When asked by a magazine to make a public statement about a friend’s “moral failure,” I decided to write a song about my own instead.
By the way, if you like this song and want to make sure it ends up on a real live record for others to hear, check this out: http://bit.ly/MakeARecord (Thank you.)
No Better (Demo) from Shaun Groves on Vimeo.
No Better
Words & Music by Shaun Groves
(C) 2010 Simplicity Street Music/ASCAPWhen you sling your 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 killLay me down with the liars
The brawlers, thieves and backbiters
Lay me down with the others
‘Cause I’m no betterThere’s no justice here
Just as well you know
We’ve all got hell to pay
But grace pays all we oweLay me down with the liars
The brawlers, thieves and backbiters
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
As always, thanks for listening and supporting this whole music thing I do.
Lindsay says:
So hauntingly good and true.
Katie says:
Look at all of those books!
(And the song sounds great, too).
Katie
Shaun Groves says:
Look at all that mess!
Until I et up the nerve (and muscle) to move the piano, that mess will stay in the videos I guess ; )
jen says:
Isn’t a messy space a sign of a creative mind? (?)
Cindy says:
Shaun,
The song was a beautiful reminder of who I really am, saved by grace! I love the song.
Don’t change anything about the background of your life, it’s not a mess it’s truth.
Ken Summerlin says:
Beautiful example of taking our place alongside the accused rather than picking up a stone.
Tony Alicea says:
This was really cool man, thanks for giving us the inside look at the song!
JessicaB says:
I keep wanting to write some witty comment involving the phrase, “no better than a young man’s haircut”…
…but my sinus infection cuts off all blood flow to the creative parts of my brain.
Maybe next time.
Ruth says:
My eight year old says your hair is awesome!
And I like the lyrics!
anne Jackson says:
We’ve all got hell to pay
But grace pays all we owe
Slayed.
Shaun Groves says:
My favorite lines as well, Anne. Do you ever feel like you’re writing more for yourself than anyone else?
Texas Preacher Woman says:
That’s often the only way to write.
Amy D. says:
That is the part that spoke the loudest to me, as well.
Brad Ruggles says:
Dude, what a powerful song! I hope this one goes on your new upcoming record.
Tracy Smith says:
Thank you for your humility displayed in this song.
I so appreciate the deep theological truths conveyed and from an artistic perspective, I think the music itself fits the truth you are singing.
Well done, brother!
Mela Kamin says:
thanks for sharing, Shaun – it’s definitely time for a song like this that speaks to us all being in need of a Savior and as Ann Voskamp said, “just one decision away from disaster.”
Sharon O says:
good job….from your heart to ours.
Stephanie T. Green says:
If this is the same moral failure I think it is, I’ve been wanting to tell you that your blog at the time was so refreshing. That person deserved more grace and mercy than they received from our community and I was proud (and inspired) by your reaction. Thank you for reminding us what a humble perspective really looks like.
And your song is a amazing!!
Linda says:
i like it.
misty says:
What a great reminder!
Love the song then and still love it.
Shaun Groves says:
Thanks, misty.
FzxGkJssFrk says:
Thanks for sharing the song, Shaun.
I do have one question that I almost hesitate to ask.
Why the quotation marks around “moral failure”?
Lindsay says:
Perhaps because, as a human race, we’re one huge moral failure? It seems quite hypocritical (at best) to label one person’s shortcoming as anything different/worse than the shortcomings we all exhibit each and every day.
FzxGkJssFrk says:
I understand (and agree) that we’re all sinners. That wasn’t my point, and I didn’t at all suggest that the unnamed person’s sin was any worse than anyone else’s. (It would be particularly ridiculous to assert that anyway, considering that I’d be completely guessing as to whom and what he’s talking about.)
Usually when someone puts something like that in quotes, they’re calling into question the usage of the phrase. So it was a little unclear to me whether Shaun actually thought that the person’s behavior was in fact a moral failure. From the song, and from the next paragraph, I infer that he does, but still; I’m just being careful because I’ve misinterpreted Shaun before.
Shaun Groves says:
I put it in quotes because it’s the phrase they used. But I call moral failure “sin.”
FzxGkJssFrk says:
Got it. Thanks.
Marina says:
thank you beatiful mind
Andrea C Parker says:
Wow. Convicted and moved. Thank you. My favorite line –
“We’ve all got hell to pay
But grace pays all we owe”
I could just sit on that for a lonnnng time.
Trading in my stone…..
Thank you.
Kimberly Townsend says:
Your song totally reminded me of Matthew 7:
Judging Others
1 “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2 For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
3 “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 4 How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.
6 “Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.”
Thanks for your humility. So many times we idolize others, then are quick to cast the first stone when they fall off our pedestal.
Kelli says:
Truth in musical form. Speaks right to my heart. Thanks for sharing.
shayne says:
Have you read all of those books?
And you know I love the song. I loved it the first time you posted it. Put it on the cd. Please. I need to listen to it like a thousand times in my car as I’m headed to work in rush hour and am in the throes of road rage.
Shaun Groves says:
Just about.
I fly a lot. ; )
kristie says:
Love the lyrics. Love the music. Love the books in the background. Love how your hair is especially “sticky-uppy” in the video. 🙂
By the way–please get the amazing Ben Stewart or whomever is doing the booking for your tour w/ Selah to talk with Bryan Watt (on staff) over @ Rolling Hills Community Church in Franklin. He’s actually also the executive director of a ministry called One Heartbeat, here in Thomasville, that gets “BIG event” things (like Steven Curtis Chapman and Bebo and Shane & Shane concerts) organized here in our little town (that is centrally located between Valdosta, Tallahassee, Albany, Jacksonville, and Dothan). Would sooooooo love to have you back…and Bryan can do a much better job than I can (obviously). 🙂
cara says:
You just have NO idea what this song means for me. What a gift of the Holy Spirit you have, to put into lyrics and melody the gospel of Christ, the humility and love of our God to pour out on us His endless grace.
Treasure. I will TOTALLY buy that song – please hurry up and make it official.
cara says:
Oh, hey, I already “bought” it.
You need to stump for your “Make a Record” project a bit louder, or the other thick people out there like myself may not realize we have to “preorder” 😉 if we want to see it happen.