The stories and their songs…

The stories and their songs…
This record seems to have a theme… A theme that asks, "What will you do with the time that¹s left?" I have
spent so much of my time, like most people, living as the main character of my own small story. Through the
struggles of growing and maturing over the last two years, God has allowed me to see that He is inviting me to
take part in His larger story. One where He is the main character and the focus and where I play a smaller, yet
crucial role that He wrote specifically for me. I hope that through these songs you will hear a quiet voice
inside calling you to the larger story.
~ Mark Schultz
You Are A Child Of Mine
(Mark Schultz and Chris Eaton)
Galatians 4:6-7
Because you are sons, God sent the spirit of his Son into our
hearts, the Spirit who calls out, "Abba, Father." So you are no
longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has
made you also an heir.
THE STORY: There have been many times in my life when I
have heard voices saying you'll never be good enough, you
don¹t really matter, you are nobody special, if people really
knew you they wouldn¹t find you worthy of their time. The evil
one has a way of distorting and down playing the story and
the role that God has imprinted on your heart. This is a song
about the voice of God breaking through and defeating the
other voices reminding us that we are His Children and that
He made us in His image and that He rejoices in us.
THE SONG:
I’ve been hearing voices
Telling me that I could
Never be what I wanna’ be
Their binding me with lies
Haunting me at night
And saying there’s nothing to believe
But somewhere in the quietness
When I’m overcome with loneliness
I hear you call my name
And like a father You are near
And as I listen I can hear You say
Chorus
You are a child of mine
Born of my own design
And you bare the heart of life
No matter where you go
Oh, you will always know
You have been made free in Christ
You are a child of mine
And so I listen as You tell me who I am
And who it is I’m gonna be
And I hang on every word
Knowing I have heard
I am yours and I am free
But when I am alone at night
That is when I hear the lie
I’ll never be enough
And though I’m giving in to fear
As I listen I can hear you say
Chorus
Mine………….Mine
I am calling
I am calling
I am calling
I am calling
I am calling
I am calling
Chorus
Repeat Chorus
(c) 2003 Crazy Romaine Music (ASCAP)(Admin. by The Loving
Company)/ Jo Music Service (ASCAP)
Everywhere
Do You Even Know Me Anymore
(Mark Schultz and Brown Bannister)
(Mark Schultz)
Psalm 139:7-10
Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your
presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; If I make
my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of
the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your
hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.
Ephesians 5:25
"Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church
and gave himself up for her"
THE STORY: I wrote this song one night before getting on
the tour bus last spring. I had just come from the chapel where
I write all my songs, and it just hit me all at once. I drove
around the parking lot for about a half hour circling the bus
because every time I tried to stop I would come up with
another line. Everyone was watching me pull into a parking
spot and then drive off again. Pull up and then drive off again.
You have to take them when you get them.
THE SONG:
I was thinking of placing an ad
Inside a magAzine so I could find you
I was picking up book after book
Taking a look
At trying to define you
I was lookin for proof of your life
Wondering why
I couldn’t verify you
Then you came and you spoke to my heart
Now I see
Where you are…
Chorus
You’re every
Time I turn around
In every sound
You’re in the very air I breathe
You’re up above
And now I know
You’re in my soul
You’re in the very depths of me
Every step I take
I take by faith
Oh and now I see
I believe
I believe
Yes, I believe
I believe
That you’re everywhere
I was looking way up in the sky
I was looking way up in the sky
(c) 2003 Crazy Romaine Music (ASCAP)/ Banistuci Music (ASCAP)
(both Admin. by The Loving Company)
THE STORY: I have a friend who outwardly seemed to have
it all…family, good job, car, nice house, etc… However, he
could not see that the most important things in his life were
slipping away right in front of his eyes. He, like so many men,
had allowed society to tell him that his self-worth was in what
he did or what he could buy. It was almost to late before he
saw that all his wife and children really wanted was his heart.
THE SONG:
It’s cold tonight
I heard her say
She was staring out the window
As I came home late
She tried to smile
But looked away
Oh but I could see the tears were running
Down her face
She said…
You go to work
You pay the bills
I stay at home
And I make the meals
But you don’t even know who I am anymore
You’re a million miles away
Though I see you everyday
And I’ve been waiting right here
Oh, for all these years
And sometimes I get so lonely
I need to know you love me
But do you even know me anymore?
I turned around
To see my son
Well I remember his first birthday
Now he’s twenty-one
I missed his life
I missed it all
Oh, to him I was a man
Just living down the hall
He said…I learned to live
Without you Dad
But I’d give it all
Just to have you back
But you don’t even know who I am anymore
I used to wait at all my games
But still you never came
And I’ve been waiting right here
Oh, for all these years
For the time you said you’d owe me
I’ve wanted you to show me
But do you even know me anymore?
I watched my days
Turn in to years
And now I’m wondering how I wound up here
I dreamed my dreams
I made my plans
But all I’ve built here is an empty man
And I don’t even know who I am anymore
Oh God I’m praying through the tears
Let me make up for these years
Oh, have I waited too long
Can I start again
To be the man you’ve wanted of me
I’m begging you to show me
Do you even know me anymore ?
(c) 2003 Crazy Romaine Music (ASCAP)(Admin. by The Loving
Company)
Letters From War
(Mark Schultz and Cindy Morgan)
THE STORY: My Great Grandma, Ebba Forsberg, lived to
be nearly 100 years old. When she had passed away Great
Aunt Dolly and my cousin, Ed put together a scrapbook of her
life. In it I found a letter that her son wrote her while he was
away in World War II. That letter and her diary became the
inspiration for this song.
THE SONG:
She walked to the mailbox
On that bright summer’s day
Found a letter from her son
In a war far away
He spoke of the weather
And good friends that he’d made
Said “I’ve been thinking about Dad and the life that he had
That’s why I’m here today”
And at the end said “you are what I’m fighting for”
It was the first of his letters from war
Chorus
Then two years later
Autumn leaves all around
A car pulled in the driveway
And she fell to the ground
And out stepped a captain
Where her boy used to stand
He said “Mom, I’m following orders
From all of your letters
And I’ve come home again”
He ran in to hold her
And dropped all his bags to the floor
Holding all of her letters from war
Bring him home
Bring him home
Bring him home
(c) 2003 Crazy Romaine Music (ASCAP)(Admin. by The Loving
Company)/ Lola Max Music/ Word Music, Inc. (ASCAP)
Time That Is Left
(Mark Schultz and James Isaac Elliott)
Psalm 90:12
Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart
of wisdom.
THE STORY: This is a song that was inspired by the life of
Vann Webb. Although his life ended too soon, it was filled
with the most important things: laughter, love, friends and
family. We never know the day or the hour when God will call
us. So we live fully, letting go of the past and straining
towards the ultimate goal in which Christ Jesus has called us.
Chorus
She started writing “You’re good,
And you’re brave, what a father you’ll be someday
Make it home, make it safe”
She wrote every night as she prayed
THE SONG:
What will you do with the time that’s left
Will you live it all with no regret?
Will they say that you loved ‘til the final breath
What will you do with the time that’s left?
Late in December
A day she’ll not forget
Her tears stained the paper
With every word that she read
It said, “I was up on a hill
I was out there alone
When the shots all rang out
And the bombs were exploding
And that’s when I saw him
He came back for me
And though he was captured
A man set me free
And that man was your son
He asked me to write you
I told him ‘I would,’ oh I swore”
It was the last of the letters from war
And she prayed he was living
Kept on believing
And wrote every night just to say…
Oh Hallelujah
Oh Hallelujah
Amen
What will you do with the time that’s past?
And all the hurt that seems to last?
Can you give it to Jesus and not look back?
What will you do with the time that’s past?
Oh Hallelujah
Oh Hallelujah
Amen
What will He say when your time has come?
When He takes you into His arms of love?
With tears in His eyes will He say well done?
What will He say when your time has come?
Oh Hallelujah
Oh Hallelujah
Oh Hallelujah
Amen
What will you do with the time that’s left?
Will you live it all with no regret?
Will they say that you loved ‘til the final breath?
What will you do with the time?
(c) 2003 Crazy Romaine Music (ASCAP)(Admin. by The Loving
Company)/ Cabinetmaker Music (ASCAP)
Running Just To Catch Myself
(Mark Schultz)
Psalm 46:10
"Be still, and know that I am God"
THE STORY: I¹m in a small group for men called "The
Man¹s Group." I played this song for them and after they all
stopped laughing my friend Don and said "You know, that
sounds a little too much like my life." We talked about how we
stay busy and do lots of things but are we really using our
lives to do God¹s best work? Are we slowing down enough so
that we can take part in life instead of life taking us apart?
Ironically, I have been in the studio and really busy these last
three months and would like to take the opportunity to tell my
small group hello and that I plan on coming back when I don¹t
have so much going on.
THE SONG:
I am driving
I am late for work
Spilling coffee
Down my whitest shirt
While I’m flossing
And I’m changing lanes
Oh, yeah
Now I’m driving
Through the parking lot
Doing eighty
What the heck why not
Watch it lady
‘Cause you’re in my spot
Once again
It’s early to work
And here’s a surprise
I got a McMuffin for just 99 cents today
I think they ran a special
Chorus
I can’t stand still
Can I get a witness
Can you hear me
Anybody, anybody
I think I am running just to catch myself
Maybe someday I could fly away
Go to Key Largo or Montego Bay
Sport my Speedo, maybe grab a tan
A dream vacation, wild elation
Now I’m running
Straight into my boss
And he’s angry
Oh and he calls me Ross
Which is funny
‘Cause that ain’t my name
And that’s lame
I’m still running
Running very late
For a meeting
Wait, that was yesterday
Guess I’m early for the one next week
And that’s sweet
I get on the ladder
I corporately climb
I wave at my life as it passes my by every day
My name’s not Ross
Chorus
Life in my cubicle is discreet
Life in my cubicle is neat
I’ve got some pictures of my friends
My sharpened pencils…where’s my pen
Ten O’clock I’m at a meeting
Paper cut I think I’m bleeding
Check my hair it’s still receding
Hey what a life
Break for lunch
There’s nothing better
Run outside and don my sweater
Like Fred Rogers we are neighbors
I’ve lost my mind
I’m over worked
And under paid
And non-appreciated
It’s just a perk of being
Middle class
And educated
One…
Two…
Three…
Four O’clock and I stare at the door
And I stare at the clock
Then I stare at the door
I stand by my desk like I’m going to war
There’s just one thing that I’ll be needing
Grab my paycheck as I’m leaving
Oh oh oh oh oh oh ohhhhhhhhhh
5 O’clock bridge:
It’s five o’clock
It’s time to go
There’s crowds to fight
And horns to blow
I’m talking fast on my cell phone
Hey watch out that’s reckless driving
Five O’clock
It’s time to leave
To hit the couch
And watch TV
Set the clock and go to sleep
It’s 8am on Monday morning
Again and again an again and again and again
Driving around
No where to go
And so I hang with my lady
And chill with my bro’s
It’s okay, in my Cabriolet
I can’t stand still
Can I get a witness
Can you hear me
Anybody, anybody
I think I am running just to catch myself
When I meet God
I will have a question
I just forgot my question
I think I am running just to catch myself
Oh oh oh
Oh oh oh
(c) 2003 Crazy Romaine Music (ASCAP)(Admin. by The Loving
Company)
It’s Been A Long Time
Dust me off and then you say it’s
Time to be yourself
Chorus:
And it’s been a long time
Been a long time
Been a long time for me
You’ve opened my eyes
I’ve realized
It’s been a long time to see
Who I am…..
I know there’s a little boy in me trapped inside
I know that he’s so afraid to fail and so he hides
And you go and you open up a door within me
Take him by the hand and say we
Need to play outside
Chorus
And like a bird I want to fly away from here
Don’t want to look inside this selfish heart of mine
It’s where you show me there’s so much I have
To give away
So much to give to you
So much I buried deep inside me
Behind a wall of memories
You brought me here to set me free
The more I look the more I see that it’s
Been a long time
Been a long time
Been a long time for me
You’ve opened my eyes
I’ve realized
It’s been a long time to see
Who I am
Who I am
(c) 2003 Crazy Romaine Music (ASCAP)(Admin. by The Loving
Company)
(Mark Schultz)
Galatians 1:10
Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am
I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I
would not be a servant of Christ.
THE STORY: I¹ve spent 32 years of my life looking for my
validation in everything from winning awards, performing
well in front of other people, and staying away from things
that I couldn¹t do without being successful. I stopped getting
my worth from others and started getting it from God and took
a look and discovered something for the very first time.
He Will Carry Me
(Dennis Kurttila and Sampson Brueher)
He Will Carry Me: Psalm 40
I waited patiently for the Lord; He turned to me and heard my
cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire;
He set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.
He put a new song in my mouth a hymn of praise to our God.
THE SONG:
I know there’s a hole inside of me that’s nine feet wide
I know cause I’ve tried to fill it up with foolish pride
And you go and you take my trophies off the ledges
THE STORY: This song was not originally going to be on
this record. It was meant for another project but I never
forgot about it because I listened to it one night about a year
ago over and over and over again when I had been so
discouraged. I was holding on to it like a life raft in a storm
in the middle of the ocean. I really believe in this song and
believe in what it says.
I know that I’ve worn a thousand costumes in my life
I know so that no one else could see me deep inside
And you go and peel away the perfect faces
THE SONG:
I call, you hear me
I’ve lost it all
And it’s more than I can bare
I feel so empty
You’re strong
I’m weary
I’m holdin’ on
But I feel like givin’ in
But you are with me
Chorus
And even though I’m walkin’ through
The valley of the shadow
I will hold tight to the hand of him
Whose love will comfort me
And when all hope is gone
And I’ve been wounded in the battle
He is all the strength that I will
Ever need
And he will carry me
He will carry me
I know I’m broken
But you alone
Can mend this heart of mine
You’re always with me
Chorus
And even though I feel so lonely
Like I’ve never been before
You never said it would be easy
Buy you said you’d see me through
The storm
THE SONG:
Oh Christ
Had the choice
Oh, to set us free
And he broke through the darkness
And came with a passion
Gave up the Heavens
To take up the fight
He poured out His heart
And He fought for your freedom
Hung on a cross
And then gave up His life
Chorus
Just to know you
Oh really know you
Just to know you
Oh really know you
Oh and I
Have a choice
And the choice for me
Is to live like a man
Who will love with abandon
Follow the promise
And pay any price
I’ll give all I can
Just to stand in your glory
And long for the day
Oh to look in your eyes
Chorus
Chorus
Repeat Chorus
He will carry me
He will carry me
He will carry me
He will carry me
(c) 2003 Kurttila Songs (ASCAP) / Be Together Music (ASCAP) /Crazy
Romaine Music (ASCAP)/(all Admin. by The Loving Company)
Just To Know You
(Mark Schultz)
Philippians 3:7-11
"But whatever was to my profit I now consider a loss for the
sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss
compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus
my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things"
THE STORY: I love the first line of the second verse. "I will
live like a Man who will love with abandon." I guess I want
my whole life to look like this verse. To pursue God and His
purpose for my life so much that He will say well done when I
finally see Him face to face.
Bridge:
I want to live
I want to live
I want to finish strong
I want to run
Into your arms
And say I gave it all
Chorus
Just to know you
And to live like a man
Who will love with abandon
All this to know you
Follow the promise
And pay any price
Just to know you
I’ll give all I can
Just to stand in your glory
Oh really know you
And long for the day
Oh to look in your eyes
Chorus
(c) 2003 Crazy Romaine Music (ASCAP)(Admin. by The Loving
Company)
Closer To You
(Mark Schultz)
2 Corinthians 4:16-18
Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are
wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.
For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an
eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes
not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is
temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
THE STORY: This song was inspired and written to
celebrate the life of my friend Lacy Yowell Ould who passed
away this year at the age of 31 after an intense struggle with
cancer. This song came into my head as I was jogging the
morning of her funeral and my eyes just started filling up with
tears. I still have a voice mail on my phone that I left myself
that morning as I was singing the song so that I wouldn¹t
forget it. Lacy walked through her cancer with her eyes
focused on the promise of Heaven knowing that she could
withstand each day of the trial because it lead her one day
closer to God.
I would also like to dedicate this song to Cheri Alford. and her
family. Cheri was an incredible mother and wife and a great
example of faithfulness on her journey home. It was an honor
and a privilege to share in the life of someone who had such a
rich aroma of Christ.
THE SONG:
Closer to me
I’m tired and I’m weak
And every breath within me
Is longing just to be
Closer to you
So I face the road ahead
‘Cause I know there’s no comparing
To what’s waiting at the end
Chorus
So let the rain start falling where it will
And I will run through the valley
Just to climb to that hill
And when they ask why I’m smiling
After all I’ve been through
It’s ‘cause I’m just a day closer to you
Closer to me
I hear you whisper in the wind
You say although my life is ending
A new one will begin
Closer to you
And I know I’m not alone
Cause I can hear you in the distance
Chorus
Closer to me
You’re in the laughter and the tears
Of the ones I leave behind me
Who have prayed me through the years
Closer to you
And I know it won’t be long
Until your running down the pathway
And you take me in your arms
Chorus
I’m just one day closer
I’m just a day closer to you
Oh to you
(c) 2003 Crazy Romaine Music (ASCAP)(Admin. by The Loving
Company)
All Rights Reserved. All Songs Used by Permission.