Song Discussions- An analysis of some original tunes, and my thought process for writing.

Original lyric writing for Street Corner Salvation

I was thinking today how odd it is to keep the meaning of songs hidden. If you think back to a lot of famous songs, it's weird how many various interpretations there can be for one lyric or song. The artists rarely share these meanings, and I've always found that puzzling.

I can see if there is some really intimate subject matter for the artist, why revealing that to a general audience could make them feel a bit exposed, but in general, I love discussing my songs and my thought process. I've been working on what I will call my Worship Album lately. It's going to be at least 4 songs initially, and it's basically finished at this point, other than some professional mastering of the tracks. I've done what I can with my own limited means, so they aren't sounding too bad overall.

I'd like to explain some of my thoughts about the meanings, and ideas behind these 4 songs, to give some insight into my thought process. You can still interpret differently, and maybe your interpretation will make more sense than mine, but I'd like to at least share where I was coming from in the writing and recording of these tunes. I'm quite proud of them, and they're definitely my most produced so far.

Tools of the Trade
I've always used Garageband on Mac for it's simple interface. It's a bit limited when it comes to mastering tracks, but it has the instrument effects, and ease of use that I need when I'm ready to get an idea down. The Apple iPhone App called  "Music Memos" is actually a great new way for me to get ideas down, and even hear a base/drum track with it to see how it would sound full band. It also shows my chords played, to help with transposing.

Usually, I'll start with a general idea, record it in music memos, and then flesh it out. Once fleshed out, I begin in GarageBand with a virtual drummer (I can't drum for the life of me). When I have that and a tempo I like established, I go to work with a basic piano track to get the chords down. Usually, I'll use my Midi Keyboard and actually play the parts out, since I do know how to play piano on an amateur to intermediate level. Adding Bass using my guitar (since I don't own a bass) and a basic guitar track usually follows.

I don't own professional microphones, and perhaps that is my weakness in the recordings, but with Garageband effects for echo, reverb, and others, I can usually take a pretty basic sounding vocal track and make it sound better. One of my crazy secrets is I usually just use my Apple EarPods that come with the iPhone, and the mic on them to record both the guitar (let the mic hang down in the guitar hole on an acoustic), and vocals. The immediate effect is nothing spectacular, compared to what one could do with a pro mic, but with the many effects in Garageband, it's easy to flesh it out a bit.

I recently had a chance to record one of the songs on this EP in an actual studio in Austin, TX, with a really nice mic, and it does have a warmer vocal sound than the ones I've done at home with my limited equipment. But, for the purposes of sharing with friends and family, you can still get a decent recording playing with it enough. I know my dad has said he's impressed with some of what I've done that was done just using this basic setup.

Okay, so that's a bit about my workflow/setup. Let's talk about these songs.

*Copy paste the links in your browser to access*

The Lord Reigns Forever: https://soundcloud.com/chris-byers-5/the-lord-reigns-forever

I began leading a worship team in late 2015, and had always wanted to write a good, Bible-based worship song. That was the motivation for "The Lord Reigns Forever"
I'm still surprised this one came out rocking the way it did, my initial acoustic idea for it was nowhere near as bluesy on the guitar riff. That driving riff ended up really making the song what it is.

The lyrics are quite simple, taken from Psalm 9 in the ESV Bible version, and adapted to fit the flow of a verse, chorus type of song outline. They are no less meaningful, but the concept here was something that could be sung in a worship service, so I kept the writing very close to the original Biblical text.

I made the chorus simple so a congregation could theoretically sing along. "The Lord Reigns Forever, He rules the world in righteousness" is all that the chorus really amounts to. A break down chorus of "Sing the praises of the Lord" as well. In this way, I was able to implement it into our worship service as our closing song a few times, and it went quite well. I never got a chance to do the electric guitar live as we only had acoustics, but the overall song feel was there.

This one will be the first of the 4 songs that I worked on, and the one that really showed me I could do a lot on GarageBand if I put the time in.

This song acknowledges that Christ reigns over all, and should inspire trust and assurance for those who believe. Colossians tells us Christ was the agent of creation, and holds the universe together. His reign is forever.

Gracious God - https://soundcloud.com/chris-byers-5/gracious-god-1

The next song I worked on was actually written by my mom, LeeAnn Byers, years ago. At one point, a gospel couple had recorded their own version of it. There is a live video of my mom performing it at a church service, and the organist was playing. I heard it and new I wanted a more up tempo version, but wanted that organ sound to still be prominent.  View that video here: https://youtu.be/auyp84G77VE


The opening notes are played like a church organ to give the false impression you're about to hear a hymn. Then, it suddenly kicks into an almost Margaritaville style bass line, and becomes a tropical sounding song.

I really enjoy this song, and lyrically it's another that is straightforward enough for a congregation to join in. We did play this one for service a couple of times as well, though sadly without an organ/keyboard player, I had to use harmonica to give it some extra sound.

When I recorded this song, I was fresh off of recording "Lord Reigns Forever" and felt like these two song arrangements were some of my best work. The music and lyrics of "Gracious God" belong to my mom, but the arrangement was all sparked by my own exploration of the song.

This song is just a great acknowledgement that God is with those who believe in Him, even "when trouble is around, as far as I can see"

Sacrifice- https://soundcloud.com/chris-byers-5/sacrifice
This song's verse came to me awhile back, and I always thought it made a nice song for communion. The part about taking bread and wine was written with that in mind. It's a reflection really on communion and that dynamic between Christ and us.

The chorus came a bit later, as I was just toying around with ideas, when some great theological lines came to me.

"What can I do, but worship You" is my acknowledgment that really our lives are built for the purpose of glorifying God, and really, what else can we do?

"What can I say that would take my sin away" - A plea if there ever was one, but an acknowledgment within that that there is nothing we can say, it's only by trusting in Christ's sacrifice that we can have our sins washed clean and renewed fellowship with our Creator.

"It's by your power, I can believe in you" -- This is a bit controversial, and is a bit Calvinist in its theology. I'm saying, it's only by the prompting of the Holy Spirit, the power of God, that anyone can believe in Jesus to begin with. As I've studied theology more, this is where my belief lands. Eternal security for those believing in Christ, because if we were not one of his sheep, we would never trust in Him to begin with. This is a good line on assurance of salvation too, something I used to struggle  with quite a bit. If we are not prompted by God's Holy spirit and his calling on our lives, we would not turn to him to begin with, so if we feel that calling to believe and trust in him, and that desire for Christ, then we can know for certain we are his ("I am yours, You are mine" - line from the verse).

"Here I am, on my knees again" - What else can one do after the lines that preceded it but bow down in awe and praise of this great gift of salvation that is bestowed upon us.

This song started as something discussing the act of communion, and morphed into a song with harmonies and trumpets sounding. I have it at the end of the album right now because that final trumpet blow to end the song, is a great call to the scriptures where trumpets sounding are referenced.
I'd still like to do this one for worship sometime, but maybe more of the original acoustic version I wrote, without as much production. Though, I like how it turned out with all the instrumentation.

For anyone wondering, I don't have a brass section in my house to record. I use the technology that exists now to play notes on a keyboard that I can then transform into a brass sound. My rule for myself is this though, if I could not find someone to play it live, or play it myself live, I don't want to add it. Every instrument and note in here, I could play on keyboard, or have someone easily play on a brass instrument, so I'm happy with it being part of the recording.

Street Corner Salvation- https://soundcloud.com/chris-byers-5/street-corner-salvation-1

The title/line "Street Corner Salvation" has been with me for awhile now. I've always thought it would make a great Christian band name, or album title.

It actually first came about when I was playing on street corners in college and after, singing for people passing by. Being a Christian, I took the term salvation and applied it to these Street Corner sessions.

When the time came to write the song, I must say it came together much faster than I would have expected. As my newest original tune, I just told myself I wanted this as a title track, and needed to write it. One day during some free time, the lyrics just began to pour out of me. And, a mental picture that I will share shortly, formed, and helped define what this song brings to my mind.

"It's not just a prayer to pray, repentance and turning away from sin, is where salvation will begin' -
I'm proud of this line, I'll just admit it. It fits nice theology into a long phrasing, but I like the rhyme structure it has. And, repentance and genuine sorrow plus turning away from our sin is really what salvation is about. It's not just saying a prayer once and walking an aisle. It's a changed heart, a changed life from the inside out. We still fail and sin, as we are fallen creatures, but once we have put our full trust in Christ, and sought t remove ourselves from sin as best we are able, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse of from unrighteousness.

"We sanctify daily then, until such a time as when..."
We are to sanctify ourselves, so that we may mature in our belief and grow closer to living a Christ-like life. Sanctification is the ongoing process after initial salvation, in which the believer matures and grows in their faith, seeking to put off past sin, and live on as a new creation in Christ.

"Out on the street we try to get buy, long ago forgotten by our nation"

My first thought writing this was of a homeless believer, who looks forward to their heavenly reward, even though their earthly life may not be the best. They are holding onto their salvation as God's promise of better things to come. They are often on the streets, so a Street Corner Salvation in this context is coming to faith in Christ while in the midst of living on the street, forgotten by most (the nation).

A secondary thought occurred to me though. Perhaps, these are Christians after a time when Christianity is rooted out of the culture. It's already unpopular culturally, so maybe these are Christians who have been pushed to the streets because of their faith. They're also faithful and holding on for the promise of something more. This imagery works in sort of a premillenial end times mind set too, as Christians are pushed underground more and more, they hold onto that salvation.

"What we've got everybody needs, it ain't about religious creeds..."
Another controversial line for me, as I do believe it is necessary for the maturing believer to have weekly or semi frequent fellowship with other believers. People tend to find the institution of the church as overly religious, but really believers in Christ are themselves the church. So, religious creeds can be valuable in certain scenarios, but it's basically saying don't get hung up on trying to earn your salvation with religion, it's about trust in Christ. Theology and church are important, but it's not about a religion- but a relationship (cliche to say, but true).

This song had my vocals and guitars recorded in studio in Austin, so it's technically my first professional recording. My cousin Jesse LaFave did the lead resonator guitar fills, and I built my keyboard and organ part around that. The keyboard riff is meant as a response to Jesse's main fill in the song.

This song came together very fast, as I had only written it around 2 weeks before I ended up recording it in studio. I was fighting a sinus infection, but didn't want to lose my studio time slot, so I am a bit more nasally than usual on it. But, my voice is naturally gravelly, so it fits alright.

I had a crowd review of anonymous users thoughts on it, and a few commented on my voice negatively. But, if anyone knows me, I've always had that unique vocal quality, and I'd never claim to be a choir singer. I own it, and it's my thing. So, not everyone will like it, but that's alright. Those that do, tend to find it much different than what is out there.

Thoughts
So, with my 4 songs analyzed a bit, I hope I've given some interesting insights into the process that went into this album. I've certainly not had room here to cover all my thoughts on it, but I've given the basics. Feel free to ask if anyone ever has other questions about it.

You can listen to all 4 songs on my SoundCloud playlist here: https://soundcloud.com/chris-byers-5/sets/worship-song-trio

Current plan for track order is:
1.Gracious God
2.The Lord Reigns Forever
3.Street Corner Salvation
4.Sacrifice

ENJOY!

Leaving the Big City Lights

We moved back to Oklahoma in May. My Dad and step mom bought a condo, and are renting it to us. It’s much more space than we had in Austin, and much cheaper. We are also only about one minute up the road from them, so they can see grand baby Hannah anytime they would like. The game plan is finally starting to balance out and come together as well. At first, we had a lot of things still stacked against us. Being close to family was the one main positive in it all.

First, to move to Oklahoma, I had to take a pretty big salary hit. I made up for most of that by working the night shift, which pays an extra 10%. Juliet was still not working, and we still thought finding a job for her would be as easy as it was in Austin. It was not. The medical bills from Hannah’s birth were also finally starting to come due. We found ourselves (and still find ourselves to some degree), still fighting the uphill battle to stay up to date with the bills, while still having enough money to live on. In Austin, leading worship for Calvary provided a source of extra part-time income, that usually would arrive right about the time rent was due. The timing was always just right. Moving to Oklahoma, I had to move on from that position, and I hoped that I could find something similar here. Not the money part so much, as just being connected and playing worship music.

The move back to small town Oklahoma has hit me harder than Juliet, I think. I actually enjoyed living in Austin. It felt like we had accomplished something. If we could survive in the big city, surely we had made it! I also connected more at church because of the worship leading. Juliet had never liked Austin, and was increasingly dissatisfied with it as time progressed. I liked having family and friends close by. I think Juliet only really enjoyed the fact that we could occasionally hang out with my cousin Jesse and his girlfriend Rachel. Her and Rachel hit it off well when they met. Oddly, being in the “live music capital of the world”, I don’t think I ever saw more than a handful of live shows. Juliet has never liked live music, and we tended to morph into homebodies after a long day’s work. So, the transition back to small town Oklahoma, where everywhere you need to go is only 5 minutes away, has been tougher for me than her.

Admittedly, there were a lot of sad things happening the past couple of months since we moved as well. My uncle Jimmy lost his battle to cancer in May, and then my grandpa (Pepa) just recently passed away in July. Nearly 2 months apart exactly. With Jimmy’s passing, I had a lot of regrets about not seeing some of his final shows, or being around him near the end. This hit me hard, but work was busy at the time, and I did not have time to grieve properly.

I’m writing in past tense because currently things have started shaping up, or at least balancing out as I said. But, I’m still not fully adjusted to the new place. With bills piling up, death in the family, loss of salary, no job for Juliet, and just generally not having anywhere yet to connect to people, I was starting to feel pretty depressed.

The silver lining at my job was that my current manager has been by far the most supportive boss that I have ever had. My weekly one to one chats with him are immensely helpful and uplifting, and he has helped encourage me to grow within the company. I’m very thankful that he also understood when I needed some time away over the past few months to just mentally recharge, or for bereavement with the loss of family. Also, sometime back in May, he brought me some good news. They had reviewed my salary adjustment for the move, and decided to reinstate my previous salary that I had in Austin. This means I am now making what I was making before we moved. Had we not been so far behind on bills at the time, I would have been more excited, but as it is, it’s simply helped us scrape by a little bit better. Still, it was unexpected surprise that really will help in the long haul, even if the short term still looks a bit bleak. So, my manager’s encouragement, the reinstatement of my previous salary, and the prospect of leading the Worship for the Wesley Foundation in town, have added some great positives to the move. Another happy bonus with leading music at the Wesley, is that my dad will be playing alongside me. That is something I’ve wanted to have for a long time, playing music with him. It’s a little weird being the “leader” and having to lead him, but I think the dynamic will work out, and I think of him currently as more of my co-leader anyway. He’s been playing with that Wesley foundation since last year, so he is probably more versed in how things go than I am at present time.

Being close to family has been another ongoing positive. My dad and Kristen have been able to see Hannah grow from 4-6 months, and be there nearly every step of the way. My mom has also made many trips down to visit. I’m encouraged that despite my grandfather’s passing, it allowed some time to see the whole family again, even Andy and Liz who I hadn’t seen since March, when Hannah was barely 2 months old. Juliet's parents also stayed with us for a few weeks, and that was a great time. Silver linings.

The adjustment has been tricky for me, but as I say, things are beginning to shape up. I think some of it is just the natural transition that happens with any big move. It takes some time to get re-adjusted to the swing of things.

As part of my ongoing desire to learn as much as I can at work, and build my resume for future career goals there, I applied to a Sales Chat Position. It is a lateral move, but I would be switching from talking to customers on the phone, to chatting with them. I’m happy to say, I got that job, so I will be transitioning to that team starting the 18th of this month. I’m really excited for a new challenge, and I always like exploring other roles within the company. I’m gradually building my skill set, and hopefully will be able to work toward my current goal of being in a more employee facing, coaching type of role.

Moving can be tough on state of mind, finances, and a whole host of other things. But, it is usually done for a positive purpose, and that purpose has a way of shining through, to light our way. I’m enjoying cruising around the Oklahoma highways, and exploring a new town and what it has to offer. I’m anxious to be involved again in worship leading. I’m excited that we have a game plan, however painful, to start getting back on our feet financially. There is still a lot to be thankful for. I may have days where I’m feeling down about the move. I think that’s natural. I’m trying to find other ways to occupy my free time.

In other good news, Juliet now has a part-time job working with one of the Veterinary offices in town. I think it will line up with my work schedule so that we need minimal child care, though my dad has offered some help if needed. With her bringing some money in, I think we’ll be able to get back at least to a more stable place than we have been since May. Hannah is a constant source of Joy, and watching her learn and grow is always a good pick-me-up. 

I haven’t written in awhile, and it’s kind of nice just sitting here typing my thoughts again like I used to do. I’ll try to post a bit more about what’s on my mind, or about relevant topics. We are trusting God, and His provision for us, to carry us into these uncharted waters, and to help us get back on our feet again. We are constantly thankful for the blessings we already have been given, and do not want to take those for granted. It’s been 3 months, and finally Ada is starting to feel like home.