The Story Behind...(I'll Drive Yesterday)

Track 6 on my latest project, So Human, is titled, "So, I had this dream..." It's a scene where I'm sitting down with my engineer/producer, Mike Manthei, and discussing the upcoming song. On the track, Mike and I are at a diner, talking about the title to track 7, "I'll Drive Yesterday."

Now, there are some things you should know about this scene as it plays out on the CD.

First, Mike and I were never at a diner. (Well, I mean we've had lunch together several times but this taping didn't take place at a diner.) Instead, we recorded the scene right there in the recording studio. I sat down on a stool, under the microphone, with Mikey (that's what I call him) sitting next to me. For a little more realism, I actually had a plate in front of me. On the plate was a slice of bread and a butter knife. I cut up the bread and ate it while we talked. The background noise you hear on the track was actually recorded a couple of weeks earlier--at my workplace. I sat a microphone and a small digital recorder out on a table in our cafeteria and just recorded people eating, talking, walking by.

But the story I tell in the scene is true. The song really did come about as the result of a dream. Like I explain in track 6, I dreamed I was on stage in front of a massive crowd. My band began this chunky rock groove and I shouted in a pseudo-British/Australian/Cockney accent, "This song's called I'll Drive Yesterday!" And the crowd went nuts. They were screaming and yelling. But then I woke up. I didn't know how the song went. All I had was a title.

Meanwhile, my guitarist, Brian DeKam, had written a cool guitar groove for another song that we ended up never using. But I really liked the music tracks. So I stole those music tracks and wrote the words to I'll Drive Yesterday to go with them.

About the song: So I sat down and tried to figure out what the heck the words, I'll Drive Yesterday could possibly mean. And the only thing that I could come up with was God's promise...of taking those pains and sins of the past and throwing them away. Have you been lied to? Cheated on? Hurt? That was yesterday. God will drive it away. I also wanted to paint a picture of how holding on to past hurts can affect you:

"Yesterday's a prison. A room without a view.

A judge without a pardon and no remorse for you."

and contrast that with the hope that comes through Christ, who says:

"
I'll Drive Yesterday all away and leave it all behind you

there'll be nothing to remind you of yesterday. It's gone today

and the pain and sorrow life put in your way, that was yesterday."

I think my favorite part of the song is the bridge. It has a bit of a "scat" feel to it and the message is, I think, important:

"All of the baggage, all of the scars

all of the wreckage left on your heart

you've gotta let go, it'll tear you apart

you've gotta give it away.

Ah man...that was yesterday."

So there you have it. Some truth. Some deception. But the real story behind the song whose title confuses so many folks upon hearing it the first time. Hope you enjoy!

The Story Behind...(Here I Am)

A lot of folks have been asking me about the meaning or story behind some of my songs. So, I thought I'd go through each of the songs on my new album, So Human, and give a little insight into my messed up head! Ha!

At first, I thought I'd just go through the album, track by track, but instead I think I'll start with the song that gets the most questions--Here I Am.

First off, let me say that it's always tricky to try to write a song from the perspective of Jesus. To presume that I could possibly speak for my Savior is a bit daunting. But I wanted to tell Christ's story--from His perspective. This song is really Jesus telling the story of His life. And it starts...in the womb. What must it have been like to go from being fully God, to being God in the form of a human baby? So the first lines, "what is this skin that covers me?" is Jesus examining this new flesh around His body.

In the following verses, He talks about growing up as a child in a world of mortals. He mentions the miracles that He's performed. I admit, I threw in my own supposition in the second verse. I wondered how lonely our Savior must have felt. "Five thousand here, I'm still alone" He says, speaking of how different He must have felt. "Oh they gather how I feel, but not one asks how I feel--not ever." I wondered if anyone ever asked Jesus how difficult it was to be God on Earth. I don't recall any scripture that shows anyone displaying this kind of concern for Him. How terribly isolating that must have been!

The chorus, "Here I am, I'm ready to be everything that you want me to be" means something different everytime.

The first time, it's the baby Jesus talking to his earthly parents--Mary and Joseph. It's Him saying "Hey, I'm your baby. I'm your child. I'm ready to be all those things that parents want from their babies--the wonder, the excitement, the love, the reliance on you for my needs, etc."

In the second chorus, Jesus is being arrested by the soldiers, to be taken off for execution. In this chorus, He's saying "You want me to be the scapegoat? I'll be that for you. Want me to bear the punishment that you so desperately want to give out? I'll do that for you."

And in the final chorus, Jesus is on the cross, speaking to His Heavenly Father. "Here I am" He says, "I'm ready to be the fulfillment of your plan. I'm ready to take on the sins of this world for you, Father. I'll be what you need me to be."

And finally, in the final verse, Jesus experiences something else for the first time. "What is this sin that covers me?" Here's a man that knew no sin, then suddenly found Himself covered in all the sins of humanity. Wow.

I should also point out that the orchestration was done by a good friend of mine, John Doryk, with NightSky Sound Design. He's an amazing composer and added just the right touch to this song.

So there you have it. That's the story/meaning behind Here I Am. Hope you understand it a little better...and enjoy it!

A Fistfight with God

It's been a few years, but there was a point in my life when I challenged God to a fistfight. Can you imagine? What gall. What pride. What arrogance. But I was so angry at Him (for reasons I won't disclose here) that I challenged Him.

"Show me your face," I said, "and I'll punch you in the nose."

Well, I'm over it now. God, in His gracious and merciful way chose not to pummel me with something as simple as a breath, but instead chose to humble me. Heal me. Love me. What an amazing God.

And I have found that my struggles now aren't so much with Him, as with myself. Oddly enough, I opened my Bible this morning and found a section of scripture from Romans that I can really relate to. Thought I'd share it.

For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man,

But I see another law in my members,

warring against the law of my mind,

and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin

which is in my members.

O wretched man that I am!

Who will deliver me from this body of death?

-Romans 7:22-24 (NKJV)

I think Paul and I must've had a lot in common. I wrestle daily with myself. But I take some solace in the very next verse he wrote:

I thank God--through Jesus Christ our Lord!

So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God

but with the flesh the law of sin.

I find comfort in knowing that, even though he struggled with sin, Paul's mind was on God. Paul's mind was on the one who conquered sin. And I pray that I'm able to keep my mind there too.

Beats and Eats Contest!

Win a $50 gift card to your favorite restaurant,

plus an entire discography of Tim Glenn Music!

Hi gang!

We're launching a new contest here at Tim Glenn Music. Sure, it' a contest that will require a little work on your end, but I think it will be worth it.

Basically, here's the gist: You join the Tim Glenn Music Sales Force, telling your friends about Tim's new CD, So Human. The "salesperson" who sells the most CDs between May 1st and June 26th will win the grand prize. (There are 2nd and 3rd place prizes too!)

Wait a minute...isn't this just a ploy to sell more CDs? Absolutely! But rather than just asking you to help me sell CDs, I thought you deserve at least something for your efforts! So, help me sell CDs and I'll give you some music...and some food--or Beats and Eats! Get it?

For a listing of the official rules, go to www.timglennmusic.com/contest.

If you still have questions, leave them here as a comment or send us an email at info@timglennmusic.com

Good luck and God bless!

My DVR has ruined my life!

Don't get me wrong. I love my DVR. Without it, I wouldn't be able to keep up with my favorite shows: NCIS, Big Bang Theory, Heroes and 24. I also wouldn't be able to record an occasional movie.

But the thing I love most about my DVR (besides being able to skip annoying commercials) is that it allows me to rewind and play back any part of a program I need to. Anytime an actor mumbles a line and I'm like, "What did he just say?" I can rewind and play it again. I love that! If the baby starts crying right when an important scene plays...I can pause the movie or show and pick it up after I've calmed him down. Okay, after my wife has calmed him down...but hey, I'm holding the remote. I've only got one free hand! :-)

The point is, the DVR is an amazing magical box that makes sure I never miss scenes or lines from programs ever again!

And that's the problem.

I want that technology for everything! The DVR has made me lazy. It's given me the mentality that, if I miss something, no worries--I can just go back, rewind and hear/see it again.

When I'm in a meeting and I miss something my boss says, I want a remote control with a rewind button. When I'm listening to the radio and I think, "Man, I love that song! I'd love to hear it again!"...I wish I had a DVR for my radio! When my wife tells me what to pick up at the grocery store and I get there, only to think, "Milk, eggs, apple juice...and what else?"

Oh, if only there was a DVR for life!

DVR...I love you...and hate you!

Baby Grayson is here!

Okay, okay...perhaps it was a bit presumptuous of me to assume I knew when our baby boy was going to get here.

On March 24th, I wrote a post on this blog titled, "Two Weeks." Well...SIX DAYS LATER, Grayson arrived!

I'm perfectly fine with being wrong about this one. I was so anxious to hold our little guy. Both he and mommy are healthy and doing great...it's a true blessing!

Grayson Troy Glenn arrived at 9:18am on March 30th, 2009. He weighed 7 pounds, 7.3 ounces and was 19 inches long. If you'd like to see more photos, check out my facebook page. I've just uploaded an album of photos there.

God bless! And thank you to all who were praying for a safe and healthy delivery!

tim

Two Weeks

We are two weeks away from having a new baby in the house.

The question I've been asked more than anything is: "Are you ready?"

Well, the baby's room is done. (I'll post pictures in a day or so.) We have the diapers, the clothes, the lotions and all that stuff. But preparing for a child is much more than that, isn't it? In some ways, I don't think you can ever fully "prepare" for the arrival of a baby into your life. You just don't know what to expect. So yeah...we're ready...but in some ways, we're not. But that's part of the excitement too...to see what this beautiful gift from God is going to be, once it's "unwrapped."

I am amazed at this plan of God's. I'm in awe of His design to have a baby grow in a mother's womb. This tiny little life, with a beating heart, a functioning brain, a circulatory system, lungs and other vital organs...all working in harmony...inside another human body. It's amazing to me. I keep asking Jen what it feels like to have him inside her. She says she can't fully describe it. Oh, what a tremendous blessing that must be!

I can't wait to see what little Grayson Troy Glenn is going to look like. I can't wait to hold him in my arms...to run my fingers across his tiny little face...and count his tiny little fingers and toes.
Two weeks. I just can't wait.