My all time favourite singer is Keith Green and I love to paint to his music (more coming later on that). This is not news to those who know me well. Keith was an amazing person who died in 1982 at the young age of 28 (or 27, can’t remember). He had only been a Christian for around 8 years I think at the time and in that time he wrote and sang a lot of amazing songs. He was very 1970s and he looked the part too.
His music spoke to the average person and was not ‘designed’ to make money or be popular. Many of his words are hard hitting but at the same time his love and compassion for his fellow human being draws you to him as he sings. One of his songs that always makes me stop and think is this one. I know that a lot of people who read my blog will find this a bit ‘too religious’ but feel free to listen and hear his passion. The lyrics are below. This was recorded about two months before he died tragically in a plane crash with two of his young children:
Soften Your Heart
So many times I’ve tried to tell you,
But I don’t think you’ve been listening.
There’s nothing I wanna try and sell you,
Cause his love is free.
You’re so proud of saying you’re a seeker,
But why are you searching in the dark?
You won’t find a thing until you soften your heart.
Lah, lah, lah……
The message is oh so very simple,
You gotta be like a child to see.
Cause Jesus said let the little children,
Come unto me.
You try to make things too complicated,
But you really don’t have to be so smart.
You won’t learn a thing until you soften your heart.
Lah, lah, lah…..
Well if just this once, I could show you your empty life, I know,
You would follow Him right now.
But I know it sounds just too good to be true,
But if He lives in you, you’ll never die, you’ll never die,
You’ll live forever.
You’ll never die, you’ll never die, take care of forever, now.
Lah, lah, lah….
You tell everyone to keep on smiling,
Your outlook on life is so positive,
But deep down inside you’re look for a reason to live,
Like everyone else you’re scared of dying,
But the power of death has been blown apart.
And you’ll live forever, if you softer your heart.
Lah, lah, lah….
You’ll never die, you’ll never die, you’ll live forever,
You’ll never die, you’ll never die, take care of forever now.
Lah, lah, lah….
You’ll never die, you’ll never die, you’ll live forever,
You’ll never die!
June 20th, 2009 at 6:07 am
I remember seeing Keith in concert so many years ago. He promised he’d come back to Perth but unfortunately he never got the opportunity.
June 20th, 2009 at 8:53 am
Ohhhhh I just had to shove the green eyed monster back in the cupboard!
June 20th, 2009 at 9:32 am
I was very blessed to see Keith two years in a row at Jesus Northwest (in Washington State, USA). He was amazing! He closed out the night with “My Eyes Are Dry”, and NO one’s eyes were dry….
–Cathy