SONGS – I Need to Be
May 18, 2009, Posted by Mela at 9:03 PM
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“When a door closes, put hope in my pocket, but teach me restraint so that I won’t unlock it. If I can’t see at the end of the day, you’re faithful to show me another way.”
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This is the first song we worked on together. This was my “perfect dream” song, which tells a story about God having a plan for your life and knowing that even if it doesn’t feel right at the moment, God is working on your perfect dream. It’s a “hang in there and have faith” song.
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I had such an attachment to the song, so it was an emotional process, re-writing it. This was one of the first songs I had written.
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I’m used to being the editor, so I was naturally uneasy having someone else dissect it. When I got back to my hotel room that night, I felt I hadn’t stood up enough for what I thought needed to be in the song.
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The next day, I asked for some specific lyric changes – back to what I had originally written. The hardest part was trying to explain why it was ok, in my mind, to deliver the message that way. They weren’t sure I was right, but they made the changes.
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I knew my vulnerability and rawness would come through, not just in my singing, but in the choice of my words.
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I told these seasoned music industry veterans stories about singing in women’s shelters and at small prayer groups. I told them about this being a song for the “me” I was, before this dream took hold. I wanted them to know I was ok with the song being “simple” – that I thought it was necessary just to come out and say something, without a fancy metaphor.
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In the end, it felt right and familiar – the song changed in many ways, but the integrity of the message was there. And, at the end of the day, I needed to trust that I was right where I needed to be.
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And I hope that’s what other people realize when they hear it.
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Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans
to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
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Romans 8:18 “Consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that
will be revealed in us.”
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