As any artist of any kind can tell you, following your heart and your soul and your muse to create something meaningful is very hard, especially when you are creating in the midst of criticism. I’ve dealt with my fair share of critics over the years, usually in the form of people who want to categorize me and the music that I make. Often I find myself being pigeonholed into a genre or a niche that I never really wanted to be put in.
I started out in 1989 singing, writing, and performing as part of an a cappella gospel quartet. From there, I moved on to writing and recording and performing with a much more contemporary a cappella group, still within the Christian arena. When I started doing solo stuff, I knew I wanted to stick with a cappella music because that is where my strengths lie, but I wanted to write songs that were a little more open… about more than just my faith. I realized that if I truly wanted to make a difference in people’s lives with my music, I had to be willing to meet people where they are and write songs that anybody can relate to, not just Christians. This is why so many of my songs (including every song on my most recent album and the one before that, Frame of Mind) are a bit more ambiguous than what I was writing with the gospel groups. A Christian hears a song as a love song to God, while a non-Christian might hear it as a love song to my wife. By doing this, God has opened so many doors for me to form relationships with people who would never sit and listen to someone preach. We bond through the power of music!
Here’s the point: We were all born to be something, and we should all strive to be what God has created us to be, regardless of what kind of genre or niche people try to place us in. I make music because I can’t NOT make music! It’s taken me a long time to figure it out, but it’s what I was born to do. The song below is simply an expression of that desire, and hopefully it can be an encouragement to you, too. Enjoy!
Time after time, I’ve tried to tell you
and day after day, I’ve tried to show you.
You don’t know me the way you think you do.
I’m just trying to show you who I am.
If you can’t take me as I am, please listen to me.
I’m just trying to be what I was born to be.
If you can’t see what I was made for, let me show you me.
I’m just trying to be what I was born to be.
Have you ever felt out of place?
And have you ever wanted to hide your face?
Are you living your life the way it was meant to be?
I just want to show you who you are.
I can take you as you are, please listen to me.
Just try to be what you were born to be.
If you don’t know what you were made for, just try to see.
I’m just trying to show you what you were born to be.
Copyright (C) 2017 Clockwork Music BMI.
All sounds vocally or anatomically produced.
The Blogging Adventures of Eric 