Thanks for stopping by the site to check out this project. From October of 2003 to October of 2004, I wrote and recorded one song per week for the entire year. There are a few cover songs included in that bunch, but pretty much they're all originals. Here you can listen to samples of all 60 of the songs from that project. After the project ended, I decided to take the full versions of the songs offline, because I was going to be starting on recording my first real CD, "Lower than the Angels" to be released in late 2005. I figure it's bad business to be selling a CD of songs that people could come here and download for free... but, there are MP3 samples of every song to give you the idea. Feel free to listen, download, burn, share, comment, whatever.

:: greg 11:02 AM [+] ::
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Song #1 - "Are you out there Tonight"

Download or Listen to "Are you out there Tonight" Here

A lot of my songs make my friends ask me if everything is okay... if I'm having a crisis of faith or something like that. This one will be sure to inspire the same type questions. But, doubt and searching are part of the journey and I think it's dishonest to pretend that they don't exist. I think part of the way I deal with those things is to just write them down... always seems to help.

That said, this song isn't really about me. I was imagining what somebody else in my life who I won't mention might think about on her long drive home from work each night... this song came out. Please comment!


Are you out there tonight As I'm driving back home
Could you tell me how long I'll have to go this alone
Cause I'm lonely tonight
I was hoping that you Could tell me that I'll be alright

If you're up there tonight Could you show me your hand
Cause I don't know how long I will be able to stand
Underneath this weight
The road's getting long And the hour is getting late

If you're out there tonight Could you give me an answer
Cause lately my life's been A total disaster
If you're out there tonight And if you can hear me
Right now I just need for You to be near me

If you're out there tonight As I'm out on the road
And the rearview reflection Tells me that I'm getting old
Was it that long ago
I was a someone that somebody Might want to know

are you up there tonight and are you even listening
there's some broken down prayers lately that you've been missing
if you're out there at all and if you still care
maybe you could let me know if you're there

cause I'm out here tonight there's no turning back
and the last trace of moonlight surrendered itself to the black
I just want to go home
You could come with me You know I hate being alone

Greg Adkins - acoustic guitar, bass, fender rhodes, vocals.

:: greg 7:02 AM [+] ::
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Song #2 - "Meaningless"

Download or Listen to "Meaningless" Here

Keeping with the theme... here's another one to make you ask if I'm alright. I am, I assure you. I was talking to a friend yesterday about Ecclesiastes and then I listened to a Dido CD in the car and this song wrote itself in literally 15 minutes.

HELP!!! - The song right now is called "Meaningless" but I'm considering calling it "The Red Pill". Comment on what you think.


Guitars hanging on the wall Turn the lights out on them all
Driving home at the end of the day
There's a traffic jam at West Hills I wish I could take the red pill
And find another way

Sometimes this just feels so
Meaningless, So meaningless, It's meaningless

Wake up early in the morning Monday came without a warning
I am out before the dawn
Homeless man out by the red light He's been there since last night
Green comes and I'm gone

In my heart it feels so
Meaningless, It's meaningless, So meaningless

I'm sick of this and so are you
I don't do what I want to do
I beg don't let me be alone
And then I run away from home
I want to be your child again
To crawl into your arms again
And wipe the tears off of my face
And feel a little bit of grace
I've run this race for 20 years
There must be some way out of here
Tell me what the ending is
And am I in your story

Meaningless, It's Meaningless, So Meaningless

Greg Adkins - acoustic guitar, bass, fender rhodes, programming, keyboards

:: greg 12:55 AM [+] ::
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Song #3 - "The End of You and Me"

Download or Listen to "The End of You and Me" Here

A song that sounds like a breakup song but isn't...


In the blackness of a January morning
We will bundle in our winter coats and drive
To the place that's been prepared
Nervous hands gripping on the steering wheel
Cumberland is just a few more miles
In a minute we'll be there

This is not the way
I thought it would be
The end of you and me

Goodbye to the holly wood ending
Kissing in the twilight in the rain
And we can't hold back the tears
Instead we stumble our way through revolving doors
And we have to sit forever in the waiting room
Well at least our families are here

This is not the way I thought it would be
The end of you and me

Everything we've known is over now
Everything we've come to love will change
The way that we have been has vanished like the wind
It can never be just you and me again

On the way back home I'll drive under the speed limit
We'll turn around at every single stop sign
Just to see if he's still there
Cause the miracle now riding in the backseat
Is changing every single thing about me
You run your fingers through my hair

And this is better than I though it would be
The end of you and me

Greg Adkins - acoustic guitar, vocals

:: greg 1:19 PM [+] ::
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Song #4 - "Seattle to Spokane"

Download or Listen to "Seattle to Spokane" Here

We took a trip out west this past summer. One of my favorite things was just the time spent driving. We left Seattle at 4:00 one night and drove to Spokane. The sunset that night was just an absolute classic... hit right about the time we were driving through an area with all of these enormous gorges and mountains. Maybe a bit of a cheesy topic to write on but hey, I've got to write 52 of these!


You are sleeping in the passenger seat
Nine days into this western dream
I pull off of the interstate for something to eat
The sky is purple and the grass is green

The road can be so beautiful
Everything's alright
Driving from Seattle to Spokane tonight

I bought a painting from a vendor in the marketplace
And we filled up on coffee and cheesecake
Four o'clock came and we knew we had to leave
So we drove across the sound and out of town, headed east

The road can be so beautiful
Everything's alright
Driving from Seattle to Spokane tonight

And the gorge is glowing as the daylight fades
I don't ever want to leave this place

Just a month ago we were having some problems
Nothing like a trip out west to solve them
Underneath the Washington sky, you can know your place
Beloved child of the king of grace

The road can be so beautiful
Everything's alright
Driving from Seattle to Spokane tonight

Greg Adkins - acoustic guitar, fender rhodes, bass, djembe, vocals

:: greg 11:17 PM [+] ::
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Song #5 - "I Will be There"

Download or Listen to "I Will be There" Here

Man, you shouldn't listen to Norah Jones and then Randy Newman and then try to write a song... all you can think of are these 7th chords and stuff...


My wife and I know four couples right now who are either getting divorced or are considering it... it's been frustrating for us to say the least to watch things fall apart around us and feel helpless to do anything. I wrote this for my wife to reassure her that things will be alright. And yes, I realize this has the same name as a Steven Curtis Chapman song and yes, I'm embarrased about it... but at least the song isn't called "A2J" or something.


This song also marks the debut of my newly reconditioned Wurlitzer 200 electric piano... I absoultely love this instrument.

This ain't no longshot This ain't no dream
I know what you've heard I know what you've seen
They'll say you're crazy And call you naive
Sooner or later Everyone leaves
Others may vanish Into thin air
But I will be there

I know it scares you Down in your heart
When others around us Are falling apart
The water gets high The water gets deep
I made a promise I plan to keep
It may take some faith It may take some prayer
But I will be there

When days get short When nights get long
When you are thinking That you can't go on
When you are broken When you fall down
Don't even worry I'll be around
And when the pain Is too much to bear
I will be there

Greg Adkins - piano, wurlitzer electric piano, acoustic guitar, bass, vocals

:: greg 2:44 PM [+] ::
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Song #6 - "The Year"

Download or Listen to "The Year" here

So I woke up on my birthday and decided I wanted to write a song and record it all in one day. So, here it is.


It's a song of gratitude... I've lived 29 years and have all of my family still healthy and with me. But, it's also a song of fear because I know that in the next 10 years, I'm going to lose a lot of important people in my life... my wife said it sounds like a letter to God on my birthday... I guess it kind of is. I fear it may border on cheesy (or heck, maybe it just flat out is cheesy) but hey, I wrote it in an hour and recorded it in two... cut me some slack. :) Actually, if you have suggestions, I would love to hear them... this might be one to rerecord later if I can come up with better lyrics.



Just another day in late October
It gets dark early, the air is colder
today is my birthday, I'm twenty-nine
my wife is beside me, and everything's fine
Life is good here in Tennessee
I've got a wife and parents who love me
Jack and Chris, Francis and Oliver
are all doing well, but I can't help but wonder

Will this be the year when things get tough
when the rains come down and the wind blows cold
Will this be the year I lose someone I love
Stay close to me, I might need someone I can hold

Driving the streets of my hometown
shadows get long, the sun's going down
Driving back home, the day's almost over
it's no big deal, just another day older
Life has been easy, God has blessed me
It's gonna get hard, I don't know if I'm ready
Stand by my side when the storm is rough
Cause I don't think I'm strong enough

Will this be the year when life gets hard
When the waters rise and the wind starts to blow
Will this be the year when it all falls apart
Stay close to me, I might need someone I can hold

Greg Adkins - piano, vocals

:: greg 11:14 PM [+] ::
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Song #7 - "Ready for the Storm"

Download or Listen to "Ready for the Storm" Here

So here's the first cover song... I hadn't really planned on including this until I wrote song #6 below and they just kind of fit. I've always loved this song... I thought for a long time that it was by Rich Mullins but it's actually by a guy named Dougie McLean. Either way, it's a wonderful tune and I hope this is some little way does it justice.


This recording is actually from an old worship CD I recorded back in early 2000. You may say I'm cheating... this shouldn't count as one of my 52... to which I say "hey, I make the rules around here!" But I say it in a very polite way. :)



Greg Adkins - accordion, percussion, vocals
Danny Rosenbalm - acoustic guitar, mandolin, vocals

:: greg 7:22 PM [+] ::
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Song #8 - "Heavenly Descent"

Download or Listen to "Heavenly Descent" Here

This is my favorite of the eight songs so far in the project. There's a lot of story to be told about this song but I'd really rather not tell it in this forum... the short version is, I have a friend that a lot of people say has fallen off the straight and narrow... we always hear that phrase and then we also hear the expression "deep and wide" (remember the song from VBS?)... well, I'm not sure there's room for both of those expressions in our terminology. Anyway, this is a song for my friend.



You were lower than the angels, you were higher than the stars
On the evening of your heavenly descent
and right now you are sitting in a downtown corner bar
wondering where everybody went
And I tried to be on your side, and I tried to be a friend
I'm thinking that I may have let you down
This evening you are lonely and I am safe at home
a normal life here in a normal town



And everybody's sayin' that the road is straight and narrow
and once your walk was truer than the flight of any arrow
I can hear that river runnin' in the corner of my mind
deep and wide

You were closer than a brother you were wandering like a child
And I was busy living in my life
I gave you excuses, what you needed was line
something other than "hey not tonight"
Time is passing quickly and hours turn to years
Twilight turns to shadow in the dark
And I wish that I could go back
I wish that I were brave
I wish that I could have a bigger heart

And everybody's talking 'bout the narrow and straight
The hour's getting longer and the day is getting late
I can hear that river running in the corner of my mind
Deep and wide

You were lower than the angels, you were higher than the stars
On the evening of your heavenly descent
And this evening you are watching television in the dark
Wondering where everybody went

Greg Adkins - guitar, vocals, programming

:: greg 8:28 PM [+] ::
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Song #9 - "Little"

Download or Listen to "Little" Here

My attempt at a country radio hit single I guess... I actually wrote this just as a little folk-ballad on guitar but as we started to record it, it just started sounding like a country song and then I met this pedal steel player and it all sort of went downhill from there. For the record, this is my wife's favorite.



boys will grow up into men and try to find their way back again
to a time before they learned to worry
we all want to act like kids but time being the way it is
forces us to grow up in a hurry

sometimes life can move so fast, it leaves us desperate for the past
longing for a time when things were simple
all that I can say, is I wish I'd stayed little

Love is patient, love is kind, love is oh well nevermind
here I've gone and done you wrong again
I love your soul and I love your mind
you hate my selfish foolish pride
that sometimes doesn't seem to have an end

I wonder when the times get tough, will our love be strong enough
you know that my heart can be so brittle
will you still love me when i forget to be little

and I'm never gonna be the perfect man anyway
and it's easier to wait and try to change another day

Here I stand before you now too ashamed to kneel and bow
I just haven't loved you very well
Humbleness can be so tough when you think you're good enough
when you think you don't need any help

you say that when I feel small that is when I'm standing tall
help me find the answer to this riddle
i need less of me help me learn to be little

Greg Adkins - acoustic guitar, piano, vocals
Danny Rosenbalm - electric guitar
John Sailers - pedal steel guitar
Scott Bradford - drums
Sandy Garrett - bass

:: greg 12:36 PM [+] ::
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Song #10 - "Slightly Haunted"

Download or Listen to "Slightly Haunted" Here

This is kind of an unusual little song I wrote after getting severe writer's block. Someone suggested (Anita I believe) that I open a book and take a phrase and write a song based on that. So, I opened a book and found the phrase "slightly haunted" and just ran with it. It instantly made me think of how we struggle to forgive ourself even though we believe that God forgives us. So, we run around claiming freedom and forgiveness, but the reality is, we're at least slightly haunted. At least I usually am.


Anyway, this one was fun but frustrating to record... never really could get it to sound the way I wanted here on my little recording setup. I think this one needs the professional touch to sound good but I did get to add some dulcimer which is a good touch I think.



I am slightly haunted
By my history
Gone but not forgotten
The way I used to be
I cannot escape from
All those memories
I'm not sure that I even want
To be set free

I know that I'm forgiven
I just can't forgive myself
I carry it around me
Just like everybody else
And I run away from
All that I ever wanted
I am slightly haunted

I am truly sorry
For the things I've done
I believe in his body
I believe in his blood
Sometimes I can't sleep
And then it comes
And all those little failures
Hit me like a flood

I know that I'm forgiven
I just can't forgive myself
I carry it around me
Just like everybody else
And I run away from
All that I ever wanted
I am slightly haunted

I wish that I could find a way
To lay this burden down
Your body on a cross
And your blood spilled on the ground
Still I run away from
All that I ever wanted
I am slightly haunted

Greg Adkins - acoustic guitar, wurlitzer, bass, djembe, hammered dulcimer, vocals

:: greg 4:42 PM [+] ::
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Song #11 - "Broken Home"

Download or Listen to "Broken Home" Here

This is one of the first ones I wrote for the project actually... I think i wrote it fourth but I'm just now getting around to recording it. Some friends are going through a really sad divorce and it just got me thinking.




Barefoot in the hallway
I was only ten
Dad said things would never
Be the same again
Welcome to the great unknown
Broken home

It happens now so often
We think it's alright
We will give it up so easy
We will walk away without a fight
Please don't leave me here alone
Broken home

Everything gets broken sometimes
Have we gone too far, crossed that line
This ship feels like it has run aground
But it's not too late to turn around

I made you a promise
In front of god and man
You won't change who you are
I can't change who I am
I am hanging up the phone
Broken home

Greg Adkins - piano, vocals

:: greg 1:49 PM [+] ::
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Song #12 - "The Darkness Will not Overcome You"

Download or Listen to "The Darkness Will not Overcome You" Here

The title is right out of the book of John... heard it during a sermon recently and it just stuck in my head as being a phrase that might bear repeating during a time of stress or temptation. This one really wrote itself very quickly from that original line... I think start to finish, words and music it was done in about thirty minutes. It's funny how those just kind of come out sometimes. I think when a song hits you that way, you can't really edit too awful much... just kind of take it as it is, as a gift.

Musically, this one is a bit strange. I had been wanting to try a layered vocal effect like the Beach Boys for awhile but hadn't had a song to try it on... this one I think it fit pretty well although it's a bit weird at first. The first person I let hear this chuckled at the beginning just because the effect is kind of strange. I think it works though. See what you think.



The darkness will not overcome you
At the bottom of the well
In the middle of the night
When your heart is battered and bruised
the darkness, the darkness, the darkness will not overcome you

there's a tunnel at the end of the light
there's a depth at the bottom of the height
we don't have to make everything alright
tonight

the darkness will not overcome you
when you wrestle with the angel
when the struggle is too hard

when there's nothing left to say or do
the darkness will not overcome you

you can come to me and I won't mind
if your heart is the broken kind
rest can be impossible to find
sometimes

the darkness will not overcome you
when your faith is just a flicker
when you can't hold up your head
when all that you can see is blue
the darkness will not overcome you

Greg Adkins - piano, guitar, vocals

:: greg 12:26 PM [+] ::
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Song #13 - "Deeper Waters"

Download or Listen to "Deeper Waters" Here

This is a song I wrote after having a conversation with my friend Jeff (not Jeph) about guys and the way that they talk to each other. I have a lot of guy friends where the conversation very rarely goes any deeper than food / sports / what's on tv / etc... and I think that's okay... You can't walk around talking philosophy with everyone you know. But at the same time, I would much rather be in the company of those I feel I can go deeper with...


So anyway, the first verse here is kind of a joke... it's meant to convey the way guys talk to each other. From there the song gets serious talking about how empty that feels sometimes and how I usually end up wishing for something deeper.




It's really good to see you
How have you been doin'
Have you seen that new movie
The one with all the explosions
You should come over Saturday
We could watch the ballgame
I could make some chicken wings
We could talk about something

I talk to you, you talk to me
We never talk about anything
Talk about the girl, Talk about the weather
Talk about the same things when we're together
These conversations feel so worthless
There must be something more beneath the surface
In the deeper waters, deeper waters, deeper waters

I'm afraid that my secrets
Are much worse than yours
I'm afraid if I told you
We wouldn't talk anymore
But I'll tell them anyway
What I'm needing is a friend
I'm so tired of the small talk
I'm so tired of the shallow end

We're drifiting out away from the land
My feet can barely even touch the sand
Eyes on the horizon not on the shore
This is the life we were made for
It's not comfortable, it's not easy
But I don't ever want to leave these
Deeper waters, deeper waters, deeper waters

Ask me a difficult question
What is your deepest fear
Tell me about your struggle
Say the things I need to hear

Greg Adkins - wurlitzer, guitar, bass, vocals, drum loops

:: greg 5:08 PM [+] ::
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Song #14 - "The Deep"

Download or Listen to "The Deep" Here

As I was recording song #13, this old Out of the Grey song came to my head... not really about the same thing but it goes really well with Deeper Waters. I think I first heard this song my sophomore year of high school back in 1991... I've always liked it. It sounds a lot better sung by a girl I think but oh well...




Greg Adkins - guitar, vocals

:: greg 5:13 PM [+] ::
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Songs #15 and #15a

O Come O Come Emmanuel / God Rest ye Merry Gentlemen"

Download or Listen to "O Come O Come Emmanuel" Here

Download or Listen to "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" Here

I wanted to include some holiday music and I even tried to write some but it just wasn't happening... I've hit some writers block again lately that I'm working through. I thought just for fun I'd do two Christmas songs but only count it as one number... don't want to include too many cover songs but I think it's okay for Christmas.


Anyway... hope you enjoy these. The first was actually recorded about one year ago and is a duet with Beki Hemingway who you can check out right here. I would highly recommend picking up her latest CD "Words for Loss for Words" which can be found at her website. Beki was very cool to come to the church and sing with me. I only wish my crappy recording equipment would have sounded better then. This is definitely the most lo-fi of the songs thus far...


The second tune was meant to be kind of an appalachian sounding instrumental type thing but my wife thinks it sounds more middle-eastern or Turkish... whatever. It's a lot of fun and features the hammered dulcimer. Merry Christmas!




O Come O Come Emmanuel - Greg Adkins - guitar, bass, djembe, vocals. Beki Hemingway - vocals

God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen - Greg Adkins - hammered dulcimer, guitar, accordion, penny whistle, mandolin, percussion.

:: greg 2:25 PM [+] ::
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Song #16 - "Amazing Grace"

Download or Listen to "Amazing Grace" Here

This is a song Jeph Hurst and I wrote together on a retreat in Lexington, KY back in January of 1999. We were talking one day over lunch (at Joe Balogna's) about the Matthew Shepherd murder and the www.godhatesfags.com church who was there protesting his funeral... we were talking about how the church lifts up sins like homosexuality and abortion to a higher level of sin than "everyday sins" like pride and greed and lust. The more we talked, the more disgusted we got... I remember looking around at a rather diverse lunch crowd and just thinking over and over again about how badly we all needed grace and we were all completely screwed without it. We went back to the church and sometime around midnight, we had this song finished. Jeph wrote the music to the verse and chorus, I believe I came up with the chords for the bridge, and I remember the lyric just kind of writing itself out loud between the two of us. Definitely a collaboration in every sense... this is one of the only songs I've ever written with anyone else and even though the lyrics are maybe a bit simplistic, it's still one of my favorite songs I've written.




On a cold Sunday morning
Somewhere in Wyoming
They gathered together
Said goodbye to a friend
They crossed the lines
Of what's wrong and what's right
The Picketer's signs
Together they cried

Amazing grace how sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me

A girl sits alone
In a hospital bed
Remembers the words
That her mother had said
She knew what would happen
If anyone heard
There could be no forgiveness
She cries out the words

Amazing grace how sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me

Who are you to accuse
They don't answer to you
Would you rather be right
And to win all your fights
Than to see them in heaven with you

You know my heart
You know my mind
You know my failures
You know my crimes
Deep in my bones
I cling to the word
The thing I most need
Is what I least deserve

Greg Adkins - piano, vocals
Jeph Hurst - acoustic guitar
Sandy Garrett - bass
Christopher Robbins - drums

:: greg 12:28 PM [+] ::
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Song #17 - "Romantic Comedy"

Download or Listen to "Romantic Comedy" Here

I'm pretty happy with this one from a production standpoint. The song itself maybe a bit goofy but I'll let you be the judge of that. I wrote this while reflecting on the difference between me and my wife and our taste in movies. She prefers light romantic comedies. I tend to prefer dark comedy and dramas... that's fine, just a difference in preference. But, I've always felt that seeing too many romantic comedy type movies is unhealthy for a marriage. Continually seeing that Hollywood picture of perfect storybook romance can tempt a couple to begin comparing themselves to an unattainable example. I guess that's what the song is about.


As far as production goes, this was a fun one to record. I used 22 tracks which is a record for me... I'll let you decide if that's a good thing or not but overall, I'm liking this one a good bit, at least for now.



I'm not going to see your romantic comedy
I can never compete with that movie screen
Everytime that we kiss there won't be a symphony
I'm not going to see your romantic comedy

Cause it makes me jealous and it makes me scared
We'll never feel like those people up there
With a perfect love story that makes everyone cry
I think it might be a lie

I'm not going to see your romantic comedy
Movie screen endings never work out for me
I will love you the best that I can here in reality
I'm not going to see your romantic comedy

Cause it makes me jealous and it makes me scared
That I can't love you like that guy up there
He says "baby I will love you 'til I die"
I think it might be a lie
I think it might be a lie

I'm not going to see your romantic comedy
Sorry I don't look more like Matthew McConaughey
You look better than Julie Roberts to me
But I'm not going to see your romantic comedy

I think it might be a lie
I think it might be a lie
I think it might be a lie
I think it might be a lie

Greg Adkins - vocals, piano, wurlitzer, guitar, djembe, tamborine, xylophone, accordion, bass, drum programming

:: greg 11:19 PM [+] ::
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Song #18 - "Under the Sun"

Download or Listen to "Under the Sun" Here

The second song I've written inspired by Ecclesiastes ("Meaningless" being the first). This one's kind of a made up "guy trying to get the girl" type thing but he can't do it because nothing impresses her. I actually got the idea after having a discussion about how flashy video / graphics / tech stuff doesn't have the same effect in worship settings anymore because it's so easily accessable... kids can edit video in high school. I just kind of applied that idea to a love song and here you go. He wants her, but she's seen everything. Geez that really makes it sound stupid, doesn't it?


I'm anxious to hear what people think of this one because I can't decide if I really like it or not... Some listens I do, others I don't.



Every song has now been sung
Every word been written down
Every race has now been run
Every star been wished upon

There's nothing new under the sun
Nothing new
Tell me what's a boy supposed to do
There's nothing new under the sun
Nothing new
Tell me what am I supposed to do

Every picture has been painted
Every poem been read out loud
All my memories are faded
Every dreamer has been jaded

There's nothing new under the sun
Nothing new
Tell me what's a boy supposed to do
There's nothing new under the sun
Nothing new
Tell me what am I supposed to do

There's nothing that I can do
No tears I could cry
Everything has been done
So why even try
Now I know that I can't change Your mind

Every story has been told
Every sermon been delivered
Every young man has grown old
All my love is turning cold

There's nothing new under the sun
Nothing new
Tell me what am I supposed to do
To win your love
To win your love
Tell me what am I supposed to do

Greg Adkins - wurlitzer, acoustic guitar, harmonica, accordion, bass, shaker
Scott Bradford - drums

:: greg 1:40 PM [+] ::
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Song #19 - "Standing on the Same Promises"

Download or Listen to "Standing on the Same Promises" Here

I've had this idea milling around in my head for awhile now that I would like to write a song about the issue of contemporary versus traditional music in the church. Without going into detail, it is an emotional issue in my church with many of the traditional folks feeling left out and hurt by the trend towards the contemporary. It's obviously more broad than that but our church is certainly moving towards being progressive but not without some scars. I always hated the idea of an "us vs. them" mentality that I hear so frequently and have myself been guilty of at times... it just seems so wrong to take that stance. In the grand scheme of things, I just don't know that it's worth all the bickering that happens in churches all across the country. And so, that's what gave me the idea for this song.

When I sat down to start writing it, I thought of the idea of trying to incorporate hymn titles into the lyrics of the song... I got seven of them in there so bonus points to whoever can spot them all.

I'm happy with this song... Musically maybe a tad bland but the message and lyric I think really convey well what I'm trying to say here. Plus, I spent some cash to rent a real recording studio with a real grand piano for this one so it sounds a little better. I hope to be able to play this for some of the folks who have been scarred in this battle. I'd love to know what you think.


I understand, holding on hard as you can
Everything you love in life
Seems to fade away
I sympathize, try to see it through your eyes
Things you saw in black and white
Are slowly turning gray

You remember, going to church with your mother
Listening to the preacher
And singing old, old songs
Now you're longing for the way things used to be
So vivid in your memory
Now everything seems wrong

And I know that you're afraid
That we might not keep the faith
That the things you leave behind will soon be lost
It is well with us today, we may seem a little strange
But we're still clinging to that old rugged cross
Maybe we can put aside our differences
Cause we're standing on the same promises

That rock of ages never fails and never changes
But the way we sing about Him
May seem a little odd
Jesus loves me, this I know because you told me
You have taught me about family
And faith and hope and God


And I know that you're afraid
That we might not keep the faith
That the church you leave behind will soon be lost
It is well with us today, we may be a little strange
But we're still clinging to that old rugged cross
Maybe we can put aside our differences
Cause we're standing on the same promises

So let's not fight about the songs we sing or the instruments we play
'Cause when we all get to heaven it won't matter anyway
Surrounded by the angels and the multitudes we'll say
Come Thou fount of every blessing tune our hearts to sing Your grace


And I know that you're afraid
That we might not keep the faith
That the message of your life will soon be lost
It is well, don't be afraid
At the end of the day
We're both clinging to that same old rugged cross
I think that we can put aside our differences
Cause we're standing on the same promises

Greg Adkins - grand piano, vocals

:: greg 1:46 PM [+] ::
...

Song #20 - "Shadow of a Doubt"

Download or Listen to "Shadow of a Doubt" Here

One of the things that is going to have to go with having a new baby in the house is beginning to post some songs in more of a "demo" format. This tune is a good example of one that I'm presenting in a very scaled down form. I could eventually hear this having a full band on it... drums, etc... but, for now, here it is with just guitar and bass. Heck, who knows, maybe simple is better.
Lyrically, I don't know how well this one works but it's a tough subject to approach. One of the things I think Christians are afraid to talk about is the notion that we could be wrong. Now, I know, calm down, put down the rocks, I'm not having a crisis of faith here or anything. I'm just saying that the frustrating thing about our faith is the faith itself... faith means we don't really know... we're just making our best educated guess. I wish that weren't so but it just is, for all of us. So, here's a song about that.


I could talk to you like a salesman
Say I have no hesitation
I'd be lying but at least you
wouldn't question my salvation
You don't want to hear about
the shadow of a doubt
the shadow of a doubt

And tomorrow I'll be sorry
I said these things in a song
You all want me to be certain
You want me to be strong
And I'm not supposed to talk about
the shadow of a doubt
the shadow of a doubt

I believe
I believe
Lord help my unbelief

So I'm normal and I have questions
but everything's okay
Please don't worry, I'm not sliding
I'm falling on my faith
And someday I might figure out
the shadow of a doubt
the shadow of a doubt

Greg Adkins - guitar, bass, vocals

:: greg 9:29 PM [+] ::
...

Song #21 - "I'm Losing You"

Download or Listen to "I'm Losing You" Here

Keeping with the simple style of recording, here's another pretty much brand new song recorded live in the red room (my lame name for my studio). This one wrote itself very quickly thanks to a few things. I had the idea for the lyric bouncing around in my head for awhile... not any lines inparticular but I knew I wanted to write a song about someone who is so immersed in technology that they are losing touch with reality. I guess I wanted to write this as a warning to myself and the many people (some of whom may even read this site) who are so immersed in the web, television, video games, i-pod, cell phone, etc that they might neglect their loved ones. I know I have been guilty in the past of spending more time working on my website than my marriage... not proud of that but I've done it. Perhaps others have to... this song I guess is meant to challenge you to keep the main thing the main thing.

Anyway, that's the lyric... I owe thanks on the music to my man Dougie from Doughnut Design for suggesting I pick up a cut capo. This is a sweet little contraption that is basically, half of a capo. It goes over the A, D, and G strings on the 2nd fret and allows you to play in the key of E very very easily. This song is in E with the cut capo on the 2nd fret. Not only is it fun to play with this thing on the guitar, I think it gives the chordings a really haunting kind of drone sound... I really like it. Getchaself one today! I found mine in a local store but I believe that Worship Together carries them in their online store.

Log off for a minute
Put your cell phone on vibrate
I have something to say
Put down your I-pod
Take off your headphones
I don't think this can wait

Unplug the X-box
Shut off the big screen
Step away from the remote control
Here's my instant message
From the land of the living
Something that you need to know

I'm losing you
I'm losing you
I'm losing you

There's a dish on our roof
And a jack on our wall
And neither connect to my heart
I want to unplug them
I want to be free
But I just don't know where to start

I'm losing you
I'm losing you
I'm losing you

You are caught up in the modern condition
Real life comes in second to high definition
Yeah I want your love but
I'd settle for your attention

I'm losing you
I'm losing you
I'm losing you

Greg Adkins - guitar, vocals

:: greg 11:10 PM [+] ::
...

Song #22 - "Willingly"

Download or Listen to "Willingly" Here

Here's a short and simple little song for ya that came to be very quickly. It was written and recorded all in one day, start to finish. Those are always the most fun and I think it came out decent. Lyric is self explanatory I think so I'll not comment.


BUT, for the first time, there is going to be a GIVEAWAY associated with this song! For the first time in this project, I have used a sample in a song. A major component of this song is a sample of a song by somebody else. The first person to correctly identify the artist and song title of the sample used, wins 2 CDs. One by the great Nashville band Farmer Not so John, and the other by Memphis singer songwriter Garrison Starr. Two great cds that for some odd reason, I have two copies of. So, good luck, first person to leave the correct answer in the comment section below is the winner. Good luck!


Everyone hits the bottom
Everyone winds up on the ground
Don't let it get you down
When the hope you have is gone
That anyone will come
You will see
That I would go there willingly

Everyone loses bearings
Everyone gets lost in the dark
Don't let it break your heart
When you're holding out your hands
And have no place to stand
You will see
That I would go there willingly

Everyone knows this darkness
Like life isn't worth defending
Maybe you can't see an ending
To lonely nights and empty days
I just want you always to believe
That I would go there willingly

Greg Adkins - guitar, programming, piano, percussion, bass, vocals

:: greg 11:13 PM [+] ::
...

Song #23 - "Forgiveness for Everyone"

Download or Listen to "Forgiveness for Everyone" Here

So this one was and still is the source of much debate for me. I'm not entirely sure the lyric fits the music and I'm not entirely sure that the lyric even really works all that well... I've played it for two people so far and they both liked it more than I do I guess. But hey, the game here is 52 in 52 and whatever this is, it's one. Perhaps you'll like it.


As Ben Folds said of one of his songs: "This is about as political as I want to get with my music". I guess that applies here... I see much in the church that indicates that somehow those of us who "belong" are far better off than those on the other side of the fences we built. Scripture seems to indicate that we'll all end up begging for mercy at some point and that Jesus is the one who gives it. Perhaps we should spend less time throwing stones and more time picking broken people up off the ground.


I drive to work on Monday at the church up on the hill
People like to hear about the work I do until
I tell about the man from so long ago who still
Says that He can bring forgiveness for everyone

People don't believe it, I can see it in their face
There has to be a point when you are too far gone for grace
But there's a chance for every loser, every lifestyle, every race
With the man who brings forgiveness for everyone

Lately I've been hearing lots of whispers down the hall
We should barricade the doors and we should hide inside our walls
Let the world rage on outside us let them fight and let them fall
We'll be safe inside our bubble doing nothing at all

Walking through a world that's full of enemies of light
With one arm raised to bless them and the other raised to fight
It'd be easier to love them if they thought that we were right
Would we rather change thier hearts or change their minds

We're ready to condemn you if you step over that line
And you know that we might leave you if you ever fall behind
Begging for the answers, we say "seek and you might find"
Would we rather be comfortable than kind

Lately we've been pickin' fights with everyone we fear
Maybe you are pro-choice or maybe you are queer
But the man of many sorrows says "what's goin' on in here?
Would you send away the ones that I am longing to draw near?

You pharisees are backwards don't you know I came to tell
Broken people about love but you just scare them all with hell
And you leave your brother lying in the dirt there where he fell
Whatever happened to forgiveness for everyone?
Whatever happened to forgiveness for everyone?
Whatever happened to forgiveness for everyone?

Greg Adkins - guitar, programming, piano, wurlitzer, percussion, bass, melodica, vocals

:: greg 12:29 PM [+] ::
...

Song #24 and #24a - "Before You" and "My Glorious"

Download or Listen to "Before You" Here
Download or Listen to "My Glorious" Here

Since I started this project I knew I would want to include a few of my favorite worship songs, since leading worship is what I do professionally. These are two that I really enjoy for different reasons. The first is just a powerful song that has really spoken to me at different times. The second is just my favorite to play with a good band... it rocks out! Enjoy!


Before You:
Greg Adkins - guitar, accordion, bass, keys, vocals


My Glorious:
Greg Adkins - acoustic guitar, vocals
Scott Bradford - drums
Danny Rosenbalm - electric guitars, vocals
Sandy Garrett - bass.

:: greg 7:43 AM [+] ::
...

Song #25 - "Connor's Lullaby"

Download or Listen to "Connor's Lullaby" Here

I don't know of any self-respecting singer-songwriter type with kids that hasn't written the obligatory lullaby... so here's mine. I knew I wanted to write one but I didn't want it to have the typical lullaby sound so I kind of went for a New Orleans / Memphis style lullaby, whatever that means.

I'm curious to hear if folks like the AM Radio effect I used on this song... it is intentional (one person said it just sounded like a bad recording... it's not!) and is meant to give it a kind of 1970's feel... but as usual, I have doubts as to if it works. I'd love to hear your thoughts!


Little man the time has come
the day is done
lay your head upon my chest
Goodnight stars and goodnight moon
morning's soon
and we all could use some rest

In the morning everything will be alright
but now it's time the day is done
for everyone to say goodnight

Little man the days go by
in record time
soon the moments will be years
storms will rise to do you harm
but not while you're in my arms
I wish we could stay right here

In the morning everything will be alright
but now it's time, the day is done
for everyone to say goodnight

In the morning everything will be alright
but now it's time, the day is done
for everyone to say goodnight

Little man it's late tonight
so close your eyes
Even miracles need sleep
I'll be here when morning comes
and the dreaming's done
but for right now I'll lay you down
and pray your soul to keep

Greg Adkins - fender rhodes, vocals

:: greg 6:09 PM [+] ::
...

Song #26 - "Proof"

Download or Listen to "Proof" Here

This is a song I wrote after preaching a sermon on the topic of proving our faith, not just talking about it. The sermon and I guess the song are both inspired by the book "The Church of Irresistable Influence" by Robert Lewis... a great read if you're at all interested in church work and building bridges in your community to help other people.

The song is basically about the need for less words and more action and yes, I'm aware that there is a Toby Keith song with a similar title to that, and yes, that makes me want to puke. But, be that as it may, here's the song...


Lately I've been running out of answers
Saving conversations for another day
Nothing I can tell you will convince you
Maybe I don't have the words to say
I need another way to tell you the truth
All my arrows fall down like the rain... so I need proof

Answers don't come easy to these questions
Faith can be so difficult to find
Talking turns so quickly into argument
I would rather change your heart than change your mind
Still I wish I had a way to tell you the truth
All my arrows fall down like the rain... so I need proof

There is only one thing left that I know to try
If I can't reach you through your ears
Maybe through your eyes

You could see me live out what I say that I believe
You could see how much my life has changed
You could see a broken man finally learning how to stand
You could see a love in me that's unexplained
Words are overrated when it comes to the truth
All those arrows fall down like the rain... so I need proof

Greg Adkins - acoustic guitar, piano, wurlitzer, melodica, finger snaps, shaker, tamborine

:: greg 12:39 PM [+] ::
...

Song #27 - "Breakdown"

Download or Listen to "Breakdown" Here

So here is my attempt at a "lo-fi" way of recording. One vocal take. Several guitar attempts before I could get it right (or at least close). I'm not a finger picker. Anyway, I really like this one... the recording could be more but I wanted you to get the raw feeling and I thought the best way was to keep it really simple. It's meant to be a pretty quiet desparate song.


Everytime that I find something good
Everytime that I do what I should
Everytime that the stars are alligned
I shut down on the inside

Life isn't easy and life isn't fair
and I cannot keep all these balls in the air
I'm center ring as I lose everything
Get me out of this circus

Why can't I hold it together?
The pieces of me just scatter forever
Listen close to the sound
of the build-up giving way to the break-down

Everytime that I start something new
Everytime I surrender to you
Everytime that I shake off these blues
They just come around again

Everyone else has it all figured out
they know what life is really about
crippled with fear and frozen with doubt
I'm all brokedown again

Why can't I hold it together?
The pieces of me just scatter forever
Listen close to the sound
of the build up giving way to the break down

I'm broken down a familiar sound
I need to be found if you're coming around
Pick me up off the ground, I'm so far down
and I just need to be unbound

Everytime I go back to the start
To wait on the shore for the waters to part
And loosen the bandage surrounding my heart
I feel the life again

Hope has a power I don't understand
Dreams of becoming a different man
I'll never walk if I don't learn to stand
But give me something to lean on

Help me to hold it together
These pieces of me are scattered forever
Listen close to the sound
of the build up giving way to the break down


Greg Adkins - acoustic guitar, vocals

:: greg 11:28 PM [+] ::
...

Song #28 - "Be the Body"

Download or Listen to "Be the Body" Here

I'm so excited to finally get this song up on the website. It was put together as part of a service we did called "Be the Body" and I co-wrote the song with Jared Peer, Nancy Haney, and Alissa Atteberry. I had the melody and one verse... then we came up with the other verses and choruses via email during the day and did the song for the first time that night during service. Those of you who read the site regularly might remember the "breadman" service I talked about... this song closed out that service.


I'm also excited about this one because this is the first song here that I've actually been able to record in a real studio. Danny Rosenbalm graciously produced this song for us at his fantastic Hook and Groove studios here in Knoxville. I've enjoyed all of these songs and working on them by myself but man, the collaboration on this song (9 people involved) is way more fun than going it alone. I hope it shows in the track... this is one of my favorites.


As you rise to leave this place
Be the body, be the body
Every stranger, every face
Be the body

To the suffering in the street,
Be the body, be the body,
To each hungry soul you meet,
Be the body.

When your faith is just an ember
Take this bread and you will remember
When your heart is dead from sin
Take this wine and live again

To the ones who haven't heard yet
Be the body, be the body
To the ones who don't deserve it
Be the body

To the child with tear stained face
be the body, be the body
Let her know that warm embrace
be the body

When you're worn down from the miles
Take this bread and rest awhile
When you are broken by your sin
Take this wine, come home again

When you're beat down from the fight
Be the body, be the body
In the dark and lonely midnight
Be the body

Greg Adkins - acoustic guitar, vocals
Danny Rosenbalm - electric guitar, B-3 organ, Background vocals
Brent Conner - bass guitar
Scott Bradford - drums

:: greg 11:33 PM [+] ::
...

Song #29 - "Talkin' Church of the Future Blues"

First listen to "Talkin' Bear Mountain Picnic Massacre Blues" by Bob Dylan

Then listen to "Talkin' Church of the Future Blues"

The Talkin' Blues goes way back... I'm not sure how far but I first heard the genre from listening to Bob Dylan. He did several including Talkin' Bear Mountain Picnic Massacre, Talkin' John Birch Paranoid Blues, Talkin' World War Three Blues, and several others. Recently, Todd Snider did a great one called Talkin' Seattle Grunge Rock Blues.

For those unfamiliar with it... it's basically a standard guitar pattern (and yes, every talkin' blues song sounds almost exactly the same) which is then spoken over. The lyrics usually have a very simple rhyme scheme and are often intended to be humorous. Before you listen to my song, make sure you listen to Dylan's first if you've never heard the talkin' blues. His is better... he just delivers it so well.

Anyway, I always wanted to write a talkin' blues song... and so now I have. I suppose it's a bit funny but also a touch serious too. It was inspired by a fake article I read at Lark News about a church buying an animatronic worship band. Hilarious stuff.

Also, I decided not to post the lyrics on this one... it's not a song that reads well. It really needs to be heard! Enjoy!

Greg Adkins - acoustic guitar, harmonica, vocals

:: greg 7:42 PM [+] ::
...

Song #30 - "Bright Angel"

Download or Listen to "Bright Angel" Here

This is actually an older song from the project that I'm just now finishing up recording. I wrote this right around the same time I wrote songs #5-#10 and it just kind of sat on the shelf for awhile. I had Scott come out and play drums at the same time he played for song #18 (Under the Sun).

Lyrically, this is a remberance of a long night I had on my trip out west last summer. We had spent the day in San Francisco and were making a late night drive to Eureka (where we spent the worst night of our trip in the nastiest Econolodge one could possibly imagine). We were so tired from walking around San Fran and Muir woods all day and it's a pretty good drive to Eureka. My wife was sick from being pregnant and I was mad that it was dark and we weren't able to see all of the redwoods lining the road. We couldn't even go to the place where you drive through the middle of a tree. Bummer!

After we got home from vacation, I was reading Donald Miller's first book "Prayer and the art of Volkswagen Maintenance" and one of the chapters is titled "Bright Angel" which refers to part of the trail at the Grand Canyon. That phrase Bright Angel stuck with me for a few weeks and then when I was remembering that late night drive to Eureka this song kind of fell together.

I realize that this mix is kind of a mess... I hope you'll forgive the roughness. My little two microphone home studio isn't really designed for drums and electric guitars but hey, these are just supposed to be demos anyway.

Anyway, enough with the apologies... on to the music.



Driving up the 101 in the middle of the night
A few hundred miles to the Oregon state line
Ocean to the left of me, redwoods to my right
I can barely hold open my eyes

I need some peace, I need a vision
I'm goin down in a split decision
Stayin awake is my only mission
Now I find myself wishin for a

Bright angel, find me in the dark
Bright angel, shine your light down on my heart

Coffee from the Texaco will only go so far
Radio just won't come through in this cheap rental car
I roll the windows down, breathe the air and see the stars
Four thousand miles from home and not sure where we are

I'm exhausted my heart is pounding
Miles are still too long for counting
When I get lost you have always found me
Could you wrap your arms around me

Bright angel give me a song to sing
Bright angel let me hold onto your wings

Angel of mercy angel of light
Come to California tonight
Deliver me from the arms of sleep
And pray my soul to keep

Bright angel be the answer to a prayer
Bright angel I know, I know you are there


Greg Adkins - acoustic guitar, electric guitar, piano, bass, harmonica vocals
Scott Bradford - drums

:: greg 10:08 AM [+] ::
...

Song #31 - "The Best that I Can"

Download or Listen to "The Best That I Can" Here

I don't write worship music as a general rule... there's just enough of it out there that is good that I haven't ever felt a need to write my own. But, one night while driving in the car to East Towne Mall with my wife, this idea for a song hit me and I wrote it on a napkin while stopped at red lights. That was in January. Then in February I recorded the piano part. Now finally in May, I added the other stuff and here it is for you to listen to.


You have saved me from myself
You have found me when I'm dried out
At the bottom of the well
Bleeding where I fell
You have seen me fall apart
You have let me break your heart

You have loved me anyway
There are times I don't deserve
Even the smallest drop of grace
I have no words to say
I abandon you again
Your forgiveness never ends

I wish I had a bigger heart
I could love you just a little bit more
A little more
I wish that I had longer arms
I could raise them even higher off the floor
Off the floor
I wish I had a bigger voice
Maybe then my song could rise up and soar
to heaven's door
But the way that I am
I am doing the best that I can

You have opened up my eyes
I was drowning in an
endless sea of selfishness and lies
But I have said goodbye
to the way I used to be
Now that I can finally see

I wish I had a bigger heart
I could love you just a little bit more
A little more
I wish that I had longer arms
I could raise them even higher off the floor
Off the floor
I wish I had a bigger voice
Maybe then my song could rise up and soar
to heaven's door
But the way that I am
I am doing the best that I can


Greg Adkins - grand piano, acoustic guitars, bass, vocals

:: greg 9:32 AM [+] ::
...

Song #32 - "Leave it There"

Download or Listen to "Leave it There" Here

This is a hymn from 1916 by a man named Charles Tindley. I first heard it on a CD by Randall Goodgame called "The Hymnal". Awhile back, our church was doing a bluegrass worship service and I thought that this song would be a perfect way to open up the service. We owe a lot to Goodgame's excellent arrangement of this song as we pretty much listened to the CD once and then played it just like that. His version is superior and worth seeking out.

Anyway, it just so happened that we recorded the bluegrass service that morning and I liked the way this song turned out enough to include it in the project. Being from East Tennessee, I had to throw some bluegrass in here somewhere! We ran through it once about 30 minutes before this recording was made and then ran with it so it's not perfect but heck, as Jack Black says in school of rock "bluegrass isn't about being perfect". Or something like that...


Greg Adkins - acoustic guitar, vocals
Jerry Price - violin
Danny Rosenbalm - mandolin
Mandy Watson - vocals
Mike Ritter - banjo
Mark Varhola - upright bass

:: greg 9:04 AM [+] ::
...

Song #33 - "Valley of the Dry Bones"

Download or Listen to "Valley of the Dry Bones" Here

I don't know what to say about this song other than I hope you like it. I got the idea for calling a song this a long time ago but could never come up with anything. It didn't turn out like I thought it would but I like it pretty well. I long for a time when every word of it is true.

We are waiting for the slightest hint of movement
We are waiting for a word, a sign, a spark
We are waiting for the sound of revolution
We are waiting for a light to come and pierce the dark

And we will rise from the shadows of this field of sand and stone
And we will run like a prodigal still longing for his home
And we will tell of a breath that fills what once was all alone
Here in the valley, valley of the dry bones

We are tired of a faith that's rarely seen or heard
We are tired of the stories from the mountains high
We are tired of the broken vows and empty words
We are tired of the dreams our fathers left behind

So we will rise from the shadows of this field of sand and stone
And we will run like a prodigal still longing for his home
And we will tell of a breath that fills what
once was all alone here in the valley
valley of the dry bones

All those years we stayed right here paralyzed by earthly fears
Could have beens have met their end and we won't lose this breath again
All those things that held us down are monuments to what we've found
This valley cannot hold the sound of dry bones rising up from holy ground

We are ready for a change in our direction
We are ready to be filled up and made useful
We are ready to emerge from our distractions
We are ready for becoming something beautiful

So we will rise from the shadows of this field of sand and stone
And we will run like a prodigal still longing for his home
And we will tell of a breath that fills what once was all alone
Here in the valley, valley of the dry bones

Greg Adkins - acoustic guitar, bass, piano, djembe, vocals

:: greg 8:54 PM [+] ::
...

Song #34 - "The Black Keys"

Download or Listen to "The Black Keys" Here

When I was younger, I spent a ridiculous amount of time playing the piano. I really didn't ever play until the summer before the 5th grade but from that point until really the time I graduated college, playing piano was my #1 activity. (I think it has since been eclipsed by sitting in front of a computer).

I can remember many late nights both at home and later in college when I would need to play as sort of a release. Growing up catches up with a kid sometimes and there are times where you just need a chance to unload. Not being the type who liked to talk about that sort of thing with many people, music was often a form of therapy as cheesy as that sounds.

Anyway, I wrote a song about it. Like to hear it? Here it goes.


I was eleven years old in my bedroom in the basement and out of sight
it was just me and billy joel and a ninety year old upright
can you come out to play, yeah you said that yesterday
and we haven't seen you around
where do you go when you don't want to be found

up on the black keys where no one can find me
when life gets hard there's no shame in hiding
up on the black keys they understand me
a little bit smaller and not as many
and I'm so lonely

I was eighteen years old off to college for the first time away from home
and most nights you could find me in the dormitory basement alone
across from the laundry, kept under lock and key
there was a baby grand
where do you go when nobody understands

up on the black keys where no one can find me
when life gets hard there's no shame in hiding
up on the black keys they understand me
a little bit smaller and not as many
and I'm so lonely

Ivory keys are okay
there are beautiful songs you can play
but you're gonna need me someday

up on the black keys where no one can find me
when life gets hard there's no shame in hiding
up on the black keys they understand me
a little bit smaller and not as many
and I'm so lonely

Greg Adkins - keyboards, bass, accordion, guitar, drum loop.

:: greg 8:55 PM [+] ::
...

Song #35 - "North Carolina, 1987"

Download or Listen to "North Carolina, 1987" Here

Partly fact, partly fiction. A song for my papaw.

On the shore of north carolina
back in nineteen eighty-seven
I dropped a quarter in a payphone
and I called you up long distance
but you were gone
with your wife of forty years to South Dakota

that evening in the beach house
after everyone was sleeping
I sat down with my notebook
and I wrote you down a letter
and sent it on
if it got to you I never heard about it

My mother wondered why I was thinking of you
While we were on vacation with so many things to do

So I told her how that morning
As I was walking to the pool
There was an old man playing shuffleboard
Who made me think of you
It got me thinking
that time would not slow down

I thought about how little
of your story I could tell
For someone that I loved so much
I didn't know you very well
so I wrote down some words
It seemed to me like a normal thing to do

Yeah there were still so many things to know
In nineteen eighty-seven almost twenty years ago

Last night I as was sorting
through some boxes in the attic
with my wife of not too long
I came across a picture
of me standing by myself
on the beach in North Carolina

she asked why I wasn't smiling
and what I might have been thinking
as I stood there by the water
with my mom behind the camera
and I didn't know
but I remembered writing you that letter

And now that I think about it
I don't think I ever asked you
to tell me all those stories
and the time is getting shorter
and the sun is going down
and the tide is rolling out

On the shores of north carolina
back in nineteen eighty-seven
I dropped a quarter in a payphone
and I called you up long distance
but you were gone

Greg Adkins - acoustic guitar, bass, shaker, tamborine, hammered dulcimer, electric guitar, accordion, piano, vocals.

:: greg 8:56 PM [+] ::
...

Song #36 - "Bottom of a Broken Heart"

Download or Listen to "Broken Heart" Here

Okay, first things first. Yes, I know I can't sing this song. I wrote it in a key too high for me to sing it... I was asleep at the wheel and had recorded the music before I figured out I had no business trying to hit those high notes. I end up just kind of shouting them and this is supposed to be a kind of pretty song. Turns out not so pretty. Dang.

Oh well, that's the nature of this beast. If I had all the time in the world, I would have just started over. Unfortunately, I don't have that luxury. There's still sixteen more songs to get after and only sixteen more weeks to finish. It's gonna be close folks...


It wasn't in cathedral walls
It wasn't in sanctuary halls
It wasn't in the words down on the page
It wasn't in the songs that I once sang
It wasn't in the kindness of a friend
It wasn't the beginning or the end
It wasn't in the sun, it wasn't in the stars
But I found you at the bottom of a broken heart

It wasn't in the middle of my dreams
It wasn't in the whisper or the scream
It wasn't in a sermon or a verse
It wasn't in a cradle or a hearse
It wasn't in a hand that I could hold
It wasn't in the warmth or in the cold
It wasn't in the near, it wasn't in the far
But I found you at the bottom of a broken heart

Busted and undone
hoping for someone
on the other end of my call
Shattered to pieces
crying to Jesus
with nowhere left to fall

It wasn't in the lights up on the stage
It wasn't in the calm or in the rage
It wasn't in a kiss or an embrace
It wasn't in an old familiar face
It wasn't in the excess or the need
It wasn't in the stillness or the speed
It wasn't in the healing, but the tearing apart
I found you at the bottom of a broken heart

Greg Adkins - piano, guitar, xylophone, melodica, bass, vocals

:: greg 8:17 PM [+] ::
...

Song #37 - "Winter"

Download or Listen to "Winter" Here

This is one of a handful of songs that predates this project. I actually wrote this back in February of 2002 after reading an article in the paper about a couple of ministers who had resigned their positions because they couldn't come to peace with what happened on 9/11. It's not really a song about 9/11 but a song written from the point of view of someone who is having a hard time coming to grips with life in the aftermath.

I think at the time I might have played it once at New City and since then it's been on the shelf. This is a really simple recording. One microphone, me and my guitar so sonically, it's not the most impressive thing I've done but it serves the song pretty well I guess.


I know that I'm weak, I know that I'm lame
Just when you fixed me, I'm broken again
Things will be different, this is the last time
I know what you're thinking, Where have I heard that line

It's been a long winter
I'm growing bitter
All that I'm asking
Is to be delivered
Help me remember
I don't want to be bitter
All that I'm asking
Pull me out of this winter

Things have been scary, Life is uncertain
I've been living backstage, Someone opened the curtain
Life just got darker, Life just got realer
You are my light, And You are my healer

CHORUS

I feel so alone my heart is sinking like a stone
I wish you would break me
Some days I feel like this world just can't be real
And I wish you would take me home

I am so lost, I need you to find me
I will forget, I need you to remind me
I'll let you down, I need you to love me
I am so small, I need you above me

If I had died, For someone like me
I can't help but think, How sorry I'd be
How sorry I am, I feel like a failure
Come pick me up, Come make me better

CHORUS

Greg Adkins - guitar, vocals

:: greg 5:57 PM [+] ::
...

Song #38 - "Even More"

Download or Listen to "Even More" Here

It's funny as I write these songs over the course of a year how you can see some themes going on. Obviously, the biggest event in my life over the last year has been the birth of my son, Connor. Life is quite different now to say the least. It's interesting how you can kind of trace the progression through these songs.

Back on song #3 (The end of you and me) I was so excited anticipating his birth. Song #25 (Connor's Lullaby) came about shortly after his birth when everything was so exciting and new. Well, now here on song #38, the reality begins sets in... don't get me wrong, it's great, but it's sometimes difficult. I have so much respect and admiration for my amazing wife for being able to keep up with everything she has to take care of. When I spend a whole day with Connor on my day off each week, it's lots of fun, but it's so exhausting and there really is no time to do anything else but hang out with him. My wife does this five days a week and doesn't complain a bit.

That said, it's hard for her... she's used to being an active person and hates to be stuck in the house. Going from "busy working career" woman to "still in my pajamas at 4:30 in the afternoon" woman has been harder than she thought. Anyway, I wrote this song for her after spending a whole day with Connor and feeling so tired as I went to bed. It's an apology, a thank you note, and a love letter all in one. I couldn't do what she does five days a week. She's my hero.


Wake up in the morning
pick the clothes up off the floor
put away the dishes from the night before

fix a bottle for the baby
who is crying in his bed
it's not even nine o'clock and there's a pounding in your head

take the trash out to the curbside
bring in all the bills
some days it's enough to break your will

this can be exhausting
stretched out way too thin
tomorrow you can do it all again

And I know you think that I don't know
how hard it is for you to let your old life go
And I know that this is harder than
I could ever even hope to understand
And you might feel like every single thing
about the way we were has changed
Well there's one thing that's changed for sure
My love was strong before, Now I love you even more

Some days you feel lonely
Some days just get rough
That doesn't mean that you aren't good enough

You make it look so easy
But I know that it's hard
Changing who you've been to who you are

And I know you think that I don't know
how hard it is for you to let your old life go
And I know that this is harder than
I could ever even hope to understand
And you might feel like every single thing
about the way we were has changed
Well there's one thing that's changed for sure
My love was strong before, Now I love you even more

Most days I am gone for at least ten hours
Meanwhile you haven't had a shower
And the day after day after day can be so dull
But I still think you're beautiful

And I know you think that I don't know
how hard it is for you to let your old life go
And I know that this is harder than
I could ever even hope to understand
And you might feel like every single thing
about the way we were has changed
Well there's one thing that's changed for sure
My love was strong before, Now I love you even more

Greg Adkins - guitar, vocals

:: greg 6:06 PM [+] ::
...

Song #39 - "Highway Song"

Download or Listen to "Highway Song" Here

I was going through some old 8 track ADAT tapes from a studio session I did about 3 years ago and found the bass and drum tracks for this old song I had written and forgotten called "Highway". I had honestly pretty much forgotten it as we had kind of thrown it together in the studio one afternoon after everything else had been finished. I found a copy of the lyrics scribbled in a notebook from about that time and it didn't seem to horrible...

Anyway, I really liked the sound of the bass and drum tracks I had so I added piano, touched up the lyrics a bit, and here it is. Honestly, I'm thinking this isn't one of my better writing efforts from a lyrical perspective but there's something about the music that I mostly like. Then again, it might be cheesy.


I've got this highway song I haven't finished yet
But the further I drive the harder it gets
And it is writing me, I'm not writing it
This highway song, this highway song

I've got this lonesome heart that I just can't lose
Because I've filled it up with everything but the truth
And I know that I should give it to you
This lonesome heart, this lonesome heart

The highway is long and the highway is narrow
And sometimes I feel like a man of constant sorrow
'Cause I'm lost on the backroads and I can't find the arrow
That will show me the way back home, the way back home

I've got this empty soul that I just can't fill
And I'm starting to think that nothin' ever will
'Cause this hole is growing deeper still
This empty soul, this empty soul

The highway is long and the highway is narrow
And sometimes I feel like a man of constant sorrow
Because I'm lost on the backroads and I can't find the arrow
that will show me the way back home, the way back home

I've got this empty soul
I've got this lonesome heart
I've got this highway song


Greg Adkins - piano, accordion, vocals
Sandy Garrett - bass
Christopher Robbins - drums

:: greg 6:06 PM [+] ::
...

Song #40 - "Holy Spirit"

Download or Listen to "Holy Spirit" Here

Also, listen to the original by Victoria Williams by clicking here

I first heard this song at a week of church camp way back in the early 1990s and it always stuck with me. I'm not the world's biggest Victoria Williams fan (her voice is an acquired taste to say the least) but I have always appreciated her writing. She comes at the craft from a childlike perspective... kinds of throws the rules out the window and leaves a lot of room for awe and wonder. I would recommend checking out her album "Loose" as it is probably her best record. Make sure you listen to the original version by Victoria too!


On the banks of old lake Bisteneuax
'Neath the cypress and the moss
We hammered and we nailed
and built a raft to get across
And late night by the fire
We sang kum-by-ya
And the spirit, the holy spirit was flowin
Yes the spirit, holy spirit was flowin

Twilight time, New York City
Descending subway stairs
Man was whistlin out a tune
I paid a dollar for my fare
And we got on the same train
Goin uptown down the track
And we sang out of tune
To the clakity clack clack
And the spirit, holy spirit was flowin

I've seen it on a mountaintop
I have felt it 'neath the stars
I have felt it in a church yard
Or even in some bar
It will make you laugh, make you cry
Make your heart go ping
Yeah, the spirit, holy spirit
Will make you shout and want to sing

The spirit, holy spirit, was flowin
Yes the spirit, holy spirit was flowin

Words and Music by Victoria Williams

Greg Adkins - bass, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, percussion, accordion, melodica, pennywhistle, vocals
Scott Bradford - drums

:: greg 6:07 PM [+] ::
...

Song #41 - "Exception"

Download or Listen to "Exception" Here

For some reason I sometimes come off as the kind of person who is hard to talk to. I am not sure why that is but I have figured out that people sometimes get the impression that I'm not a good listener. Maybe it's that far off look in my eyes... not sure.

Anyway, here's a song I wrote while thinking about that. Scott did some good drumming and this is my first real attempt at lead electric guitar. I think it's a lot like Santana, only without the talent and skill.


I don't care if you take me for granted
If you're always comin' around empty handed
I don't care if you take advantage
Of all I have to give
Maybe your edges are tattered and frayed
I am compelled to love you this way
Do what you want I will always stay
as long as we shall live

I may look like everyone else
All wrapped up inside myself
You might think that I don't care
When hearts around me shatter and tear
Sometimes I seem self-absorbed
But it's you I love and you I adore
You might come expecting my rejection
But for you I'll make an exception

I don't care if your words have hurt me
Both your hands and knees are dirty
All caught up in doubt and worry, fear and lies
Days get short and the nights get colder
The lonely world grows another day older
You can always find my shoulder to dry your eyes

I may look like everyone else
All wrapped up inside myself
Livin' down in my own mind
Lookin' for things I can never find
Sometimes I seem self-involved
But it's you I want and it's you I love
Maybe I give out to much rejection
But for you I'll make an exception

We all know the world can be so cruel
Let me be the exception to that rule

Greg Adkins - acoustic guitar, electric guitar, bass, percussion, keys, vocals
Scott Bradford - drums

:: greg 6:07 PM [+] ::
...

Song #42 - "Rock of Ages"

Download or Listen to "Rock of Ages" Here

Yes, THAT Rock of Ages. The words are from the old hymn and I wrote a new melody for them. This is one of those hymns that I never really gave a se