With a musical journey that has crisscrossed all kinds of rock music, folk music, and electronic music, he carries a songwriting sense that aims to capture dense images of life with God,
in compositions that can be carried with the listener. He aims to tell the old story of the Gospel in an ever-shifting world, without resorting to easy truisms, or lazy language. His new collection of songs, The Bright Sadness, echoes a journey pressed to the chest of God, joyful and sorrowful at once, with God's heart clear and pulsing in each note and word. It wraps liturgy with the unexpected, and daily mundanity with daily surprise.
As many of the Passion collegiate gatherings were recorded live, Hall was quickly dubbed "a voice" for the Passion movement, performing on all eight Passion albums, which have sold more than one million units.
Charlie expresses the desire to be "honed into God, where I'm not part of a culture where I'm trying to make the people around me think, 'Hey, that's a good Christian.' I'm just trying to pursue God and not pursue being accepted into a club...I'm more honed into my pursuit of God in Christ and how he's forming me and changing and helping me love him and know him.
Renewing and encouraging local churches, engaging young and old with social justice action, widening hearts to see God at work in the whole world, spurring local artists on to imaginative and creative expression, and offering songs of rest to those who are simply tired are some of the hopes of Charlie, and his band of gypsies. Hall's band, in which he performs vocals and guitar, consists of Kendall Combes (electric guitar), Brian Bergman (keyboard), Dustin Ragland (drums), and Quint Anderson (bass guitar).
Ransom
Charlie Hall Lyrics
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We hid away and lost sight of Your face
So much silence we could not behave
Until the day that ransom came
Oh, the day that ransom came
You were the prophet with healing in Your wings
Returning hearts of the children to the Father
We dreamed of peace
While our hands were making weapons
We dreamed of freedom
While we locked ourselves in prison
Our eyes were looking and our hearts were waiting
For the One with the keys to our changing
Oh, the day that ransom came
You were the prophet with healing in Your wings
Returning hearts of the children to the Father
Returning life and sight to the sons and daughters
Come and shake our hearts awake
Come and shake our hearts awake
Come and shake our hearts awake
Come and shake our hearts awake
Come and shake our hearts awake
Come and shake our hearts awake
Oh, the day that ransom came
You were the prophet with healing in Your wings
Returning hearts of the children to the Father
Returning life and sight to the sons and daughters
Oh, the day that ransom came
You were the prophet with healing in Your wings
Returning hearts of the children to the Father
Returning life and sight to the sons and daughters
The lyrics of Charlie Hall's song "Ransom" speak of the dawn of humanity and the disconnection that ensued between humans and God's face. The silence was so great that people could not behave until the ransom came, referring to the day when Jesus sacrificed himself on the cross. The prophet with healing wings refers to Jesus, who came to bring freedom, peace, and a return to the Father for the children.
The song speaks of the human desire for peace and freedom, but how often they can be betrayed by our own actions. We dream of these ideals while simultaneously crafting weapons and imprisoning ourselves. The lyrics speak to a search for change, for someone with the keys to unlock our hearts and show us a better way of life. The repetition of "Come and shake our hearts awake" is a plea for Jesus to awaken us to a better way of living, to break through our own self-made barriers and connect us to the love of the Father.
Line by Line Meaning
At the dawn of human race
At the beginning of human existence
We hid away and lost sight of Your face
We retreated from You and forgot about You
So much silence we could not behave
We were so quiet that we didn't know how to act
Until the day that ransom came
Until the day that redemption arrived
You were the prophet with healing in Your wings
You were the messenger with the power to heal
Returning hearts of the children to the Father
Bringing the hearts of the children back to God
Returning life and sight to the sons and daughters
Restoring life and vision to God's children
We dreamed of peace
We imagined a world without conflict
While our hands were making weapons
But we were actually creating weapons of war
We dreamed of freedom
We longed for the ability to live without restrictions
While we locked ourselves in prison
Yet we were actually imprisoning ourselves
Our eyes were looking and our hearts were waiting
We were watching and anticipating
For the One with the keys to our changing
For the One who could bring about our transformation
Come and shake our hearts awake
Stir our hearts to life, awaken us from our slumber
Oh, the day that ransom came
What a glorious day, when redemption arrived
You were the prophet with healing in Your wings
You were the messenger of healing and hope
Returning hearts of the children to the Father
Bringing the hearts of the children back to God
Returning life and sight to the sons and daughters
Restoring life and vision to God's children
Oh, the day that ransom came
What a glorious day, when redemption arrived
You were the prophet with healing in Your wings
You were the messenger of healing and hope
Returning hearts of the children to the Father
Bringing the hearts of the children back to God
Returning life and sight to the sons and daughters
Restoring life and vision to God's children
Lyrics © CAPITOL CHRISTIAN MUSIC GROUP, Capitol CMG Publishing
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind