Verse 1: I’m here with a nerf gun under my covers Got every single door locked Could’ve been outside playing with the others Instead I’ve got the windows blocked I’m scared of everything, the dark, the fog, the movie the ring I wonder what’s hiding down under my sink, or what comes alive every time that I blink (gasp) Really just think, I don’t need to be scared, it’s probably just all in my mind But then up goes my hair, it just isn’t fair, whenever I step out I find Chorus: I put my courage on the shelf As I dreamt of power, fame and wealth Now I’m so scared it hurts my health Terror’s posted here Fear of failure, fear of pain Of being all alone again Makes me shed a tear But what I fear most is fear Living in fear Why am I so gripped with this fear Fear Perfect Love cast out fear and doubt Verse 2: I had to go and shoot one of my brothers He scared me from behind So I’ve been grounded by my mother Man, this happens every time Why won’t they just leave me alone, stop telling me that there’s a ghost in my own Whenever I think that I’m finally at peace, Godzilla jumps out; scares me out of my briefs (gasp) It’s such a relief when I notice it’s him, oh wonderful brother of mine What happens then, I shoot him again, you better not tattle this time

Verse 1: When I look up to the sky I see a vulture circling far overhead Waiting for our love to die And when it draws it’s final breath He will descend upon us Tearing our flesh. Then we will wish That we’d learned a little quicker Some things are better when they’re left unsaid Chorus 1: Listen to the symphony of regretted words The music made by the scars and hurts Listen to the crying out of a soul in need In need of the love that you once gave to me Verse 2: Hate is such a powerful word When it comes from you You know my every weakness How to open every wound Now you’re tearing me to pieces Right along the creases But you should have known Hurt people hurt people And those in glass steeples Should never throw stones Chorus 2: Listen to the symphony of regretted words The music made by the scars and hurts Listen to the crying out of a soul in need In need of the love that you once gave to me Listen to the symphony of sorrow And know that I dread facing tomorrow ‘Cause every memory that I recall Keeps telling me that we have ruined it all

Listen to the silence... Let it penetrate your soul Hold on to the quiet and, if you try it, you will know That silence is a gateway to our own inmost parts That in the silence we can't help but see the depths of our own hearts Some of us spend our lives in silence Others just spend time Trying to hide and deprive themselves Of the truth inside their minds There's a reason why silence is uncomfortable There's a reason so many avoid it When something shows us we are not what we'd hoped It's no wonder we try to destroy it Just come look at the string of lies I've spun to make myself feel adequate The web got so convoluted it's almost elegant the way that I fashioned it You don't know the half of it Is what I spat at those who would question it Anger became my ambulance It would rescue my heart every time I wrestled with the silence But then again, I guess rescue isn't the best choice of word It's absurd now to think that those bursts of rage Ever 'rescued' me from anything. I mean sure They'd curb the pain But two thirds of the time even that was in vain Because of the burden they left in it's place. What remained Was a chain of shame and regret That I still find it hard to face to this day My grave The place where I buried my song My headstone read here lies a man who died alone This heart that had grown as cold As the daggers of ice that were thrown at me Through the chosen words of others Enemies. Friends. Family Regardless of their intention, I had no direction left to run I mean come on, not even one? God not even one place of safety? Was it too much to ask for to have one shelter from the storm? One place where I could run for a soft touch to keep me warm? But every blessing comes with pain Every stronghold that I found in an attempt to hold back the rain Left me exposed to slings and arrows that would aim to have me slain With every new attack the silence grew Until I was suffocating under a veil of black Extending from my own heart. Every voice was one I knew And they're words, too, were ones I recognized They were lies I've bought so many times That they became ingrained in my very being Disguised as truth they pumped through my veins Delivering poison to every organ So resilient that the flow sustained even when the words changed I came into a new place Where on the surface People said things like "be yourself" And it worked for a term I bandaged the hurts and put salve on the burns But the final purpose it served Was to show me that my self was still worthless If I wanted to work this thing called life Then I had to purchase a new personality The one I had couldn't get a wife Would never be a father, could never build a life I was introduced to a new word: immature The catch-all when they weren't sure what you were But they knew that in their diagnosis You were closer to sickness than cure I was taught to think severity was to be equated with maturity There seemed to be this thought that only a child ever smiled And maybe they were right But it caused a lot of pain and insecurity When I realized maturity was something out of sight You see smiling had become how I coped with pain Laughter was how I grieved Joy was how I'd kiss the wounds and try to heal the broken parts of me But those who learn learn quick, they say And I am no exception I learned that candor doesn't pay And to bottle up rejection ’til it blows That's what I chose. And just before I closed the door To the shattered pieces left on the floor of my soul I chose one thing more I chose to leave I chose to leave my hopes and dreams as they started to rot Beneath the splintered beams that had once held them aloft I chose to leave the thought of ever finding love Because love was a notion only kept by those who were above The unwritten status that I was apparently born into My heart was torn beyond repair But then I stopped Just as I was about to seal it there A crippled organ that could no longer beat The last part of my humanity forever abandoned to defeat I saw You So the door stayed open In spite of the loss of everything I'd put my hope in The one thing I could not bring myself to abandon Was You

Verse 1: What can I say to praise You the way You deserve What can I do to honour You, ‘cause it’s What You said that gave me my worth and it’s What You did… What can I say as thanks for Your grace What can I do to bring glory to You, ‘cause it’s What you said that put a glow on my face and it’s What you did... Chorus: When You died in my place, freed me from sin Now in light of Your grace my new life can begin The victory’s won, in You I am hidden Thank You God that there’s freedom in what You did Verse 2: What can I say to repay Your forgiveness What can I do that’s pleasing to You, ‘cause it’s What You said that has made me a witness of What You did… What can I say to make my heart stay What can I do to show my love for You, ‘cause it’s What You said that showed me a better way and it’s What You did... Bridge: I’m never alone now that I’ve made my home with You I’ll never spend life on my own Forgiven and free now that You paid the price for me I’ll never spend life on my own

Verse 1: I was just taking off, headed for the skyline The fine looking place that I was jetting for was my time It was like I might spit a tight rhyme, right? Then I’d go from dark nights to the lime light All my life I wanted to be equal But in your sight, I’d always be beneath you So when it finally came to my turn You were hoping that I’d crash and burn But I didn’t, instead I started to soar Gravity just couldn’t hold me anymore You got jealous, you wanted all the glory Couldn’t bear the thought of this being my story Well I’m sorry that you never understood I gave you the kind of love that a brother would But you just let your anger churn You had to see me crash and burn So you decided to attack, you went on the offensive My world going black was all you needed for incentive Your hatred is extensive it makes you hypertensive Blinded to the fact the price you’re paying is expensive Just let live, but no, you’d rather die Than let me be the one with the chance to fly So you blast my ship from bow to stern Making sure that I would crash and burn Now you got what you wanted, right? But you’re still not satisfied You’re just so filled with spite That you’ve got to fuel your pride So you try to make everyone hate me Get ‘em all on your side Lesson learned, no such thing as friend Crashed and burned, but I’ll rise again Chorus: Yeah I’m heading off to war The whole world’s against me I tried to show love But all they did was tempt me Said they’d always be there But now my corner’s empty It seems hopeless It seems hopeless Verse 2: So now I’m building from the ground up Enemies are all around but I won’t let ‘em keep me down ‘cuz There’s a way that I have found The sound when our hearts find peace When we’re found to be drowning it brings release Though you’re waiting with the urn Never again will I crash and burn I’ll just keep on persevering ‘Cuz I know the end is near and Even though you’re all still sneering Never has my purpose been clearer I need to pray for my enemies, frienemies, sea anemones and my neighbours Seek God’s favour ’till He returns When sin and death are gonna crash and burn Bind up the brokenhearted giving them a garland The Lord is faithful to finish what He started Freedom to the guarded, liberty to captives God’s Holy Spirit is the only one that gives Renewed strength to keep up the pace The courage we need just to finish this race Mercy and grace I could never earn Means I may crash, but I’ll never burn So we worship in spirit Knowing that our God will hear it When He’s with us there fear in our hearts Even though it’s clear that we are Trapped in a world full of vengeance While heading down a path that will lead to repentance We know in the end it’s safe, in the light we learn That the darkness’ll crash and burn

Verse 1: It steals my breath The glow across a sunset sky But I still prefer The starlight that comes from your eyes I love a good song Dancing the whole night through But I still prefer Silence under the moon with you Chorus: When the stars look down on us darling They’re lighting your face up like rubies and gold While the stars above us are dancing I’m keeping your hands in mine until we get old Verse 2: To see the mountains I might just walk 500 miles But I still prefer The way you light the night with your smile I love the feeling Of water through my fingertips But I still prefer The soft, midnight touch of your lips

Chorus: Burn it all away, I want none of it to stay I need to lose control, but I can’t seem to let go So take it all from me, I need to be set free I’m a lamb that’s gone astray So burn it all away Verse 1: These days I’m feeling stuck, I’m caught up in distraction You’re calling me to stillness but I really need some action I’m joining every faction, looking for a cheap thrill I’m losing traction I really need to be still Just be chill and spend some time with You Too busy preaching and teaching to fall on You Lord I’m calling you, but I’m hauling too Why can’t I just give up on this life and find my all in you That’s all I’m called to do; love God and love my neighbour But money’s calling so I guess I’ll just leave that for later If novelty’s mine then everything’s fine, possessions fuel my pride If power is mine then everything’s fine, I’ve got no need to hide Look at the kingdom I built, but then it isn’t long Until I notice all my chains and where I went wrong They say pride comes before a fall, and I’m falling badly But if that’s the price of freedom, then I pay it gladly Verse 2: These days I’m feeling stuck, I’m caught up in depression Sorrow is a class that seems to always be in session I’m getting the impression that I’m not really worth much The pain would lessen if I could feel her touch How did I earn such malice and hatred All I feel’s rejected, neglected, frustrated Man I really hate it, I’m always being cast out Always feeling jaded, my confidence has passed out I’m on the fast route down to destruction Unless you take an increase, and I, a reduction If your love is mine then everything’s fine, sometimes I can’t believe it If mercy is mine then everything’s fine, Lord help me to receive it Fall to my knees and I pray, God have your way with me Give me ears to hear, Lord give me eyes to see The darkness always makes me fall, and I’m falling badly But if that’s the price of freedom, then I pay it gladly

Verse 1: I've been through it all, thick and thin I've been to the bottom and back again I've seen hope die, had my dreams shot down Felt hatred so thick that I thought I would drown I've been kicked around, been hung out to dry There've even been times when I wished I would die Chorus: But I'm joyful now I'm joyful somehow I’m joyful here I'm joyful with you near I've dwelt in sorrow far too long Thank God it's done I'm moving on And I'm joyful now I'm joyful somehow Verse 2: Some times are still hard, the world can be cruel Things still fall apart and I feel like a fool I'm still lost at sea, but I'm on my way home I need the Light, I can't find land on my own The battle feels long, but life is short So this is the song I'll sing when I'm hurt Verse 3: Now I've found a Love that's with me through all I kept falling down until He broke my fall Now I'm on my way up, I'm seeing new sights I'm on a path to the Son, the brightest of lights So I strum my guitar and I lift up my voice You offered me life, Jesus I've made my choice

Ah, the good ol’ days One of the classic ways that we refer To a phase of life we’ve gone through We reminisce about the things we miss as our mind plays tricks on us Fulfilling some secret wish to give the days of our past meaning We trust our memories to carry us off Adrift in the seas of what we think there was Or could have been. But what really are the good ol’ days? Some glowing beacon that we pull out of the haze of life’s uncertainty? When we’re freaking out because we’re certain We had less breaches in our curtains and walls During past last calls and speeches about how tall our fame reaches Is it all a misremembered dream That we hold in high esteem Because it makes us feel as though freedom wasn’t always out of reach? What if they’re not what we think? What if the good ol’ days are back when you first realized you could control your hand With your brain. Imagine the wonder in your underdeveloped mind As you realize that you fingers are little servants Nervous little soldiers that you can send into battle To defend your favourite rattle from the enemy Your sister Oh the battles we’d have with our sisters Or brothers. Or fathers, or mothers The things we used to fight about before ‘real life’ smothered us Now seem so small and trivial But we felt so witty all the times my friends and I Built cities and forts where girls were not allowed We vowed hatred so many times As if the cold shoulder Was something we could hold out with for eternity. But when it came down to show and tell They were part of the mould for every story we told Until we were old enough to learn how to lock them out And I’m not talking about all of the shouting matches I’m talking about the scenes Where we’d play catch with our dreams We’d toss love back and forth like a baseball Sharing every part of ourselves as we etched them Onto each others hearts so that we wouldn’t forget We painted the portrait of our lives in those games And sure, sometimes they were kind of lame But we came into this world with nothing but a name And we had to decide for ourselves What parts to leave on the shelves And what parts to give to the little elves That were going to craft us into the person we’d grow up to be Decisions like that are way too big For one little person to handle So we’d go to our sisters. Or to our brothers Or even, sometimes, to our fathers or mothers. Remember the days when our blankets were invincible? When it mattered not what monsters were hovering above us Because as soon as we crawled underneath our covers We were safe Safe behind our impenetrable force field Until mom and dad would see the make-shift bat signal We had made out of a flashlight and some black paper Because once that happened, we almost felt sorry for the monster After all, it was about to get flattened Rolled up and tossed out Before it had the chance to do so much as shout in surprise In hindsight, it really was quite silly of that monster I mean, how dumb do you have to be To come out of the ONE closet That happens to be right down the hall From the mightiest man of them all: MY dad Didn’t the monster know that my dad could SO beat up its dad? Or your dad, or anyone else’s dad for that matter Remember when all our dads had black belts? Any time we felt threatened We’d pelt that bully with a weaponized assault of our father’s greatest hits Bits and pieces of stories pulled back from glory days The chips and creases edited out in the most impressive ways Because reality was far too frail a tool To describe how powerful dad really was. Remember the first time you ever had a ‘crush’? Remember the way your heart would gush every time You shared a touch with them? We’d offer to share our lunch money in some Awkward attempt at romance, because Even though we had never shared a glance with that person before Suddenly there was something more That made us want to take a chance To take a chance at ‘liking’ girls Even though I’m pretty sure every little boy swears that they will never Reach that stage, in spite of everyone telling us it was inevitable But suddenly the sky parted And the coodies disappeared And even when she farted You smelled that stench through rose coloured stained glass windows Or, at least, I think that’s how the saying goes Gravity always felt so much stronger when they weren’t around Like you were held to the ground by a lack of anywhere better to be But when he came near… See You always knew you could fly It’s a desire you had locked deep inside So that no one would ever find it And now you try to suppress it again but it’s got wings of its own And before you know what’s happening it’s flown the coop Suddenly everything you do seems like an oops And you become painfully aware of all the things You never used to care about Like if he found out what your hair looks like After a muggy summer day at the lake, would there still Be a chance of him asking you out on a date? It’s funny, the way hindsight works When we shine a light on our past in the midst of present hurts It makes even the most painful phase of life Seem like the good ol’ days But what if that’s not it? What if the good ol’ days aren’t even in the past at all? What if the songs that we’ll call good In the soundtracks of our lives Are the songs that have not yet been played? What if it’s not that we’ve arrived And left a place where we should have stayed But that we haven’t paid the time it takes to reach the good ol’ days How many hours have we let slip, gazing in rear view mirrors Tripped up by our fears of what may come in future years? What if the good ol’ days are something we need to build? And they will only be attained once we are filled with more than pain Once we are thrilled by more than our own gain That’s when our days will be good When we refuse to live our lives in vain But instead we love the way we should You see, some of us need help to cope When our hearts are full of lead And we are those that need the hope That there are better days ahead Because sometimes the present seems like anything but a gift And if we’re to lift ourselves out of resentment We need something more effective than our past So raise the anchor Hoist the mast Aside is not where we’ll be cast In sight of waves In spite of gale If life’s ahead We will not fail

Verse 1: With every waking breath I tried to show you I adore you Now that you have left Know that my heart still beats for you If all the world’s a stage You played the starring role in my life Please help me to turn the page Until we’re joined in paradise Chorus: When they tell our story Let them tell it for His glory When they recount our days Let the tale bring Him praise ‘Cause every step we’ve taken Has been a blessing in the making And when I reach the journey’s end I will be with you again Verse 2: You have taught me love in the life we shared together As you look down from above, my heart is holding on forever If ever I would fall, you were there to pick me up again My dear, you were my all, I was the happiest of men Verse 3: When I was young, love was all I hoped for Now it’s said and done, you are the one that I adore The love that you showed was the reason to my rhyme We’re parted, I know, but only for a time