Arends began her career as a songwriter at Benson Music Publishing. In 1995, Carolyn began touring and releasing albums as a singer and guitarist. Her debut release that year (I Can Hear You) was released through Reunion Records. "I Can Hear You" reached number 37 on Billboard Magazine's Contemporary Christian Chart in 1996. "Feel Free" peaked at number 10 on the chart in 1997. More recently her albums have been distributed by Signpost Music (Steve Bell's label). She is the winner of two Gospel Music Association Dove Awards and six GMA Canada Covenant Awards. Carolyn co-hosted the 29th Annual Covenant Awards in 2007.
Her website is www.carolynarends.com
Reaching
Carolyn Arends Lyrics
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Four years old and three feet tall
Trying to touch the stars and the cookie jar
And both were out of reach
And later on in my high school
It seemed to me a little cruel
How the right words to say always seemed to stay
Well, I should not have thought it strange
That growing causes growing pains
'Cause the more we learn the more we know
We don't know anything
But still it seems a tragic fate
Living with this quiet ache
The constant strain for what remains
Just out of reach
We are reaching for the future
We are reaching for the past
And no matter what we have we reach for more
We are desperate to discover
What is just beyond our grasp
But maybe that's what Heaven is for
There are times I can't forget
Dressed up in my Sunday best
Trying not to squirm and to maybe learn
A bit of what the preacher preached
And later lying in the dark
I felt a stirring in my heart
And though I longed to see what could not be seen
I still believed
I guess, I shouldn't think it odd
Until we see the face of God
The yearning deep within us tells us
There's more to come
So when we taste of the divine
It leaves us hungry every time
For one more taste of what awaits
When Heaven's Gates are reached
We are reaching for the future
We are reaching for the past
And no matter what we have, we reach for more
We are desperate to discover
What is just beyond our grasp
But maybe that's what Heaven is for
I believe that's what Heaven is for
There's a time I can recall
Four years old and three feet tall
Trying to touch the stars and the cookie jar
And both were out of reach
"Reaching" by Carolyn Arends is a song about the human desire to reach for something unattainable. The first verse talks about the desire to touch the stars and the cookie jar, but both are out of reach. This symbolizes the natural human desire to aspire for big things, yet sometimes the goals we set are just too high. This creates a sense of disappointment among people because they are unable to achieve what they aspire to have, hence creating an unquenchable thirst in them to reach for more.
The second verse talks about how the right words to say always seem to stay just out of reach, and this can be relatable to anyone who has experienced a moment where they were not able to express themselves correctly. Learning is a never-ending process, and we continue to grow every day, which causes growing pains. At times it may seem that the knowledge we have is never enough, and there is always more to learn.
The chorus of the song features the idea of human beings reaching for more, and no matter what we have, we strive for even more. This could indicate that we are never satisfied with everything we have, that there is still something missing, and we still have the urge to get more. The idea of reaching for the future and past also emphasizes our human tendency to constantly strive for more even though we know it may not be achievable.
In conclusion, "Reaching" is a song about the human craving to reach for the unattainable, which can leave us feeling unfulfilled. It highlights the idea that human growth is a never-ending process, and we continue to evolve every day.
Line by Line Meaning
There's a time I can recall
I remember a time from my childhood
Four years old and three feet tall
I was young and small
Trying to touch the stars and the cookie jar
I wanted to reach for the unreachable
And both were out of reach
I couldn't achieve what I wanted
And later on in my high school
As I got older and went to high school
It seemed to me a little cruel
It felt unfair
How the right words to say always seemed to stay
I struggled to express myself
Just out of reach
I couldn't quite say what I wanted to
Well, I should not have thought it strange
I shouldn't have found it unusual
That growing causes growing pains
It hurts to grow up
'Cause the more we learn the more we know
As we learn, we realize how much we don't know
We don't know anything
Our knowledge is always limited
But still it seems a tragic fate
It's sad but inevitable
Living with this quiet ache
We have a longing that's hard to express
The constant strain for what remains
We're always striving for something better
Just out of reach
But it always seems just beyond our grasp
We are reaching for the future
We want to move forward
We are reaching for the past
We want to revisit what's gone
And no matter what we have we reach for more
We're always striving for something better
We are desperate to discover
We're eager to find out
What is just beyond our grasp
What's just out of reach for us
But maybe that's what Heaven is for
Heaven is a place where we can finally attain what's been out of reach
There are times I can't forget
There are moments that stay with me
Dressed up in my Sunday best
When I dressed in my finest clothes
Trying not to squirm and to maybe learn
I was trying to listen and understand
A bit of what the preacher preached
The lessons taught in church
And later lying in the dark
As I lay in bed at night
I felt a stirring in my heart
I was moved emotionally
And though I longed to see what could not be seen
I wanted to experience what was inaccessible
I still believed
I had faith
I guess, I shouldn't think it odd
I realize now it's not strange
Until we see the face of God
Until we have a spiritual epiphany
The yearning deep within us tells us
Our longing reminds us
There's more to come
There's something beyond what we know
So when we taste of the divine
When we have a spiritual experience
It leaves us hungry every time
It makes us crave more
For one more taste of what awaits
For another spiritual experience
When Heaven's Gates are reached
When we finally attain what we've been reaching for
I believe that's what Heaven is for
I think that's what we'll find in Heaven
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Capitol CMG Publishing, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: CAROLYN ARENDS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind