So, we’ll start with an excellent example of how incomplete some of these songs are. The first half of the first verse of this song seems a little dry and out of place, as I was planning to add a bunch of stuff to that section to even it out a bit, but never got around to it. The rest of it turned out quite well, though I do wish I could redo some of the vocals. Ah well.

I had struggled with the lyrics to this song since I was about 19 years old. I had always been fascinated by the paradox of childhood innocence being the ideal state that even Jesus praised, yet also needing to grow up and wrestle with greater issues in order to be a more complete Christian. No doubt a part of the angst in this song comes from my own struggles with fundamentalism as a kid, as I was expected to innocently believe things that just clearly didn’t make sense.

The chorus and most of the prechoruses I had locked down fairly early in the writing process of this song, but the verses I struggled with for years, writing and rewriting them in their entireties several times over until around the summer of 2008 (a fairly pivotal season of my life) when I finally happened on an approach. During my college years, I studied the history of Israel as related by the Bible, and was fascinated by how much the Babylonian exile affected their understanding of everything they had experienced to the point that there were pre- and post-exilic theologies. It’s interesting to imagine what it must have been like for someone who saw Israelite society both before and during the exile, and that gave me the idea of the prophet Jeremiah looking upon a baby who had been born in Israel during the exile and lamenting that that baby will one day learn their history and live through its consequences, none of which the baby is responsible for.

I might note, in the middle of the guitar solo, Jeff plays a couple of REALLY ugly notes that to this day I have no idea if they were intentional or mess ups, but I don’t care cos they sound SO FREAKING AWESOME and really add to the “the song is barely holding together and coming apart at the seams” feel I was going for in that section. Dig it!!!

Prayer for the Innocent

Open your eyes and see all that you’ll one day be
Take in the promise of the world you’re born into
For now go back to sleep, your heart can be at ease
It’ll be a while before this burden bears on you

Don’t rush into awareness, find joy in being so helpless
Cos in this moment you are all God’s mean you to be
One day you’ll hear the story how we were wreathed in glory
And of your guilt for people you’ll never meet

And I feel my eyes like the river my tears caused to flow
It’s something my God and I only know
It’s piercing deep inside to the truth I hide
It’s the prayer cry

And it’s Your world I can’t see enough
To be blind to where I’m from
Through all dreams of joy and fear of doubt
Just to lose what I’ve become
What I’ve become

The world will start to need you, the Lord will bless and keep you
And He’ll restore the wonders you were meant to see
For now I’ll watch you slumber and just a while remember
What I have been and what I’ll one day be

My joy lost in the waves of sin I couldn’t see
Faith like after I first believed
Lost in mature disgrace, having known my ways
Lord restore those days

Cos it’s Your world I can’t see enough
To be blind to where I’m from
Through all dreams of joy and fear of doubt
Just to lose what I’ve become
What I’ve become

Nam Hwang - acoustic and electric guitars, background vocals
Jeff Dennis - electric guitars
Kurtz Ison - b-3
Brian Song - bass
Nick Amoroso - drums