable. Here’s just a couple examples of her genius:
“I never really knew how to move you,
so I tried to intrude through the little holes in your veins and I saw You.
But that’s not an invitation that’s all I get, if this is communication, I disconnect.
I’ve seen you I know you but I don’t know how to connect, so I disconnect.”
The following is possibly one of the greatest lyrical intros to a song I’ve ever heard. These are the first few lines of Please Sister:
“With a sampled heartbeat and a stolen sole.
I sung my songs to have my fortunes told.
And it said you should know that love will never die
But see how it kills you in the blink of an eye”
Lyrics like that grab you, take you inside the purpose of the song, and creatively express the passion that is so obviously felt here.
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[…] Check it out! While looking through the blogosphere we stumbled on an interesting post today.Here’s a quick excerptI refuse to settle with any of my lyrics, I have in the past, even very recently. But this has really been driven deep in my heart. No more wasted words, no more reflexively offering up a cheap praise, that’s my religion showing up. … […]
Amazing thoughts. I love the idea of communicating God’s heart in creative ways. My two sense is that the other side of the challenge is to in your creativity that you do not forget that part of communication is also saying it in a way that people can understand it. When it is a corporate setting the song must be creative and corporate. I also thing alot of songs are cheap in their thought and lyric. I have also heard songs that are creative and confusing. Man the balance is delicate but I would rather us walk the fine line then go extreme. I hope that make sense.
Yes balance is key here. I think as long as we are struggling in the balance we are engaged in a good fight. I think previously I just took the easy route and said, simple and easy is good enough, I don’t need to try and be creative. Psalms is full of really creative writing, over time we’ve become used to it and it almost sounds safe. But I can’t ignore the writers hearts, that they were struggling to make sure they offered their best to God and captured their heart and God’s heart,vision and promise in amazingly beautiful and creative ways. So I at least want to struggle, over simplified may win sometimes, others crazy creativity, but my prayer is that a balance will be found in the struggle.
we will beat you extremes! Good stuff kyle let’s always walk the tight rope of balance. Creative but congregational.
Man, this is good stuff. I too have recently been struggling so much with my lyrics. I feel like I revert back to what sounds like what I know a worship song to be rather than stretching myself and offering something totally new and fresh. I think creativity isn’t about how complex or philosophical you can make your lyrics but how well you can capture a thought and communicate it in an effective and creative way that is stimulating to the ear the mind and the heart. Wow, it is so much harder to do things in excellence! Sometimes I wish that I could just go back to the state where I didn’t know any better, where I thought I was doing it all just fine but then again, I’m SO grateful that the Lord is challenging me to reach new levels and not be satisfied with the mediocre. God is requiring the best of us and if we are obedient and allow His Spirit to flow through us how can we not produce creative, passionate and congregational worship songs.
I agree. I like the Crowder lyrics on Here is Our King:
From wherever spring arrives to heal the ground
From where ever searching comes to look itself
A trace of what we’re looking for
so be quiet now, and wait
And what was said to the rose to make it unfold
Was said to me, here in my chest
To be quiet now, and rest
Much deeper.