Every Hallelujah: A Songwriter's Journey Through the Psalms

EVERY

HALLELUJAH

A Songwriter’s Journey Through The Psalms

Sue C. Smith

Copyright © 2015 Sue C. Smith.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored, or transmitted by any means—whether auditory, graphic, mechanical, or electronic—without written permission of both publisher and author, except in the case of brief excerpts used in critical articles and reviews. Unauthorized reproduction of any part of this work is illegal and is punishable by law.

ISBN: 978-1-4834-2781-2 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4834-2780-5 (e)

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

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Lulu Publishing Services rev. date: 04/24/2015

Contents

Lesson 1 - Passion For The Word

Lesson 2 - Submission

Lesson 3 - Content

Lesson 4 - Person and Point of View

Lesson 5 - Attention To Detail

Lesson 6 - Honesty and Hyperbole

Lesson 7 - Writing From A Real Place

Lesson 8 - Considering

Lesson 9 - Simplicity

Lesson 10 - Remembering Your Audience

Lesson 11 - Trusting God With Your Writing

Lesson 12 - Handling The Word

Lesson 13 - Courage and Boldness

Lesson 14 - Who To Write For

Lesson 15 - Intentional Structure

Lesson 16 - Contentment And Productivity

Lesson 17 - Metaphors, Similes and Allusions

Lesson 18 - Daring To Remember

Lesson 19 - Being Observant

Lesson 20 - Purpose

Lesson 21 - Symbolism

Lesson 22 - Return To The Cross

Lesson 23 - Being Authentic

Lesson 24 - Targeting The Moment

Lesson 25 - Praying For Help

Lesson 26 - Working To Get Better

Lesson 27 - Your One Thing

Lesson 28 - Business Realities

Lesson 29 - Being A Student

Lesson 30 - Unfolding The Narrative

Lesson 31 - Setting Limits

Lesson 32 - Creating Memorable Pictures

Lesson 33 - Playing Skillfully

Lesson 34 - Your Lexicon

Lesson 35 - Friends, Enemies, and The Lyric Police

Lesson 36 - What’s In Your Heart?

Lesson 37 - Boundaries and Poetry

Lesson 38 - Context

Lesson 39 - Moving The Listener

Lesson 40 - Getting Great Co-writes

Lesson 41 - Writing Through The Bad

Dedication

For John,

who has always believed more than I did

Acknowledgements

My dad gave me a love of music and my mom modeled a passion for studying God’s Word. They are the ones who planted the seeds early that grew me into a writer. I am so grateful to be their daughter.

My husband John has been an unwavering support and encouragement. Anything I’ve done well in my writing and in my relationships has been because of him. My children, Jamie, Rick and Holly, were the ones who sang my first songs and were my earliest inspiration. They will always be the joy of my life. My grandchildren, Lauren, Mark, Alex, Jacob, Houston, Hudson, and Violet, are an endless source of inspiration and usable anecdotes. I just adore them.

Dave Clark opened the door to writing songs for a wider audience for me. I’ll always be trying to pay it forward because no thank you to him could be enough. Joel Lindsey stayed up all night on one visit to our home reading this manuscript and encouraged me to press on. Beyond that, he has always inspired me to push a little further than I thought I could, and he reminded me once that perfection is sterile. Tony Wood has been a hero and an example, but most of all, a trusted friend.

Eva Wilson read and edited and re-read and edited and found an endless list of mistakes, typos, and errors. Her attention to those details was a tremendous help and blessing. She has a gift, and she is a gift.

I’ve had the privilege of writing with amazingly talented, generous people who are also my best friends. They’ve taught me more than they’ll ever know and shared both the frustrations and celebrations of the writing life with me.

Johnathan Crumpton knows how grateful I am to him. I wouldn’t be able to do what I do without the opportunities he has given me.

In 2000 when we started our annual Write About Jesus Workshop, I could not have imagined the sweet relationships that would grow from it. I’m so grateful to writers who have come to teach and writers who have come to learn. I’ve been the one to learn most from all of them.

Finally, thank you to Jesus for my salvation, for the richness of His Word, for the endless supply of His mercy and grace, and for the unbelievable opportunity to spend my life doing what I love so much.

Every Hallelujah

V1

There is no greater song

There is no greater fame

There is no other Savior

There is no other name

Creation testifies

The angels stand in awe

To hear the saints declaring

The greatness of our God

Chorus

Let every hallelujah

Let every glad refrain

Invite the King of Heaven

To come and take His place

With every voice proclaiming

The great things He has done

Let God be crowned with glory

With every hallelujah

V2

There is no higher King

There is no higher throne

Majestic and eternal

His Kingdom stands alone

There is no other rock

We build our lives upon

We rise and give him honor

All praise to Him belongs

Chorus

Bridge

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Let God be praised

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Chorus

Words and music by

Michael Farren/Sue C. Smith/Kenna West

© Copyright Word Music Publishing/Farren Love And War (SESAC),

Universal Music – Brentwood Benson Songs / Songs From Bobb Avenue/WillyDot Music - (BMI),

Christian Taylor (BMI)

Used by permission.

Introduction

Facing the group of about 30 aspiring songwriters, I was closing in on the end of a 90-minute class. The topic was The Craft of Songwriting. It seemed crazy to tackle such a huge topic in an hour and a half, but that was the assignment the folks who ran the conference had given me. I had done my best to give accurate information and provide some inspiration, taking a song I had written recently and going step by step through the writing process.

Now it was question and answer time.

How long have you being doing this? someone asked.

Hmmm. That all depends on what you mean by this, I thought.

My mind skimmed back over several years. Years of writing songs that our family group sang as we traveled to churches on the weekends. Years of sending songs to various people in the industry with the official rejection letters or more often, no response at all. Small successes like having someone who was actually in the music business say he would get someone else to listen to my songs. Exciting moments of getting my first cut in a very roundabout, unexpected way. Getting the attention of a publisher, only to get nowhere as I submitted songs and was told time and time again, No, this isn’t what we’re looking for.

It’s weird, I thought. To me, this meant working to learn the craft. This meant trying diligently to write good songs only to have many of them remain uncut. This meant times of feeling like I knew what I was doing and the next day feeling like I knew absolutely nothing.

Well, let me put it this way, I said. I had my first label cut in 1983.

A few rows back, a guy leaned over and whispered something to the girl next to him. There was no mistaking what he said: That’s the year I was born.

It’s true that the music business is filled with young people, and with every year that goes by, the years that separate me from them grow. On the other hand, I’ve been at this long enough to learn some good lessons about the craft, lessons I wanted to pass along to other writers. In 2000, the year I left my job teaching high school English and journalism, I started the Write About Jesus Workshop, a conference where people could learn more about the craft of songwriting. That annual event thrives today, but I also began to want to write about what I had learned. I just wasn’t sure where to start and what to include. Although I enjoyed blogging, the job of writing a book seemed insurmountable.

Not long before all these events were unfolding, my son-in-law Kendall had read through the Bible in a year. I am ashamed to admit that although I had been a Christian for many years, at that point I had never read the entire Bible. I began to imagine myself standing before God one day and having Him ask me what I thought about His Word. The thought of answering, Well, I never actually got around to reading all of it seemed awfully lame. I made up my mind that the following year, I would read through the Bible too. It turned out to be surprisingly easy. It showed me how just doing something consistently, day after day after day, made what seemed to be an impossible task not impossible at all. It also turned about to be fun and incredibly inspiring. There were benefits I never expected, like a steady stream of song ideas, as well as a wealth of inspiration for my writing.

That first year I read a One Year Bible. Each day’s reading included some chapters from the Old Testament, some from the New Testament, a chapter from the Psalms, and some verses from Proverbs. Finishing that Bible motivated me to keep going. I began to choose a different Bible to read each year. Sometimes I read a different translation, sometimes a new study Bible, filled with notes and articles. As I read, I began to notice so many concepts that in my mind related somehow to writing songs. I began to underline them and make notes about them in the margins of whatever Bible I was reading.

The Psalms especially had a lot to say about writing, it seemed to me. I wasn’t surprised to find that this ancient songbook, written by David and other gifted writers, would contain songwriting advice and instruction. Little by little, it seemed God was saying to me that a book about songwriting didn’t have to be all my own ideas. I could find the information and advice I needed to communicate in the very Scriptures that provided help in every other area of my life.

I began to write, to study, and to read other books about the Psalms, and slowly, this book took shape. If you’re a songwriter, I pray it will help you learn more about the craft, but even more, I hope it will help you learn more about the amazing truth and inspiration contained in the Psalms.

If you’re not a writer, some of this may seem mysterious to you. On the other hand, if you know any songwriters, you know we can get consumed with the minutiae of writing. We speak a special language filled with terms like set-up, pay-off, and prosody. You’ve seen that far away look in our eyes that lets you know that we’re no longer listening—we’re writing a song in our heads. This book may help you understand songwriters a little better.

Then again, maybe these lessons aren’t just about songwriting after all. Maybe they’re also about what the Psalms have to say to all of us about trusting God with the gifts He’s given us, making the most of them, and fulfilling the calling He’s placed on each of our lives.

Sue C. Smith

2014

Psalm 1

(NIV)

1

Blessed is the one

who does not walk in step with the wicked

or stand in the way that sinners take

or sit in the company of mockers,

2

but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,

and who meditates on his law day and night.

3

That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,

which yields its fruit in season

and whose leaf does not wither—

whatever they do prospers.

4

Not so the wicked!

They are like chaff

that the wind blows away.

5

Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,

nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.

6

For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous,

but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.

Lesson 1 - Passion For The Word

See this tree, Grandma? My eight-year-old grandson said, showing me a picture of a leafy elm. Around the base, the roots stretched out from the trunk, and they were exposed along the ground for several feet in each direction. I think those are snakes!

Sweetie, those aren’t snakes, I said, laughing to myself at this sweet misunderstanding. They’re the roots of the tree.

He was completely puzzled. He’d never seen or heard of such a thing before. I tried to explain to him how there’s just as much of the tree under the ground as there is on top of the ground, how God makes the roots go down into the dirt to find water and food so the tree will grow and also to help the tree stand up.

I wish I could say he was fascinated by what I said, but of course by my third sentence, he was ready to get back to his favorite TV show or video game. I was the one who kept thinking about trees and roots and nourishment and foundations long after our conversation.

John and I have a maple in our front yard that shades the house from the morning sun. It also seeks out water under the ground. It does it so relentlessly that about twice a year our sewer pipe gets blocked with roots. It makes a real mess for us but keeps the local Roto-Rooter guy happy because he gets to make another trip out to see us.

What does Psalm 1 have to say that has to do with any of this?

Psalm 1 says I’ll only really be as happy as I’m meant to be if I spend time and take pleasure in God’s Word. I’m supposed to meditate on it, to turn it over and over in my mind and absorb it into my heart and life day and night. When I do that, verse 3 says I’ll be like a tree planted by streams of water.

My maple isn’t planted by streams of water, and so that tree has searched out what it thinks is a stream—the pipe of water leading from my house to the street. John and I can’t convince that tree to leave that water pipe alone. It’s going to get to the water one way or another.

I should have that kind of relentless passion for God’s Word. That’s songwriting lesson number one: Develop an insatiable appetite for The Word of God. Passion for writing great songs is important and essential for a songwriter, but it isn’t as important as the same passion for reading and studying The Bible. When you put the two together—a passion for God’s Word and a passion for writing— I believe that’s where someone writing Christian songs has to live and thrive.

What will digging my roots deeply into God’s Word do for me as a Christian songwriter?

1. God will give me ideas to write that grow from what I read. It always amazes me that the very chapters and verses I am reading in my quiet time seem to speak directly into what is going on in my life at that moment. Phrases begin to jump out that I have never noticed before, themes reveal themselves, inspiration comes. The margins of my Bible have been the starting point of many songs.

2. I’ll handle the Word more precisely and accurately. I’ve been part of writing more than 30 Christmas musicals. But each time I begin to write one, I go back and re-read what the Bible says. There is nothing more important than making sure every song I write is true to what the Bible says and means.

3. I’ll understand human nature, especially my own, better. The people I read about in the pages of Scripture lived thousands of years ago. But as I read, I realize that they were just like me in so many ways. They struggled with what I struggle with. They had the questions I have. And what brought them joy still brings joy today.

4. I’ll have a view of the big picture of history, God’s plan, and my place in it. The Bible isn’t just a collection of stories about interesting people and miracles. It is one big story. There’s a children’s Bible called The Jesus Storybook Bible: Every Story Whispers His Name. I love that subtitle. It’s true. Every story, every book, all of it leads to Jesus and what He did to redeem us.

5. Allusions to Scripture will find their way into my writing. The more I read, the more the words I am reading become part of me. If I take them in consistently, they will find a way to come out in the songs I create.

I will be like a tree planted close to where it can get the water it needs. This tree, my life, has been planted. God plants me close to the source I need, and that’s Him and His Word. My life will be marked by fruit and green leaves, not barrenness and withered dryness. I’ll have success in what I do. That doesn’t guarantee cuts or singles or publishing deals or awards. But it does guarantee that God will use what I’m writing somehow for His glory.

Maybe you don’t have that kind of passion, the kind that turns to God’s Word every day. You’ve never studied the Bible much on your own and you feel a little overwhelmed just thinking about it. Start small and be consistent. Read a little each day, but do it every day. The passion for God’s Word will come. It’s inevitable. You just have to do your little part: Commit to the time and place and God will do the rest. It may not happen the first day or even the first week, but it will happen. Pretty soon, you’ll begin to see everything that is happening in your life and the lives of those around you filtered through the lens of what God is teaching you in His Word.

If you are a songwriter, your passion to write will be part of you. You will enjoy and need the process of writing. Sure, you may be frustrated with your lack of expertise or success. We all feel that. But success and failure, fulfillment and frustration, will all have the same result: They will all drive you back to writing another song.

Prayer

Father, give us a passion for your Word. Stir up our desire to read it. Help us to meditate on it and sink the roots of our lives into it. Let Your Word shape and permeate our passion to write songs. Remind us to trust You with our writing.

Writing Exercise

Pick out three verses from God’s Word. Read them several times a day. Pray about them and ask God to reveal their truth to you. Memorize them. Spend time quoting them to yourself each day for the next week as you wake up, as you drive, as you wait, as you fall asleep. Ask God to show you a greater meaning of each verse in your own life. Ask Him if there’s a song there He wants you to write.

If you need help choosing a verse, here’s a list to help you get started:

Psalm 2

(NIV)

1

Why do the nations conspire

and the peoples plot in vain?

2

The kings of the earth rise up

and the rulers band together

against the Lord and against his anointed, saying,

3

"Let us break their chains

and throw off their shackles."

4

The One enthroned in heaven laughs;

the Lord scoffs at them.

5

He rebukes them in his anger

and terrifies them in his wrath, saying,

6

"I have installed my king

on Zion, my holy mountain."

7

I will proclaim the Lord’s decree:

He said to me, "You are my son;

today I have become your father.

8

Ask me,

and I will make the nations your