Purpose

This blog has been created not as a blog in the traditional sense, but merely as a place to display the lyrics to the songs from the Sound of Mark musical by Marty Haughan. Having bought the album, I was disappointed to discover that the lyrics were not printed on the paper insert. Then when I searched the Internet, I found they were not there, either. So I began the long and laborious process of listening to and transcribing the songs. Here are the fruits of my labor, that others may not have to go through the same process. Enjoy!

Here Begins the Good News

There are stories that cannot be silenced.
There are stories that are stronger than death.
There are stories that can raise us from our fears.

here begins the good news.
Here begins the victory song.
Here begins the good news of Jesus Christ.
Here begins the good news.
Here begins the victory song.
Here begins the good news of Jesus Christ.

"Prepare the way," Isaiah cried.
The good news is coming.
"Make God a path that's straight and wide."
The Reign of God is near!
"Prepare the way of the Lord,
Make a straight path for our God to ride!"

When John was in the wilderness,
The good news is coming.
He called the people to confess.
The Reign of God is near!
"Repent and be baptized,
And you shall see the Reign of God!"

When John was by the riverside,
The good news is coming.
Then Jesus came to be baptized.
The Reign of God is near!

Here begins the good news.
Here begins the victory song.
Here begins the good news of Jesus Christ.

Prepare the way of the Lord,
Make a straight path for our God!
Here begins the good news of Jesus Christ!

There Is Life Within the River

Behold! Behold the Reign of God!
Come out into the wilderness; come seek what may be found.
At the waters of the Jordan come and turn your world around.
Come lay down your weariness and forsake your evil ways,
For the holy one of Israel waits to set your soul ablaze.

There is life within the river, life that is and life to be.
There the God who once delivered you from the sea
Once again will raise you up and set you free.

I am just a messenger, and I cry to all who hear.
Oh repent, for now the good news of the Reign of God is near.
One is coming after me who is mightier than I.
I take water from the river, he'll bring fire from the sky.

There is life within the river, life that is and life to be.
There the God who once delivered you from the sea
Once again will raise you up and set you free.

I have come to find you where the living waters flow,
And I ask that you baptize me for the way that I must go.
I will not deny this, what you ask me I will do,
Yet you speak to me a mystery; it is I should kneel to you.

I must pass through the waters to the other side,
There is no turning back now,there is no place to hide.
I must pass through the waters flowing deep and wide,
Pass on, pass on across the Jordan.

See the waters here before you flowing deep and cold and true.
First they drown the one who enters, then they raise that one anew.
When you plunge beneath these waters, you are choosing to set out
On a journey with no ending, filled with pain and fear and doubt.

I must pass through the waters flowing deep and wide
There is no turning back now, there is no place to hide.
When you plunge beneath these waters, you are choosing to set out
On a journey with no ending, filled with pain and fear and drought.
You must pass through the waters flowing deep and wide,
Pass on, pass on across the Jordan.

Follow Me

Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God and saying,
"The time is fulfilled, the Reign is at hand, repent and believe in the good news."
There on the shores of Galilee James and Andrew and John and Peter were fishing.
Jesus called out to them to give up their nets and their boats and follow him,

And they said: Sorry, we cannot help you.
We have no time for journeys ; we are fishermen.
Journeys are just for dreamers; dreamers do not catch fish,
They just catch trouble, friend, and meet an ugly end.

Come follow me and catch the biggest fish that you will ever get.
Follow me and one day you will catch people in your net!
Follow me, and I will show you things that open up your eyes.
Follow me, for I believe that God can make the simple wise.

Leave your nets along the sea, leave your boats tied at the keep.
Leave your life and follow me, and I will give life to you once more.

If we follow you, we may never have a place to lay our head.
If we follow you, who knows what we will wear, or how we shall get fed.
Yet I promise you that every servant in the Reign of God will shine.
To all the world your life will ever be God's living rainbow sign.

Leave your nets along the sea, leave your boats tied at the keep.
Leave your life and follow me, and I will give life to you once more.

Leave your hopes and dreams and plants, put your future in my hands.
Blessed are you who understand the gift that I offer you
To follow me, whatever road God may choose to lead us down,
To wear the servant's mantle as a crown.

I Am Waiting for This Jesus

I am waiting for this Jesus in my suffering and my shame.
He has not heard my story, and he does not know my name,
Yet my options are exhausted, with no other path to choose,
And I know I must approach him, I have nothing left to lose.

For twelve years the doctors bled me, and they left me bleeding still.
They took all of my possessions, broke my body, crushed my will.
For twelve years no one would touch me, and they said I was unclean
As a poor and bleeding woman, unapproachable, unseen.

They said He'd healed a leper, and they said He'd raised the dead,
Yet I feared He would not touch me, so I must touch Him instead.
Now the crowd is pressing round Him, He is passing by this way,
And I follow close behind Him; I must speak to Him today.

All the men who curse and shun me stand between me and the Lord,
Yet I will not be forgotten, and I will not be ignore,
So I place my hope and future in a single, desperate act,
And I push and shove to reach Him, and I find the strength I lacked,
And I find the strength I lacked, and I find the strength I lacked.

Who has touched me? Who has stretched their hand out to me?
In this crowd, all these people, what do you mean, someone touched you?
I have touched you, I believed you could give me healing for my body and my broken heart.

You healed my heart, you healed my body.
Your faith has made you whole, my daughter.
You healed my heart, you healed my body.
Your faith has made you whole, my daughter.
You healed my heart, you called me daughter.
Your faith has made you whole, y daughter.
Go in peace.

If Anyone Has Ears

He was telling stories beside the sea.
All the people came to the shore of Galilee.
He got into a boat and began to preach.
Many were the tales and many the truths that he would teach.

And He said, "Listen, listen..."
A farmer went out to plow seed in a field,
And as the farmer cast the seed out all across the field,
He found that:

Some seed fell along the path, where the earth is head and bare.
Some seed fell along the path, and it found no welcome there,
For the birds flew down and ate that seed before it sent up shoots,
And the seed that falls on the barren soil will never bring forth fruit.

If anyone has ears, come and listen to my story.
The one who truly hears finds a lesson of great worth.
The Reign of God appears when these words take root within your heart,
And you may bring that tiny seed to birth.

Some seed fell on rocky ground, where the earth is thin and dry.
Some seed fell on rocky ground, and that seed was quick to die.
When the sun beat down on the little plant, it withered to the root,
And the seed that falls on the rocky ground will never bring forth fruit.

If anyone has ears, come and listen to my story.
The one who truly hears finds a lesson of great worth.
The Reign of God appears when these words take root within your heart,
And you may bring that tiny seed to birth.

Some seed fell among the thorns, where the evil seed was found.
Some seed fell among the thorns, and thy sprang up all around.
When the tiny plant [grew], they choked it at the root,
And the seed that falls in the evil thorns will never bring forth fruit.

If anyone has ears, come and listen to my story.
The one who truly hears finds a lesson of great worth.
The Reign of God appears when these words take root within your heart,
And you may bring that tiny seed to birth.

Some seed fell on fertile ground, where the earth is rich and deep.
Some seed fell on fertile ground, and it sprang up from its sleep.
From that tiny seed at harvest time, a hundred fold was found,
And the seed that falls on the fertile ground will spread new seed around.

If anyone has ears, come and listen to my story.
The one who truly hears finds a lesson of great worth.
The Reign of God appears when these words take root within your heart,
And you may bring that tiny seed to birth.

If anyone has ears, come and listen to my story.
The one who truly hears finds a lesson of great worth.
The Reign of God appears when these words take root within your heart,
And you may bring that tiny seed to birth,
And you may bring that tiny seed to birth.

Bread to Share

Uh, Jesus? It's getting pretty late, and we haven't yet been fed.
The crowd is getting hungry, and they're asking us for bread,
And out here in the sticks we'll never find a meal or bed.
Let's send them off to dinner.

Let them sit down, give them food to eat.

That's a lovely thought, and we'd really like to share,
But we just don't have the money, with our pockets nearly bare.
There's no way we could feed that mob that's waiting over there.
Let's send them off to dinner.

You cannot see the gift that's placed before you here.
In all these people gathered, God is present, God is near.
In these sheep without a shepherd, you may find a calling clear.
Let's have them all to dinner. (What?!!)

There is plenty of bread at the feast of life,
Plenty of bread to share,
Plenty of bread at the feast of life,
Plenty of bread to share.

Look at all those people!
You have plenty to share.
Five loaves and two small fishes!
You have plenty to share.
I think he's going crazy!
You have plenty to share.

Plenty of bread at the feast of life,
Plenty of bread to share!
Plenty of bread at the feast of life,
There is plenty of bread to share!

Bread for all the children!
You have plenty to share.
Fish for all the elders!
You have plenty to share.
Food for every hunger!
You have plenty to share, you have plenty of fish to share.

Plenty of fish at the feast of life,
Plenty of fish to share!
Plenty of fish at the feast of life,
There is plenty of fish to share!

Blessed are you, Creator
You have plenty to share.
For granting us this bounty,
You have plenty to share.
The fruits of field and water.
You have plenty to share, plenty of room to share.

Plenty of room at the feast of life,
Plenty of room to share!
Plenty of room at the feast of life,
There is plenty of room to share!

Make room for all the needy!
You have plenty to share.
And welcome in the stranger!
You have plenty to share.
The Reign of God surrounds us!
You have plenty to share, you have plenty of room to share.

Plenty of room at the feast of life,
Plenty of room to share!
Plenty of room at the feast of life,
There is plenty of room to share.
Plenty of bread at the feast of life,
Plenty of bread to share!
Plenty of bread at the feast of life,
There is plenty of bread to share!
There is plenty of bread to share!
There is plenty of bread to share!

Night Storm

He set out into the darkness with the rising wind behind.
We are slicing through deep waters, running fast and sailing blind,
With the surging sea around us, and disaster on our mind.

Then the wind comes round against us with a whistle and a roar.
We are trapped inside the tempest, and the rain begins to pour,
And the timbers groan and shudder many miles out from the shore.

On the Sea of Galilee, wind and waves assail you.
In the dark and angry sea, faith alone avails you,
Faith alone avails you!

Not a single light to guide us, we're in darkness all around,
And the fear that screams inside us adds its echo to the sound,
Knowing death is there beside us if we sink or run aground.

Soon the mast is bent and creaking, and the bow is plunging deep,
As the boat is tossed and leaking, crashing low then rising steep.
While the sails are torn and shrieking, He lies in the back asleep.

On the Sea of Galilee, wind and waves assail you.
In the dark and angry sea, faith alone avails you,
Faith alone avails you!

You are blinded in a night storm, by the lightning and the spray.
You are deafened by the thunder, and you cannot see the way.
When your hands can't hold the rudder, and your anchor will not stay,
When the mast is nearly breaking, you can only kneel and pray,
"Guide my boat, oh God, to safety. Bring me home to see the day."

"Master, save us! The boat is going under,
Won't you wake and save us, for death is in the thunder!"

Let the storms around you cease now.
Let the storms within you end.
Let your mind and heart learn peace now
As the calm that God will send.
God who brought you through the tempest,
Guide your spirit home to mend.

Is your faith so weak and wanting that it flees before the sea?
Put your life in God's keeping; turn and face what storms may be.
God will guide you home to shelter,
Trust in God and trust in me.

There are storms that grab and shake us on the Sea of Galilee,
There are storms that rage between us, there are storms inside of me.
Yet the thunder of that silence when he bid the wind stand still,
When he stopped the waves and thunder by His voice and by His will
Leaves a storm within me raging of a vision that could be.
Who is this we choose to follow through wind, storm, and the sea.

I Was on the Outside

I was on the outside, no power and no name,
A woman and a pagan, so they say.
While He was on the inside, with His glory and His fame,
And I know that He was in our town today,

So I came to where He stayed and knelt before Him,
And I begged and cried and pleaded, and I prayed.
"Rabbi, please, I beg of you, come heal my child.
Come make my daughter whole once more.
I believe God has sent you to help me,
So I look to you, that you might answer my prayer.
Show her the love that I beg.
I ask nothing more from you, but only this,
To make my daughter whole once more.
I believe that your hands have the power
To restore her life, and so I swallow my pride
And ask you inside."

"Woman, I have many children too.
they are sick, and they are dying, they are hungry,
They are crying out to me for bread.
So woman, what would you have me do?
All these children at my table must be fed.
I cannot give to every dog some bread."

"I would suffer anything to heal my child,
To make my daughter whole once more.
Even the dogs get the crumbs from the table.
Give me anything that you are able to give,
That my daughter might live."

"Sister, you have answered true.
The love of God shall not be kept from you.
Oh, Sister, your cries have touched my soul.
Now go in peace, your daughter is made whole."

I was on the outside, no power and no name,
Yet Jesus turned and heard my plea that day.
He was on the inside, yet He heard me all the same,
And we shared the Reign of God upon the way.

So Good To Be Here

Jesus took James and John and Peter
High upon the mountain.
They saw Him wrapped in shining lights,
And their hearts were filled with wonder.

It's so nice on the Mountain of Tabor,
No crosses to bear, no worries or cares,
And it's so peaceful to rest from our labor,
It's so good to be here with Jesus.

From up here the Romans look tiny.
From up here all our problems look small.
All the world is wondrous and shining,
It's too much to take in it all.

It's so nice on the Mountain of Tabor,
No journeys to make, no lives to forsake.
What a moment to treasure and savor,
It's so good to be here with Jesus.

In these heights I feel so inspired.
Smell the air, and just look at the views.
We could set up camp and retire,
Just kick back and write the good news.

It's so nice on the Mountain of Tabor,
No people in need with faces to feed.
When you've had it to here with your neighbor,
It's so good to be here with Jesus.

Over there, could that be Elijah?
Over there, is that Moses I see?
Such a lofty circle we move in,
I can tell God's smiling on me.

It's so nice on the Mountain of Tabor,
No crosses to bear, no worries or cares,
And so peaceful to rest from our labor,
It's so good to be here, so great to be here, so good to be here with Jesus.
And Elijah!
With Jesus...
And Moses!
With Jesus...
And you guys!
With Jesus.

Unless You Learn

Unless you learn to see as a little child,
You will never see the Reign of God.
Let your eyes be open to the holiness in the simple and the small.
Come and learn from these little ones.
Learn to see with the eyes of faith,
And you may see the Reign of God in the simplest things of all.
Unless you learn to love as a little child,
You will never touch the Reign of God.
Let your heart be open tot the holiness in the simple and the small.
All who welcome these little ones will be welcoming me indeed,
And you may touch in the gentlest touch of all.
Unless you learn to live as a little child,
You will never know the Reign of God.
Let your lives speak always of the holiness in the simple and the small.
Come and learn to be little ones; learn to serve as the least of all,
And you may know the Reign of God in the simple and the small,
And you shall see the Reign of God in the humblest one of all.

Hosanna

Hosanna, hosanna, hosanna in the highest!
Hosanna, hosanna, hosanna in the highest!
Blessed is the one, blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!
Praise be to you, o Son of David, blessed your reign may be!
Hosanna, hosanna, hosanna in the highest!
Hosanna, hosanna, hosanna in the highest!

How can you speak? Where is your authority? How can you string these people along?
If you should seek to forge a majority, you may find out how prophets go wrong.
Hosanna, hosanna, hosanna in the highest!
Hosanna, hosanna, hosanna in the highest!

Who can stand on the mountain of the Lord? Only those with a clean and a pure heart.
Lift up your gates, fling wide every door, to welcome the King of Glory!
Hosanna, hosanna, hosanna in the highest!
Hosanna, hosanna, hosanna in the highest!

You should take care what you will say to them,
If there's disorder, you will soon pay!
You should beware cheating and using them,
God will avenge them, soon in the day!
Hosanna, hosanna, hosanna in the highest!
Hosanna, hosanna, hosanna in the highest!
Hosanna, hosanna, hosanna in the highest!
Hosanna, hosanna, hosanna in the highest!
Hosanna in the highest!

The Wondrous Day of Our God

Soon come the great tribulations and wars that will rage and not cease
'Til the God of all nations shall bring in the day of peace.
The sky will be darkened, the heavens will shake,
The stars will be falling, the dead shall awake.

When the day of our God shall come to pass,
The skies shall ring out with the angels' song.
The last shall be first and the first shall be last
When the day of our God comes, the wondrous day of our God.

Short in the time of your sorrow, and great are the joys God has planned
To bring you tomorrow into the Promised Land,
Where justice will flourish, and peace will abound,
And mercy will flourish, the lost shall be found.

When the day of our God shall come to pass,
The skies shall ring out with the angels' song.
The last shall be first and the first shall be last
When the day of our God comes, the wondrous day of our God.

Cease now your sorrow and weeping. Stand firm, your deliverance is near,
For God is not sleeping; stand firm and do not fear.
Behold your salvation is now close at hand,
The hope of each nation, the prayer of each land.

When the day of our God shall come to pass,
The skies shall ring out with the angels' song.
The last shall be first and the first shall be last
When the day of our God comes, the wondrous day of our God.

Heed now the words of my warning, and look for the signs God has sent,
For soon comes the morning; the night is now nearly spent.
You who are greedy, you who rob from the poor,
You who pray on the needy, you who hunger for more,

You would trample the helpless, you would trample the small,
You would make them the outcasts, you would banish them all.
You who love power and glory and fame,
You will not know the hour when the Lord calls your name.
Your grapes turn all sour, your lands tumble down.
You will not know the hour when it all turns around.

When the day of our God shall come to pass,
The skies shall ring out with the angels' song.
The last shall be first and the first shall be last
When the day of our God comes, the wondrous, terrible thunderous, miracle wondrous day of our God,
The wondrous day of our God.

Now the Feast is Drawing Near

Now the feast is drawing near, and the people crowd around him.
They are calling him a prophet, they are calling him a king.

He is clever with his words, and his miracles astound them.
If he speaks to them tomorrow, who knows what the day will bring.

We must silence him, quiet him, stop this would-be king.
For his slander and his treason, we must let him feel our sting.

If his movement catches on, he could soon be our undoing.
He could turn the mob against us with a gesture and a lie.

It is clear that we must act while these passions still are brewing.
For the good of all the people, we must stop him by and by.

If we silence him, quiet him, they'll never question why.
We must think for all the people when the tensions are so high.

We must silence him, quiet him, never question why.
For the good of all the people, I'm afraid that he must die.

Jesus Sat at Table

Jesus sat at table with His friends.
He would share this final feast before the end.
He gathered them around Him, and He said,
"The human one will be rejected, will be put to death and rise once more,
But woe to the one who rejects him, who denies him, who betrays him."
"I will never reject/deny/betray You. Jesus, I could not betray my faith in You."

"You are not the one I met back at the shore.
You are not the one I looked for,
Not the one the people cried for,
Not the one I could die for.
You are not what I expected, You are more."

"Take and eat this, all of you. This is my Body, given up for you.
Take and drink this, all of you. This is the cup of my Blood, given up for you.
When you break the bread, when you share the cup, remember me, remember me."

"I am not the one You called back at the shore.
I have seen too much of pain now, I have learned of loss and gain now
When they plead I will remain now, may I help bring in Your reign now, and be more."

["On that night] I knew where His life would lead Him, I brought my oil to anoint His head,
And I wept as I heard the words He said,
'I must walk through the valley to the other side,
There is no turning back now, there is no place to hide.
Now my God waits to greet me, and when I have died walk on, walk on, walk on...'
I remember how He said to us, 'Just have faith in me and hope.
Walk on, walk on, walk on into the valley.'"

Crucifixion

It was in the morning when we nailed him to the tree
Stripped him bear and raised him high.
Once we had promised to be faithful to the end,
Now we stand back and watch him die.

It was in the noon time when a darkness filled the land,
Hid the daylight form our eyes.
Once he had moved us with the power of his voice,
Now we refused to hear his cries.

"Oh God, why have you abandoned me, abandoned me?
Now I go the way my calling led.
Now there is no one to anoint my head.
How could You let your servant wind up dead?
I only sought to do you will."

It was in the afternoon when he finally breathed his last.
He has passed over Jordan through the waters deep.
He was life to so many, now in death He will sleep.
When the shepherd is fallen, who will lead the sheep?
Oh Lord, have mercy on Your people.

Now we stand at the Jordan flowing deep and wide.
You have called us to follow through the swift, running tide.
Will You be there to meet us at the other side?
Oh Lord, have mercy on Your people.

He said that you would hear us, He said that you were near us
He said we should not fear as long as You were by our side.
Are You by our side?
Were You by His side?

When the flood rose around us and our hopes are weak,
When we feel how the mighty use the humble and weak,
Do not leave us forsaken; bring the hope we seek.
Oh Lord, have mercy on Your people.
Oh Lord, have mercy on Your people.

Song at the Empty Tomb

I reached out once in fear and pain
And rose up new and whole again.
If God can work such love in me,
I dare to hope in what could be.

Through all these words new life may course
And rise up praising God the source
Of all we hope and pray might be
Our new and everlasting tree.

As wide and deep as any sea,
The love He lent and showed to me.
He heard my cry and touched my soul,
And then He made my daughter whole.

This touch shall make an open door
To welcome in the weak and poor,
A shelter from the storms above,
A sign of God's unfading love.

As oil rich and fragrant wood,
So were His deeds, so was His word.
And in my heart, I hold His name,
That I may speak and do the same.

Within these branches we shall weave
A song for those who dare believe
That God still moves beneath the earth
And bringeth the fallen seed to birth.

No mind could ever dare conceive
What God can work when we believe.
How blessed are the ones indeed
Who look for life within the seed.

All praise to you, o human one
Who lived and died as God's own Son,
And pray that we may come to see
New life within the fallen tree.

And though we sleep the sleep of death,
Our seeds will wake filled with breath.
Praise to You, whose life we mourn,
New blossoms on the tree of thorn.

Once You brought the dead into life.
Your hands were healing and peace.
Your words were fire and light.
Your life was promise and [least].

Now You leave us trembling and weak.
No more the sureness of death,
No more the hole that I know,
Life that is new with each breath.

Where now is the body You wore?
What is this dark empty hole?
Where is the one that I loved?
Where is the fire of my soul?

You, who were truth of my life,
You know my fear and my hope,
Who shatters death and the grave,
Who goes before me alone.

You, who shakes the earth and the stars,
Who opens tombs in my soul,
Who knows my weakness and pain,
You tear and rend and make whole.

Here beyond the shadow of death,
Here where the day breaks anew,
There is no future but faith,
There is no promise but You.

Here in the midst of death
We shall see the birth of life.
Now in the darkest hour,
We shall know the face of God.

Here is the midst of life,
Here within each fearful heart,
Now in each human form
You shall be the risen one.

Here in the midst of death,
We shall see the birth of life.
Now in the darkest hour,
We shall know the face of God.

Here in the midst of death,
We shall see.
Now in the darkest hour,
We shall know.

Here within the midst of life,
Here within,
Now in each human form,
You shall be,


Brought to us this day of your life,
When all your people shall see,
When death itself shall have died,
When we your kingdom shall be.

We your kingdom shall be.
We your kingdom shall be.
We your kingdom shall be.
We your kingdom shall be.
We your kingdom shall be.
We your kingdom shall be.
We your kingdom shall be.