The Reason

A number of years ago, when I began writing professionally, I wrote a ballad that was inspired by reading some biographies of our forefathers and the birth of the United States.

As I review this lyric, I estimate the song in its original form would have approached 6 minutes in length, and I tend not to write these long lyrics any longer.

Yet this lyric still rings true for me. We owe much to those who came before us in this country. The sacrifices of each individual were significant.. their lives in many cases, may not have seemed to make a difference at the time, but each one is a stitch in the tapestry of freedom we now know.

Anyways, as you make your way to the polls tomorrow, I thought I’d share the lyric, as bloated as it may be, in a reminder of what dreams and hopes this country was founded around; essencially the freedom they were pursuing.

May we all remember that no matter what the results tomorrow night, that God is still in charge. He Reigns.

The Reason
©2002 Tim Wheeler

Many years ago there were those who said
There is more to life, than to end up dead
They knew deep inside they were meant to sing
For a greater power than an earthly king

So they crossed the way leaving past behind
What they'd never known they were bent to find
They endured the pain and the loss of kin
And they won the wars that they could not win

We esteem their selfless lives
And countless daughters, sons and wives
But will their principles survive
If we forget the reason why they tried to sing

They were men of strength, and they were men of flaws
Yet they broke the mold forged in earthly laws
but they were moral men who were free to think
and they wrote it down, using sweat and ink

We are caught up in the flood
Of bounty built upon their blood
But will their principles survive
If we forget the reason why they tried to sing

Bridge:
This world would know a different place
If they’d decided not to seek His grace
And we will fail in this endowed pursuit
If we destroy the vine while we consume it’s fruit.

Yes those who've gone before have carved a better way
But on the paths of time, we've traveled just a day
And we are fathers of a yet un-numbered throng
Will they look back and sing an unfamiliar song

Yes, we remember what they've done
The generations we've become
But proven principles could die
If we forget the reason why they tried to sing