Today is the day! We officially ship all of your pre-ordered CDs for Over The Grave: The Hymns Of Isaac Watts, Volume One, as we look forward to our big release party this Friday, 7 p.m. at a brand new, state-of-the-art building called “The Block,” in the main campus of Louisville’s largest church, Southeast Christian Church.
Over the last month we’ve shared three new songs from Over The Grave with you, telling you the stories behind the songs here at sojournmusic.com and sharing the mp3s at Myspace.com/sojournrecords and Facebook.com/sojournmusic. So now comes the fourth, which happens to be track #1 on the CD, “Warrior,” written by Dave Moisan, Neil Robins (who produced the album) and me, Bobby Gilles. Our inspiration for “Warrior” was Isaac Watts’s metrical version of Psalm 21, a psalm of David that anticipated the coming of Messiah.
Hear “Warrior” on Sojourn Music’s Facebook page
Hear “Warrior” on Myspace.com/sojournrecords
Dave and I drafted “Warrior” a few days before song demos were due from Sojourn songwriters for this project. We’d just wrapped up a songwriting session for a song that didn’t make inclusion on Over The Grave. As we wrapped up, Dave said “What do you think of this,” and strummed a really cool groove. We worked on the lyrics some and submitted it. We knew the lyrics weren’t quite what we wanted, but time was up.
Pastor Mike and producer Neil liked it, though — enough to include it on the tentative list of songs for the project. They knew we could improve the lyrics in the meanwhile. Over the next few months Dave and I talked back and forth about a few minor changes, and most importantly, he changed the entire rhyme scheme (AABB instead of ABAB, for you poets). It helped the flow quite a bit.
When the time came to lay down tracks for “Warrior” in the studio, it still wasn’t quite what we knew it could be. Dave had done some great work with it since I’d seen it last, but there were still some parts he wasn’t happy with. So while he, Neil and the musicians laid down some instrumental tracks, I feverishly worked on lyrics. During breaks in the recording process Dave, Neil and I looked at what I’d done. They’d either say, “Great” or “What about this …” and, in this fashion, we finished the song.
Except for the bridge. That came last. Dave and I were stuck, so Super Man Neil Robins re-worked the bridge. It’s become my favorite part of the song:
Earth and sea will give up their dead — the nations gather before Him
A day of glory, a day of dread — no one dares now ignore Him
This is a most unusual song, with lyrics that “go places” in Christian theology that few songs touch. Thanks to Isaac Watts for that, and even more so, the Bible. We hope the song challenges you and inspires you to remember that the only true Warrior has defeated Satan. Victory is certain and our eternal destiny is secure.
Neil sits with Dave at the piano and works out a section of the song with him:
In this video, Neil uses his headset to instruct drummer Ryan Harvey (in a downstairs recording room, off camera) on the percussion part for “Warrior”
Hi guys. I thought you should know I shared you all on my facebook. Hope that that’s Kosher with you guys?
I’m liking what I see. Lord bless and keep you all fired up in His joy and steadfast in His love, and content in His peace.
Gal. 6:14
Don
Thanks Don!
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hey i am a youth member and M.C.P.C in LaRue county and was just wondering if you could send me the music to your song warrior so are praise band could play it for youth sundays and other events we play at because i love this song and think its a very uneque way to prasie the lord thank you for your time and i hope to hear from you soon.
God Bless,
Hi Tyler;
Thanks for the interest. You can download the chord sheet for “Warrior” from the Over The Grave page here at sojournmusic.com. Here is the direct link:
http://www.sojournmusic.com/albums/over-the-grave/
thank you so much and is there anyway you could giv eme the bass music also?
god bless,
We are sitting on my deck challenging your song. We can’t find an answer. Why did you create a worship song that praises and worships the “lost”. Why should we stand in church and sing that song to our LORD. Ref The Warrior
Parker Hahn
Parker — what do you mean? “Warrior” is about Jesus Christ. He is the warrior.
Yes I know the Warrior is Christ…but why the lyrics of the burning souls in a worship song. Does our Father want to be reminded of having to condem them and does he want us praising that fact! I get the song, I love it as a song…a story…but why is it fundamentally a “worship song”? My brother in law said, “why would I want to attend a church that praises sending the lost to hell”?
That is where we are…trying to understand the lyrical point, purpose, and heart behind it
We feel that most of the apprehension with talking/singing about God’s wrath and judgment comes from the emotional response of our post-modern mindset, rather than the Bible. If we say “Let’s not talk about that” or “God doesn’t want us to worship him by singing about those things” then we’d have to throw out the Book of Psalms as well as other parts of the Bible, right through Revelation.
We want to praise God for all that He has done, is doing and will do, and for all his attributes — even those that might make us uncomfortable. In short, “Your hand shall find out every foe” is a way in which God’s people worshiped in the Bible — and according to the Bible, it appears to be how they worship in heaven.
Having said that, we totally get where you’re coming from. A song like Warrior should be part of a balanced liturgy that celebrates God’s mercy, grace and long-suffering kindness. We do celebrate the fact that Satan and his minions will be cast into the lake of fire. We also celebrate that everything God has proclaimed and promised will come to pass. At the same time, we don’t take pleasure in anyone remaining lost in their sins.
guys, thank you so much. I love it. I love your response. I am trying to understand that song after someone very close to me said, “Why would I want to attend a church that worships souls burning in hell.” If you are ever in E-town stop by for a camp fire and hot dog. This has created some intense and awesome spiritual discussion and seeking of Truth. If anything…thank you for your time in this matter…perhaps more to come.
Thanks Parker. And a camp fire & hot dogs sounds great!
stop by anytime, would love to have you guys.