Analysis Method: "MALL"
Key -
M = What is the meaning of the lyrics?
A = The lyrics are clearly against Biblical teaching.
L = I don't know what the Bible says about these lyrics.
L = I can glorify God when I listen to these lyrics.
Some of my thoughts are included in gray.
Verse 1
There is an endless song echoes in my soul
I hear the music ring
And though the storms may come I am holding on
to the rock I cling
Chorus:
How can I keep from singing Your praise
How can I ever say enough, how amazing is Your love
How can I keep from shouting Your Name
I know I am loved by the King, and it makes my heart want to sing
Verse 2:
I will lift my eyes in the darkest night
For I know my Savior lives
And I will walk with You knowing You’ll see me through
And sing the songs You give
Chorus
Bridge:
I can sing in the troubled times sing when I win
I can sing when I lose my step and fall down again
I can sing cause You pick me up sing cause You’re there
I can sing cause You hear me Lord when I call to You in prayer
I can sing with my last breath sing for I know
That I’ll sing with the angels and the saints around the throne
Chorus
This song was submitted as a student request, and I thought it would be a good entry to get back into writing after the break. This song is clearly written from a Christian perspective, and I don't see any problems with any of the lyrics. What I was surprised to learn in researching this song;s lyrics were inspired by a much older "How Can I Keep from Singing." Written by an unknown author and set to music hymn composer Robert Wadsworth Lowry in the late 1800s, that version of the song begins with "My life flows on in endless song; Above earth's lamentation."
A danger in a song like this that I see is for people to sing it over and over and completely miss the implications of the words. The first verse expresses powerful awareness, leading into the rhetorical questions of the chorus. Then, the second verse and bridge are responses to the beginning. If there is a King who loves us and a "rock" strong enough for us to hold onto, then the reasoning is that no circumstances should be beyond what we're given the strength to handle. Unfortunately, there are those who don't want to talk about struggles or challenges, and that outlook misses out on the beauty of this song.
Musically speaking, I hear a stirring melody in this song that I think causes a lot of people to feel passion as they sing it. The melodic contour (or direction) is very sequential and effectively varies the parts that are stepwise and the parts that move by skip. The movements of the verse remain relatively small, whereas the chorus introduces much larger jumps - again, contributing to the emotional aspect of this song.