Over a year ago I decided I was really going to figure out how words worked together in a song.  I was going to spend six months doing an extensive study of the Psalms, old Bob Dylan tunes, anything I count get my hands on where the words really carried the song.  It lasted about a week before I gave up.  I couldn't come up with anything that really worked.

Then over the last few weeks I've listened to a lot of podcasts about Christian music.  And nearly without fail they all came back to the same thing -- sing the word.  So I decided to give that a try.  This is a lot of fun -- taking a simple chord progression and letting the words get inside you, then seeing what comes out.  I've done this just about every night for a week, and I think it has been MUCH more helpful than the "I'll figure it out myself" approach that I tried before.

I thought I'd share the results of singing phrases from Psalm 63 for a week.  You can listen to a demo in the music player on my profile page.

Better Than Life

 ( G  D/F#  Em  D/F# )
God I will seek You in the morning
And I will search for You at night

 ( C  D  C  D )
For You have always been my help
So I will praise You as long as I live

 ( G  Bm  C  D )
My soul clings to You
My soul clings to You

 ( C  D  C  D )
For Your lovingkindness is better than life
You lovingkindness is better than life

My soul clings to You
My soul clings to You

Deliver me from the darkness
Deliver me from the doubt
Deliver me into Your purpose
Come and turn my world inside out

My soul clings to You Jesus
My heart sings to You in the shadow of Your wings
My soul clings to You Jesus
My heart sings to You in the shadow of Your wings

For Your lovingkindness is better than life
Your lovingkindness is better than life
Never let me go

My soul clings to You Jesus
My soul clings to You...