"My Hope" Song Story From Ed Kerr
Featuring Paul Baloche Posted on March 15, 2012
"Nothing will change if all the plans I make go wrong." That’s how it started. Sitting at my piano over a year ago. Those words came out as I prayed and played and wondered what the future held. Change was in the air. Much was uncertain.
I kept singing and kept playing. Words kept coming. Rhymes emerged. Melodies took shape. More than that, truth from God started breaking through my uncertainty and by the time I hit “stop” on my recorder, something profound had found its way into my heart. The line I opened this post with was completed this way: Nothing will change if all the plans I make go wrong, Your love stays the same.
That’s verse 1 of a song I called “Leaning In”. Written with Sheila Rabe and Alyssa Mellinger, two friends and collaborators from my home church. We sang it at church. Several times. It was well received. Seemed to minister to people.
A year passed and I shared the song with Paul Baloche, a dear friend for decades and someone with whom I’d written many songs years ago. Paul’s writing “antenna” kicked in and he asked if I’d be open to making a tweak here and there in the song. Sure, I said. Shaping a song with him is always a fantastic journey. Some chords were changed, melodies chiseled, several lyrics reworked, and “My Hope” was the result.
A few months have passed since that writing session. Paul has recorded the song and included it on his new project, “The Same Love”. One of my favorite things resulting from this opportunity for me as a songwriter is listening to Paul’s Song Story, where he speaks of what the song means to him. Watch the video here. Like me, you might be impacted when you hear Paul speak of someone who might not be sure they have the faith or strength to get through their present challenges. But keep listening. Paul wraps up his story with this recurring lyric from the song: “I’m holding on, I’m holding on to You”.
Beyond the beauty of Paul’s voice on the song, the perfect vocal duet added by Kathryn Scott or the fantastic production within the track, I’m comforted by that truth that first came out of my mouth when the seed of the song was born. “Nothing will change if all the plans I make go wrong”. So, as you read this, maybe change is in the air for you. Perhaps the change happened a week ago. Or ten years ago. Or today. Everything might seem chaotic. Finances. Family. Faith.
Well, not everything’s chaotic. God’s still crazy about you. Hang on. Lean in. I am.
P.S. Get hold of the Paul’s project. You can pre-order “The Same Love” and get lots of other great content by clicking this link.
Tags: Song Stories, Songwriting
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