May 25, 2008
Song Video: Thorn In My Side
I shared the lyrics to this song this fall I think. We had a really rough fall with Sarah's pregnancy and I wrote a couple of songs about going through hard times. This one came to me in one evening. I think I might have written the bridge later that week, but other than that it was one of those quick songs that writes itself.
Click the extended entry to see the lyrics.
Continue reading "Song Video: Thorn In My Side"
Posted by Kirk Ward at 8:11 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
May 17, 2008
New Song: Your Presence Is Here
Here's a rough demo:
This song was written with several things in mind:
-What does it mean to worship a resurrected Jesus? Because of the resurrection, we have the Holy Spirit as a gift within us and we no longer need a physical temple.
-How does the worship experience driven by the gospel and result in justice?
-I was also trying to write within the genre of a "praise chorus". These are short, simple and designed to be easy to learn and internalize within one service. There are so many bad choruses out there that I thought I would try my hand at writing a good one. You be the judge.
-I was also making a somewhat obvious reference to the song "The Presence of the Lord Is Here" as performed by Byron Cage. That song basically says that God's presence is something that shows up when we worship with the purpose of giving us a blessing. That's not bad, but the songs seems to take an attitude that is a little to close to the prosperity gospel. The special section at the end says, "I can feel the presence of the Lord, and I'm gonna get my blessing, RIGHT NOW!" I wanted to write a song that emphasized that being close to God results in sharing his heart for the oppressed, the broken hearted, the orphan, and widow.
-Finally, I wanted to write a song that would make millions of dollars for me. No, wait...scratch that.
Read on for the lyrics.
Continue reading "New Song: Your Presence Is Here"
Posted by Kirk Ward at 10:40 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
May 8, 2008
New Song: New Creation
I have tamed the Cakewalk beast and finally completed my first ever demo. It's pretty rough, but it gives a decent idea of how the tune goes.
The song was written as an obvious nod to the African gospel music that I have spent the past 3+ years trying to understand. It is intended for corporate worship and so it has pretty simple form, but I think it would be great with horns and full percussion and 3 guitars. Yes, Paul Simon did it first, but Africa is the wave of the future as far as the Christian church goes, so we should get used to it, right?
The message of "New Creation" is that faith in Jesus comes with a promise: the old is gone and the new has come. So it's a promise that can encourage us when we feel defeated, but it can also be a warning for us to examine our hearts. The ending vamp goes through a long list of old/new characteristics. It will play a lot better live as it builds and builds to a climax.
You can check out the demo on my myspace page.
Posted by Kirk Ward at 12:58 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
February 15, 2008
A Real MySpace Page
Ok, I promise that I really do have a myspace page now where hopefully you can listen to some of my songs.
Posted by Kirk Ward at 8:01 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
January 27, 2008
2 New Songs on One Sunday!
I went with a risky decision to introduce 2 new songs on one Sunday. Actually, one of the two is the Chris Tomlin version of "When I Survey The Wondrous Cross" which is not really new. It just adds a new refrain that's really easy to pick up. Plus anyone under 40 in the church will probably know it already (at least the white folks).
The other new song is one I wrote back in 2003 that has been on the back burner until now. It is one from my post college period that was an extremely creative time for me because I was living on an extremely small income thanks to having connections in Chattanooga, and so most of my days were spent reading stimulating books, playing guitar, and writing songs. Having just completed my jazz studies, I wrote several songs that were more complex than the average worship tune including "Before I Knew", "Search Me", "Greater Is He Who Is In Us", and this morning's song "Rejoice In The Lord" which is based on Philippians 4:4,8,9. Here's the lyrics:
Whatever is true
Whatever is noble
Whatever is right
Whatever is pure
Whatever is lovely
Whatever is admirable
If anything is excellent
Or praiseworthy
Think about such things
Put 'em in to practice
And the God of peace
The God of peace
Will be with you.
Rejoice in the Lord always 4X
The groove is a kind of Steely Dan thing. If only St. Louis' own Michael McDonald could be here to sing back up!
Update: I just got back from church. The 2 songs went great! Sometimes I begrudge Tomlin for his success, but the refrain he wrote is really good. And my song went over pretty well despite not having Michael McDonald. That song might take a few more performances to really hit the congregation.
Posted by Kirk Ward at 7:15 AM | TrackBack
January 18, 2008
Recording Project '08
Here's an update on the recording project that I am undertaking in 2008.
The are several doors that are opening through God's provision that have a lot of potential. A friend of mine in Chattanooga found out from my dad that I am considering my options, and he contacted me offering to help with the project. He's done several recordings (though he doesn't have a lot of experience with vocalist) but he is willing to work for peanuts just to be able to build up his portfolio. Another friend here in St Louis has a basement full of recording gear that he offered to lend to our church so it can be put into use. I would need a lot of help learning how to use it, but it would basically be completely free for my creative juices to flow.
On another front, I am going to tour a local studio and meet with some of their staff this morning. They are pretty swanky and so I am intimidated by how pricey it might be to do stuff there. Still, I need to evaluate my options, and hit the streets looking for what's available out there.
I don't have time to share all of the pros and cons of self-recording vs. going with a pro studio. I am currently leaning toward a mix of both, so stay tunned. If anyone out there in blog-land has a St Louis studio (not just a buddy who plays with loops on GarageBand) to recommend, please let me know.
Posted by Kirk Ward at 10:38 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
October 1, 2007
Thorn In My Side
Here's a song that I wrote this month. It's got a kind of a Springsteen, Tracy Chapman, T-Bone Burnett kind of vibe.
Thorn In My Side
I can’t forget the night
When the light came
A voice spoke into my heart,
And it changed my name.
Years have passed since then,
But it feels like yesterday
And that voice still speaks into my heart
And I can hear it say,
“My son, why don’t you listen
When I’m talkin’ to you?
My son, why don’t you love me
Like you say that you do?
My arms are here to hold you
So please lay down your pride
But my embrace is gonna hurt you
‘Cause you got a thorn in your side”
Chorus
It’s gettin’ hard
To keep my hand on the plow
It’s gettin’ hard
To run in the race
It’s gettin' hard
To stand in the battle
With this thorn in my side
Yeah, this thorn in my side
Sometimes the thorn is subtle
And I forget it’s there
Sometimes it cuts into me,
Feels like more than I can bear.
Sometimes it feels familiar
Just like a good ol’ friend
Sometimes it seems to haunt me
Like a nightmare that won’t end
Will I choose to live or die now?
Sometimes I can’t decide
Times are hard this side of glory
With this thorn in my side
To Chorus
Bridge
Three times I asked my Jesus
To take the thorn from me
He said, “It’s there to show you
That my grace is all you need
When pain overwhelms you
Just remember what I’ve said
And remember that I once wore
A crown of thorns on my head
I know it gets hard
To keep your hand on the plow
I know it gets hard
To run in the race
I know it gets hard
To stand in the battle
With a thorn in your side
Yeah, a thorn in your side
Posted by Kirk Ward at 10:51 AM | Comments (5) | TrackBack