Forum » EQUIP THE WORSHIPPER » SONGWRITING CLINIC » All I Can Do (is say thank you)
17 July 2008 - 5:43pm
I'd welcome your feedback. this song was written a few years ago and our congregation has really taken to it (one couple even using it for their wedding). Below are the lyrics:
(please forgive the roughness of the live recording)
ALL I CAN DO
Verse 1:
By your Word, oh Lord,
were the heavens and the earth created:
The tempest wrath, the graceful snow,
and colors from the rain
Mountains soar, valleys run, oceans swell
all in thunderous chorus
All Your works declare You reign
Verse 2:
You are Lord, You are God,
You are higher than my deepest musings
Infinite yet so intimate; just, yet You forgive
Every breath, every gift comes from You,
through Your tender mercy
Fearful is Your majesty,
Shepherd of my soul
CHORUS:
And sometimes all I can do is say, “thank You”
All I can do is surrender my life to You
All I can do is say, “thank You” Lord
Verse 3:
By Your Hand my chains to sin
have been torn asunder
The awful cross
is now wondrous in my eyes
Your hands that formed worlds, pierced by nails,
wrought salvation for me
Your holy blood was shed so I might rise
And all I can do is say, “thank You”
All I can do is surrender my life to You
All I can do is say, “thank You” Lord
Verse 4:
Here I stand, gripped again,
lost in awe; in silent wonder
A grateful heart, I bring before Your throne
In this place, Lord receive all the praise
that I cannot utter
All my words fail to capture Your renown
CHORUS:
And all I can do is say, “thank You”
All I can do is surrender my life to You
And all I can do is say, “thank You”
All I can do is surrender my life to You
And all I can do is say, “thank You”
All I can do is just lay myself down at Your feet
All I can do is say, “thank You”, Lord
music & lyrics copyright 2006 Doug Allord (Sh'ma Music)(ASCAP)
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17 July 2008 - 6:08pm
Hi Doug, wow really deep song and I really like the chorus
...i'll be honest it feels like you need a degree in English to understand some of those words so wont be accessible for everyone straight away! (well not for pee brains like me!)
Also I would drop the "and sometimes" in the first chorus... as it almost takes away the heartfelt passionate statement of all I can do is thank you to a "well sometimes I can thank you."
there are some amazing lyrics in there I feel if you help us out with dropping some of the "harder" words to understand it would be even better
Obviously that's just my take on it so see what others think.
Seriously good song though.
Chris
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Hi Doug,
Thanks for posting the song. I like it and I think there's more to go on the crafting.
For me the verses are good, but we need to get to the chorus quicker, and I wonder if your chorus is finished? To me it feels a little like a long pre-chorus, and could build into a bigger anthemic chorus of response. I'd chop the verses ruthlessly, cut the chorus in half and make it a pre-chorus, then find a killer chorus?
Keep going with it!
Al
Hi Doug - this is huge! You've packed in most of Christianity into one song... which is impressive, but it also means it reads a bit more like than essay than might be desirable for a worship song. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for deep, well-crafted, theologically rich and poetic lyrics, but I just wonder if there is too much in here, and you might be better chopping away a section or two and re-using them in another song? Verse 3 for example would form the basis for a great song on the cross, and the rest of the song would gain focus IMO.
Also, I'm not sure after verses 1 & 2 that my response would be to sometimes say 'thank you' - I think it'd be to shout 'WOW YOU'RE REALLY AMAZZZZZZZZIIIINGGGGG GOD!!!!!' and jump up and down. Something more massive would definitely lift this - I'd also encourage you to turn the chorus around so the focus stays on God - at the mo you've got verses all about God, but the chorus is entirely focussed on me and what I'm doing for God which is a bit of a shame to be honest. Maybe try and keep it focussed on who God is, with a really simple shout of praise to Him.
Hope that helps, great work on this,
God bless
Matt
www.RESOUNDworship.org
Free New Worship Songs
www.RESOUNDworship.org
Free New Worship Songs
Thanks for the feedback guys! I really appreciate it. It is rather hymn-y, but no sense in not stretching folks a bit, eh? Many of my songs tend to be a bit on the long side which is something I'm working on. I guess I get stuck in that, "but wait! there's so much more to Who He is". Since we're already using it for church, to alter at this point would be odd. I've got a new song in the works though and will 'test drive' it with a few friends prior to posting, and then await your feedback prior to church use. God bless you and WC.org!





