Steven Curtis Chapman Album

On the bank of the Tennessee River
In a small Kentucky town
I drew my first breath one cold November morning
And before my feet even touched the ground
With the doctors and the nurses gathered 'round
I started to dance
I started to dance

A little boy full of wide-eyed wonder
Footloose and fancy free
But it would happen, as it does for every dancer
That I'd stumble on a truth I couldn't see
And find a longing deep inside of me, it said...

I am the heart, I need the heartbeat
I am the eyes, I need the sight
I realize that I am just a body
I need the life
I move my feet, I go through the motions
But who'll give purpose to chance
I am the dancer
I need the Lord of the dance

The world beneath us spins in circles
And this life makes us twist and turn and sway
But we were made for more than rhythm with no reason
By the one who moves with passion and with grace
As He dances over all that He has made

I am the heart, He is the heartbeat
I am the eyes, He is the sight
And I see clearly, I am just a body
He is the life
I move my feet, I go through the motions
But He gives purpose to chance
I am the dancer
He is the Lord of the dance

Lord of the dance
Lord of the dance

And while the music of His love and mercy plays
I will fall down on my knees and I will pray

I am the heart, You are the heartbeat
I am the eyes, You are the sight
And I see clearly, I am just a body
You are the life I move my feet, I go through the motions
But You give purpose to chance
I am the dancer
You are the Lord of the dance

I am the dancer
You are the Lord of the dance

We were the dreamers, the boys on the wild frontier
The new believers with nothing in the world to fear
We had discovered the treasure of the love and the grace of God
And it burned like a fire in our hearts, and we would . . .

Throw back our heads and run with the passion
Through the fields of forgiveness and grace
We carried the eternal flame
With an undying hope and a blazing conviction
Of a truth that would never fade
We were glowing in the dark
Children of the burning heart

And now for the dreamers, and those who have dared to believe
The flames call us deeper into the great mystery
For as we draw near to the Father we are lost in this one desire
To be wholly consumed by His fire, so let us . . .

Throw back our heads and run with the passion
Through the fields of forgiveness and grace
We carry the eternal flame
With an undying hope and a blazing conviction
Of a truth that will never fade
We are glowing in the dark
Children of the burning heart

So come on let's . . .
Throw back our heads and run with the passion
Through the fields of forgiveness and grace
We carry the eternal flame
With an undying hope and a blazing conviction
Of a truth that will never fade
We are glowing in the dark
Children of the burning heart
Keep on glowing in the dark
Children of the burning heart

Come in base I've landed my ship on a planet here in space
This is the one they say is inhabited by the human race
And I'm going out to look around and see what's here
And I'll tell you what I find
Confirmation on the inhabitants they're running everywhere
And their technology is beyond what I've seen anywhere
But I'm trying to communicate and they don't hear me
It seems like for all I'm finding
I can't find the most important thing

Where are the signs, where are the signs of life
The love that proves there is a beating heart inside
Where are the signs, where are the signs of life
The compassion and concern that makes this world turn
Where are the signs of life

Now, I've got crayons rolling around in the floorboard of my car
Bicycles all over my driveway, bats and balls all over my yard
And there's a plastic man from outer space sitting in my chair
The signs of life are everywhere
But I've got questions rolling around in the corners of my mind
If it's true I live in a world where hope has all but died
And if I really have a living love alive in me
How am I letting it be known, how am I letting it be seen

These are the signs, these are the signs of life
The love that proves there is a living faith inside
These are the signs, these are the signs of life
The compassion and concern that makes this world turn
These are the signs of life
Signs of Life

These are the signs, these are the signs of life
The love that proves there is a living faith inside
These are the signs, these are the signs of life
The compassion and concern
That's gonna make this world keep turning
These are the signs of life
A love that's flowing from the heart
Where the grace of God has left its mark
These are the signs of life
The reaching out of a servant's hand
The giving that makes no demands
These are the signs of life
This is loving proof of the faith inside
These are the signs of life

I've got a Grandpa Rudd
He gave thirty years to the lumber yard
Loving his family and working hard
Got a faith like a solid rock
He's just doing the walk
I've got a friend named Larry
He sends me letters from a foreign land
He moved there with his kids and his pretty wife Mary
To answer a holy call
He's just doing the walk

You can run with the big dogs
You can fly with the eagles
You can jump through all the hoops
And climb the ladder to the top
But when it all comes down
You know it all comes down to the walk

There's a man I know
He said He'd come to show us the way
He died on a cross and He rose from the grave
And proved He was more than talk
He taught us the walk
And now I'm singing my songs
Standing up on a big, bright stage
And I do my dance while the music plays
But when the music stops
Am I doing the walk

You can run with the big dogs
You can fly with the eagles
You can jump through all the hoops
And climb the ladder to the top
But when it all comes down
You know it all comes down to this

Do justly, love mercy
Walk humbly with your God

'Cause you can run with the big dogs
You can fly with the eagles
You can jump through all the hoops
And climb the ladder to the top
But when it all comes down
You know it all comes down, down, down, down, down
To the walk

I hear you say your heart is aching
You've got trouble in the making
And you ask if I'll be praying for you please
And in keeping with convention
I'll say yes with good intentions
To pray later making mention of your needs
But since we have this moment here at heaven's door
We should start knocking now, what are we waiting for?

Let us pray, let us pray, everywhere in every way
Every moment of the day, it is the right time
For the Father above, he is listening with love
And He wants to answer us, so let us pray

So when we feel the Spirit moving
Prompting, prodding and behooving
There is no time to be losing, let us pray
Let the Father hear us saying
What we need to be conveying
Even while this song is playing, let us pray
And just because we say the word, "Amen"
It doesn't mean this conversation needs to end

Let us pray, let us pray, everywhere in every way
Every moment of the day, it is the right time
Let us pray without end and when we finish start again
Like breathing out and breathing in, let us pray

Let us approach the throne of grace with confidence
As our prayers draw us near
To the One who know our needs
Before we even call His name

Let us pray, let us pray, everywhere in every way
Every moment of the day, it is the right time
For the Father above, He is listening with love
And He wants to answer us, so let us pray
Let us pray everywhere in every way
Every moment of the day, it is the right time
Let us pray without end and when we finish start again
Like breathing out and breathing in, let us pray

Our Father which art in Heaven
Hallowed be Thy name
Thy kingdom come
Thy will be done
On earth as it is in Heaven
Let us pray

The sun was beating down inside the walls of stone and razor wire
As we made our way across the prison yard
I felt my heart begin to race as we drew nearer to the place
Where they say that death is waiting in the dark
The slamming doors of iron echoed through the halls
Where despair holds life within its cruel claws
But then I met a man who's face seemed so strangely out of place
A blinding light of hope was shining in his eyes
And with repentance in his voice he told me of his tragic choice
That led him to this place where he must pay the price
But then his voice grew strong as he began to tell
About the One he said had rescued him from hell, he said . . .

I'm free, yeah, oh, I have been forgiven
God's love has taken off my chains and given me these wings
And I'm free, yeah, yeah, and the freedom I've been given
Is something that not even death can take away from me
Because I'm free
Jesus set me free

We said a prayer and said goodbye and tears began to fill my eyes
As I stepped back out into the blinding sun
And even as I drove away I found that I could not escape
The way he spoke of what the grace of God had done
I thought about how sin had sentenced us to die
And how God gave His only Son so you and I could say . . .

And if the Son has set you free,
Oh, if the Son has set you free
Then you are free indeed,
Oh, you are really free
If the Son has set you free,
Oh, if the Son has set you free
Then you are free, really, really, free

Oh, we're free, yeah, oh, we have been forgiven
God's grace has broken every chain and given us these wings
And we're free, yeah, yeah, and the freedom we've been given
Is something that not even death can take from you and me
Because we're free, yeah, the freedom we've been given
Is something that not even death can take from you and me
Because we're free, oh, we're free
We are free, we are free
The Son has set us free

If the Son has set you free
You are free indeed

Mirror, mirror on the wall
Who's the biggest fool of all
You don't have to answer me
'Cause when I look at you I see
A prisoner set free from his chains
Acting like he's still a slave
To the prison he's been set free from
You may say it's only natural for me to act his way
Well I know it's only natural
But I have not been made . . .

Only natural, only natural
I've got the Spirit of the living God alive in me
Giving me power so I don't have to be
Only natural, only natural

So mirror, mirror look again
You've seen the fool that I have been
But did you see the grace that covers me
Not to do anything I please
In fact, grace is the only thing
That makes me what I am not naturally
It's supernatural power brings life out of the grave
It gives sight to the blind man
And it will not let me stay . . .

Only natural, only natural
I've got the spirit of the living God alive in me
Giving me power so I don't have to be
Only natural, only natural

I know that on my own I'm only human naturally
But I've got the Sprit of the living God alive in me
Giving me power so I don't have to be...

Only natural, only natural

Well, I couldn't reach the pedals, but I could hold on to the wheel
I was driving in the Indy in my Daddy's Oldsmobile
And I took the checkered flag and never took the car out of park
Maybe I was sitting still, but I was driving in my heart
And then one day this young man's dreams came true
Dad threw the keys to me and said "let's see what you can do"

Fire up your engines, come on let's go
This is where the rubber meets the road
It's time to put in motion everything you know
This is where the rubber meets the road, meets the road
The rubber meets the road

Well, I drove about an hour and finally made it around the block
I was in all of my glory, Dad was in a state of shock
But it didn't take long for me to understand
That the road's a different place when the wheel is in your hand
You can dream and scheme and talk about it, read it in a book
Look where you want to go, but are you going where you've looked?

I've got a Bible on the table, I've got 5 more on my shelf
I've got a head half full of knowledge far from what I'd call a wealth
But I know what I do know, better yet I know who knows me
And He's given us directions and He's throwing us the keys, saying . . .

I'm no stranger to your gentle reminders
That the world does not revolve around me
But no sooner have you spoken the words
Then your love comes once again to surround me
And every time I look in your eyes
I see the reflections of myself
But this time I want to look deeper
And see you and nobody else

So, tell me what you think, and tell me what you feel
I want to hear the thunder I'm so quick to steal
Listen to the dreams you're dreaming and celebrate you
Let me show you what a treasure you are
A priceless gift from heaven to this thankful heart
I want to take this lifetime to celebrate you
I want to celebrate you

I have heard you say so many times
How you're sorry you're not everything you should be
So let me tell you this one more time
There's no way you could be any more precious to me
But I know that lovely flowers and phrases
Are not what you need the most from me
You're longing for someone to listen
And that's what I want to learn how to be

I want to share your laughter
And I want to share your tears
We're gonna share this life together
And I'm gonna celebrate you
Celebrate you

She was a lovely girl, a charming brown eyed beauty
You were the bright young man who swept her off her feet
The high school class ring soon became a wedding band
And you went off to sail the seas for Uncle Sam
But they say it was the demon in the bottle
That took you far away never to return
And you never knew your son would be my father
And now sometimes I think about you and I wonder
If I could talk to you what words would I choose

I would say I wish I could have known you
And I would say I wish you would've stayed
But most of all I would say I forgive you

I know your love was strong I read it in your letters
I read how hard you tried to break free from the chains
I know we all could say how you should have done better
And wear our anger and resentment like a fetter
But that's why I would say this to you if I could

I'd love to tell you how the lovely girl you married
She's been my hero and a treasure to us all
I know you'd be proud of the way your name's been carried
These are things I would love to tell you if I could

I wish you were here to hear what I would say

Another day is off and running
And I hear somebody pounding on my door
It's opportunity knocking
Says what I need is just a little bit more
Every time I turn around I'm finding
Another chance to climb a little higher up
But it's never what I thought once I get there
And I'm left wondering "How much is enough?"

I can live like a prisoner to all that could be
I'm living in the land of opportunity
But a heart pure and simple
Is a heart that stays free
Living in the land of opportunity
I'm living in the land of opportunity

This is a world full of options
It's like a never ending buffet line
While all that I'm really needing
Is living water and the bread of life
So as I'm walking through this life making choices
There is one thing I must never forget
This land of opportunity has one God
If I seek Him first He'll take care of the rest

Seek ye first the kingdom of God
Seek ye first the kingdom of God

Seek ye first the kingdom of God
So many choices, so much it could be
Seek ye first the kingdom of God
Living in the land of opportunity

I have come to this ocean
And the waves of fear are starting to grow
The doubts and questions are rising with the tide
So I'm clinging to the one sure thing I know

I will hold on to the hand of my Savior
And I will hold on with all my might
I will hold loosely to things that are fleeting
And hold on to Jesus
I will hold on to Jesus for life

I've tried to hold many treasures
They just keep slipping through my fingers like sand
But there's one treasure that means more than breath itself
So I'm clinging to it with everything I am

Like a child holding on to a promise
I will cling to His word and believe
As I press on to take hold of that
for which Christ Jesus took hold of me

Hold on for life