Shaun Groves
Yesterday afternoon, while driving home from running an errand, a song started playing in my head – chorus first with a piano part lilting underneath.
So when I got home I politely breezed past Becky and the kids and locked myself in my office. After playing the chorus, a verse came out. And then another. And in no time at all I had this first draft of No Better:
No Better (First Draft) from Shaun Groves on Vimeo.
When you sling that stone
Aim it at her heart
Where every crime comes from
Where every stumble startsAnd save the next for me
Muster all your skill
‘Cause sin in secrecy
Is the hardest kind to killAnd lay me down with the liars
With the brawlers, thieves and back biters
Lay me down with the others
‘Cause I’m no betterThere’s no justice here
Just as well you know
We all got hell to pay
Grace gives all I oweSo lay me down with the liars
With the brawlers, thieves and back biters
Lay me down with the others
‘Cause I’m no betterLay me down with the takers
Politicians, cheats and heart breakers
Lay me down with the others
‘Cause I’m no better
Too busy this morning to record a little video of it for you but as soon as I have the time I’ll do that and post it here. I’ll let you know on Twitter when it’s up.
Thanks for praying yesterday. God answers.
Heather A. says:
hahah He’s so good, His timing makes me laugh somtimes. I’m looking forward to hearing it.
I like this line, made me think…
Where every crime comes from
Where every stumble starts
thanks for sharing
pete says:
I saw you tweet the chorus yesterday. thought you might have been quoting someone else’s poem or lyric.
i immediately thought of my own judgmental tendencies and then of God’s judgement on me — indeed all of us have hell to pay… and I’m grateful that beautiful grace pays all I owe.
I dunno why, but these lines really stick out for me:
Cause sin in secrecy
Is the hardest kind to kill
good stuff! looking forward to hearing it!
Kiriseth says:
I love how He answers! Can’t wait to hear a draft.
Stac says:
thanks for sharing, Shaun. I’m trying to sing it in my head! Grace gives all I owe…love it
Smilinsouthernbella says:
Lord you are.. there is none other! Thank you for breakthrough that comes right on time and on wings of prayer! WE rejoice and are excited about the future of these words that will be written on hearts and will change lives. Why do we even wonder when its going to happen?! OH LORD HOW EXCELLENT ARE YOUR WAYS!!!! WE WORSHIP YOU and ask you to bless in Jesus name! WHOO HOOO!!! YOU ARE GOOOOODDDD!!!!
Brad Ruggles says:
Love it. Great lyrics…can’t wait to hear the song as it develops.
Ruth says:
I almost reponded to your response to me yesterday with ‘sometimes when we get restless, that’s the moment right before the breakthrough.’
Looks like you broke away from the “many” and found victory with only the “few”. :0)
I can’t wait to hear it!
Jen~Beautiful Mess says:
Can’t wait
anon4him says:
That first verse could be aimed directly at me. Thanks for posting this!
misty says:
Awesome!
Can’t wait to hear it!!
Josh says:
Love that first verse!
Mela Kamin says:
saw some of the lyrics on twitter yesterday and wondered if it was the start of a new song … glad it is – looking forward 2 hearing the melody
I sat out in my van in the garage for silence as I worked on one of my own yesterday … too many times I’ve heard something, but not stopped to write it down, thinking I’d get back to it eventually. Kids were playing, doing homework & husband was mowing the lawn. I needed my own quiet place, so to the van I went. Of course, the kids eventually needed me, but I got some verses down.
Cara says:
“”Cause sin in secrecy is the hardest kind to kill”
Bam. You nailed it. Powerful.
Cara says:
Okay, I hadn’t listened to it yet when I posted above, so PS:
I really love the melody and I think it will be awesome once you flesh it out a bit more.
Ann Voskamp says:
“So lay me down with the liars
With the brawlers, thieves and back biters
Lay me down with the others
‘Cause I’m no better”
Oh my. Pierced right through.
This all came down, a gift from heaven.
You are singing my song.
Wow.
Paula from Northern Ireland says:
I will keep praying for you on this “song-writing” journey. Praise God for answers when we least expect it.
Dave says:
WOW, Shaun.
What a powerful song God inspired you to write there. I love the chord progression and how the melody just “sits” on that. More than that, I love the lyrics. I have never really heard/read songlyrics like that before. It’s deep, and honest, and simple. Thanks for being a blessing.
Dave (also from N. Ireland) 🙂
Lisa Smith (@stretchmarkmama) says:
Your next post needs to be how you never get a chance to win the lottery.
MamasBoy says:
Great to see the creative juices flowing. Thanks for sharing.
Michelle says:
Tears here.
Kim says:
The song is wonderful. I listened to it, then I had to go fix breakfast for my kids. I was humming the chorus in my head while I was scrambling the eggs. That’s the mark of a good song, right there. 🙂
Keep listening to God’s calling. Praise Him for answered prayers.
A fan.
Shaun Groves says:
I’m the world’s worst at receiving encouragement. I want to come up with something more to say but all I can think of is thank you. Very much.
Jim Gray says:
i dig it…keep digging…
Beth Herring says:
hmmm. i needed to hear part of that song today. thanks for being used of Him.
Dawn~Canada says:
Wow. It’s beautiful. Powerful words. And I agree with the others the melody is fantastic. I can hear an orchestra along with it…
Wendy Hagen says:
Beautiful song. Love the lyrics. If only the world could understand and see Christianity like that. If only we were humble enough to approach sharing the gospel like that.
And one more thing, since you are identifying with thieves . . . are those stolen library books behind you? Looks like they are all dewey decimaled out or something.
Shaun Groves says:
Um, no. I’m a nerd. I decimalized my books.
No joke.
keith says:
I like it a lot.