I’ve been struggling with feeling so helpless against what I see in the news, specifically the Planned Parenthood videos. I’ve been stumped in prayer, not knowing what to do.

Read full blog here: http://www.matthewclark.net/baby-bird/

Baby Bird

This custom song was written for a friend as a part of the 2015 Song-A-Month Subscription.  My friend told me the story of how she and her brother's girlfriend were at odds. She tried to get her brother to break up with this girl, and you can imagine the drama that followed.  

The situation between the two girls escalated, but at some point my friend realized that her brother was not going to leave this young woman and that they'd probably marry. She knew then that if she continued in her anger she would lose her brother. Saving that relationship meant a hard road of humility and work to recover from the damage that had accumulated among them.  

My friend told me that now, nearly ten years later, her sister in law is one her very best friends; the miracle of reconciliation between them has been the clearest experience of the reality of redemption that Jesus accomplished on the cross. The hurtful things they did to each other could not have been overcome by their own strength, but Jesus met them where they were and brought them through it. 

I Heard The Shackles Fall

This is a custom song written for Jon and Cheryl for their 20th wedding anniversary. Jon was born with cerebral palsy, which affects the communication of the brain to the muscles. Jon was able to walk until about 8 years into their marriage, when a spinal cord injury began a decline in his movement. 

Eventually, he was paralyzed from the neck down and in a wheelchair. This season of change was obviously terrifying and painful for Cheryl and Jon, and the intensity of the stress on their marriage and family was so hard. 

But here they are celebrating their 20th anniversary! Their testimony of faithfulness and courage is so good for me to watch. Paul says that the 'foolishness' and 'weakness' of God shown in the humility of a dying Jesus is how the Lord has chosen to save us and reveal his glory. That is a great mystery to people like me who have always been taught to define glory and success in human terms and run from suffering. 

Jon and Cheryl are such joyful folks, and I'm grateful for their vulnerability in sharing their story. Happy Anniversary! 

Learning A Mystery

This is a custom song written for the daughter of a Song-A-Month subscriber. Claire is a senior in high school and interested in the arts. Her parents asked for a song to encourage her in her creative endeavors. 

So I thought about what I wanted someone to say to me when I was in high school thinking about what it might mean to be an artist. I needed a lot of encouragement, and I hope this song helps to remind artists that, whatever your medium, to 'brave a song of courage in our hour of need'. 

Tell Me Claire

This song was in response to a friend's writing challenge. Her lyrics were about what's underneath the hurtful things we do. That made me think of how the ways we cope "work" because there's some seed of truth in them.

The hardest person to be honest with is yourself, but the hard work of looking ourselves in the eye can lead us out of 'simulated atonements' into actual rest. The truth is bitter, but leads to sweet fruit.  

Sweetbitter
By Matthew Clark

You’re brave to seek insight 
To see beneath the dirt 
What is the root there 
How does your hunger feed on hurt? 

PRECHORUS
Every evil thing you do 
Is an answer to some truth in you 

CHORUS 
What you want is what you fear: love 
Oh You push to pull me close, love 
You set the house on fire to feel the burn 
You say, I hate you, don’t leave me 

It’s hard to make contact 
To look your real self in the eye
So cling to the darkness 
Out of sight and out of mind 

It walks like forgiveness 
Simulates the knowing touch 
That clears out pretensions 
Freeing a face that can be kissed

PreCHORUS 
CHORUS

BRIDGE 
Who told you you were naked
So you’d spin a shroud of silk-web?
The bitter truth is speaking a sweet word
Don’t bury it, you’re already so tired
 
CHORUS




Sweetbitter

This custom song was written for Eric and Suzana who live in Cidade De Deus, Brazil, representing Jesus there among the many street children. 

"House of Hope" is the name they've given to their home in the neighborhood where they welcome the kids and love on them. 

Eric told me, "There is very active drug trafficking on the street where the majority of the children live, and each week, as we're praying with them, we ask God to protect them from stray bullets. It's become very normal to me, however, writing about it brings out the craziness of needing to pray that prayer." 

You can find out more about "House of Hope" on Eric and Suzana's blog here: 

http://servinginbrazil.com/

I decided to try a Bossa Nova style for their song, since that is a genre that originates in Brazil, and it's super fun to play! I wanted a song about the love of Jesus in a dark place to be full of joy and dancing movement to signify, as Eric told me, "...it is easy to become discouraged and overwhelmed by the spiritual darkness that we encounter. However, it's more evident here than ever that the light does shine in the darkness and the darkness does not overcome it."

*Special Thanks to Nate Madsen for the great saxophone work! 

House Of Hope

This is custom written song for a 2015 Song-A-Month subscriber. She wrote me asking for a song to remind people that don't feel like they are artists that they too are engaged in a deeply creative work, just by living faithfully their everyday, ordinary and various work. 

In a culture so focused on celebrity and sensationalism, we often feel ridiculously boring and useless when we're rocking the baby to sleep, fixing the plumbing, mowing the yard, cooking dinner, doing homework, or spending some simple time with friends. But the truth is that 90% of life is lived in these seemingly insignificant times. 

I think part of how Jesus revealed the glory of God was simply by living a human life. It's funny to find a strange reluctance in Jesus when it comes to performing impressive miracles. He eats with people, takes walks, plays with children, chats at watering holes, cooks breakfast for his buddies, goes to weddings, and slips quietly away when crowds try to crown him King. 

We're always making choices about what's valuable, and I'm praying for Jesus to heal my imagination so I can think of something more creative than just being impressive. 

Ordinary Artists

This custom song was written for a friend whose family was very involved with the youth group I grew up in. I'm so thankful for those who invested in me when I was growing up. Those were good years and the love those folks gave still bears fruit all this time later. 

That reminded me too, of Hebrews 12 and the 'cloud of witnesses' who have gone before us. Even Jesus, who first walked this way and set out the trail blazes, suffered and kept going because he could see the Joy on the other side of the Cross. 

Lyrics: 

You will make it home
by Matthew Clark 

This is a song about the songs we learned when we were younger 
Those voices carry - they still carry us along 
I never will forget the ones who took the time to love me 
Sowed the seed then for a garden yet to come 

CHORUS 
When the darkness overwhelms me 
and my own voice cannot sing the truth 
From the silence, hear the saints cry, 
'This way has been marked out long before you, 
you will make it home." 

When you are young you never dream of the grief you will encounter 
If you'd told me back then, I would not have believed 
But what's even more amazing now is love managed to endure it 
We do not stand on our own, we bear nothing on our own 

CHORUS 
BRIDGE 
When love is really love it never does come cheap 
and God himself was not exempt, he suffered like you do 

CHORUS

When the darkness overwhelms you 
and your own voice cannot sing the truth 
From the silence, hear the saints cry, 
'This way has been marked out long before you, 
you will make it home." 

You Will Make It Home

This custom song started with only a title from a friend. He said, "Write a song about Sam and the dragon". He said I could do anything I wanted with that, so I sat down with my brother Sam who makes ceramic dragons (samclarkart.com) and we decided it would be fun to hear an epic dragon ballad with a mash-up of Celtic/Beowulf/Tavern feel. 

That turned into a nearly 800 word poem! It was too long to sing, so, in the end, the recording became part song and part narration with a 'soundtrack'. 

On Fiverr, I found a Malaysian fellow named Faliq Auri who records Celtic instruments and he added flutes, tin whistle, and uilleann pipes which rounded out the old ballad feel beautifully. So much fun. 

I've posted the lyrics on my blog here: 

http://www.matthewclark.net/songofthesword


The Song Of The Sword

I wrote this for my Mom. She asked me to write a song about the guitar her dad gave to her when she was in high school. It's the same guitar on which she played and sang my whole life growing up, and now, I have the guitar. You can see it in the photo for this song. It's a classical guitar from the early '60s.

My mom sang to me from the time I was born and now, as an adult, that music she planted has grown into what I do for a living! She made many sacrifices to make sure I had the opportunity to takes lessons and be in a loud rock band growing up (sorry mom). 

Ultimately, the love she gave laid a foundation for me to believe that God could love me and make me part of His family - that even God was singing over me, his child. That may sound corny, but it bears out as reality in my experience. They say faith is a gift and I always felt confused by that statement, but as I grow older I realize how true it is that no one is 'self-made', to be a person is to be held in the loving gaze of another, and it is there that we hear our name called out and find that we have everlasting value. 

I don't want to leave out my Dad! He made amazing contributions too and so much of who I am is a gift from him, but that's another song :)

Special Thanks to Kyle Aaron for the beautiful violin and mandouke parts. AND, my sister Angela who made her studio debut on this song singing background vocals! Great job, Angela! 

Here are the Lyrics: 

This Old Guitar

This old guitar wouldn't get much at a yard sale
but you'd never guess the stories it could tell 
Some things get lost when nobody stays around to listen 
This old guitar first sang its song, when my Mom was just a kid 

Now I never met her father, but he gave it as a gift 
Christmas morning 1963 
Grandaddy didn't know it, but when he put it in her hands 
he reached through time and gave a gift to me 

This old guitar was there ever since I was a baby 
just strumming low to the words my momma sang 
and when I forget there is a voice that still reminds me 
that well before my birth, I was cradled in a song. 

And I wonder can you hear it? Cause it's how I learned the truth 
Cause I did not know I had a gift to bring 
That music was a mother's milk, and it built up in my bones 
She passed along the strength it takes to sing. 

This old guitar is leaning against my bedroom bookshelf 
I keep it close so I never do forget 
that who I am is made out of those who came before me 
and now I sing an anthem born before the world began. 

Cause clear above the panic, like stars above the storm 
a harmony of hope is peeking through 
your weary heart can hear a half-remembered lullaby
The love of God that knit you in the womb 
is still singing over you. 


This Old Guitar

This custom song was written for a friend who heard me say the word "Lollygagging" while I was leading worship at a retreat called Escape to the Lake last Summer. Naturally, it's the word I say most often while leading worship alongside flummoxed, bamboozled, and great googely-moogely. 

So she asked me to write a song for her, featuring the word lollygagging. I accepted the challenge, and for a long while couldn't really think of how in the world I was going to write this song. Then I went to Fusion coffee shop's jazz concert series a couple of weeks ago here in Jackson, MS. There was a gypsy jazz group called "Swing de Paris" performing, and they were so fun!  I left inspired to try writing a gypsy jazz song, and realized I'd found the perfect style for the lollygagging song. 

It turned into a song about two people in love; one is shy and one is impatient. Enjoy! 

Special Thanks to Stephen K. Donnelly (Tenvolt.com) on Double Bass, and Mat Velius on clarinet!

Lollygagging
By Matthew Clark 

I said I love you, but your lips aren't moving 
I'm watching the grass grow... why you gotta be so slow? 
You're like molasses, an hour passes 
You mumble something 
But I'm learning not to hold my breath 

CHORUS 

You're dragging your feet around, your lollygagging 
Darling, it's maddening, when you gonna come around? 

I'm at the station, but I'm losing patience 
This engine's chuggin'  
But I get no lovin' or huggin' from the likes of you 
Oh stop your laggin', my heart is saggin' 
Now I'm not bragging when I say 
You're a fool to miss the kissin' I been saving for you 

CHORUS 



Lollygagging

“Good songs and stories are sticky notes or a string around a finger – things that stay with me and remind me of the truth and the hope that I so easily forget. Songs can speak deeply, and both uncover buried grief and shed light on forgotten hope – they help me keep faith. In my own life, songs have opened up a way to a world beyond themselves where there’s more redemption, more joy, more beauty, and greater love than I had ever dreamed possible.” – Matthew Clark

Read more: www.matthewclark.net/about

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