The outcome is an album that represents the multiple facets of Cindy’s life as a wife, mother, and storyteller. “One of the greatest things in my life is being a mother to my two girls, Olivia and Savannah. I love seeing the world through their eyes; they teach me so much everyday and, of course, they inspire me.
Song Snapshots
‘Lay Me Down’
‘Lay Me Down’ starts off the record. “I wrote this song with my good friend and soul man Phil Madiera.” The music was inspired by the music from ‘O Brother Where Art Thou’ and came to her while gardening. “I was at our home in Canada, digging in the dirt and had my shovel out trying to break through this huge rock. I started singing this lyric based on a Psalm, Oh lay me down in your green pastures.”
‘The Sun Shines Through’
“This song like many was inspired by a few people in my life… all true stories of how we are sometimes handed a hard road and we wonder how we’ll make it through. It is so good to know that God will not leave us or forsake us, but bring about to completion the good work which He has started in us”.
Morgan has intentionally released few details about this record, preferring to keep it under wraps until just before the release date. In keeping with this path she has also decided to brave the digital frontier, releasing ‘Beautiful Bird’ exclusively in digital format through her website (cindymorganmusic.com) and iTunes, as well as, other hand picked online outlets. “The wonderful thing about doing a record like this is that you throw the rule book out the window… it really sets the creative spirit free to let each song, and the record as a whole, be what it is without boundaries that often squash the creative process.”
This record is a mix of all the musical styles Morgan has been a fan of. “It is a mix of Pop, Appalachia, Country, and Symphonic. I can’t choose the cello over the doboro so I wanted to make a record where they could live together. I am also a great admirer and pursuer of the art of writing a great country song and many of the lyrics are from that approach.” Morgan, who is a dynamic vocalist and pianist, has added to her musical quiver, the lap dulcimer. “I have written on the piano for so many years, it was great writing on different instruments. This really brings about different melodies and character of songwriting… I play the dulcimer and a little guitar.”
A songwriter's songwriter, Morgan has garnered eighteen number one hits that include ‘Listen’, ‘Praise the King’, ‘Take my life’, and ‘I Know You’; as well as Point of Grace’s recent hit ‘How You Live’. Morgan has garnered several Dove Awards and Billboard Music Video Award nominations. Her songs have been recorded by luminaries such as Michael W. Smith, Point Of Grace, Avalon, Rachael Lampa, Brit Nicole, Mandisa, The Martins, Michael English, BeBe
Winans, Sandi Patty, Jaci Velasquez, Mark Schultz, John Tesh, and Natalie Grant.
“A few years ago, I decided it was time for a rest from the road and take more seriously my desire to become a better songwriter. I decided of all places, to do this in Los Angeles. Along with my husband and our then one year old daughter, we headed to our little apartment in Burbank, California.” In Burbank, Morgan worked as a full-time songwriter in the Christian, pop, and country genres, crafting hits including Christy "It was so great to be around people who were not necessarily Christians because I recognized that their search goes on earnestly, and I felt so blessed that I knew what I believed and that I felt truth in that
belief."
Eventually, the family returned to Nashville and bought a house where they still make their home six months of the year. In this jambalaya of settings, Morgan engaged in a journey toward new self-discovery. She stretched as a wife and mother, and matured as a woman and musician. First and foremost, she drank deeply from a spiritual well and grew stronger in her faith. “Everyday is a new journey for me...I think we just keep on struggling and walking toward the path that God has set before us. I am so thankful to be here and to have a wonderful husband and two healthy children. I am so happy that I know Jesus and that He knows me and hears the prayers of my heart. I pray that whatever gifts he has given me, that I make the most of these gifts…never letting anything stand in the way of making manifest the wonderful goodness of God and the good news of what He has done for us.”
Higher
Cindy Morgan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Screaming, chanting
Sounding in My ear
Pounding, driving
Ringing, stinging
Take My thoughts away
To a brighter place
Chorus:
Higher, higher
Than the pain that I feel
Take Me
Higher, higher
Let Your holy love reveal
And plunge Me
Deeper, deeper
Than these nails can drive Me
Take Me
Higher, higher, Father
Children laughing
And Lepers healing
In the waters of sweet forgiveness
Jordon, Galilee
The lame are walking
By the shining sea
Oh take Me
Chorus:
Higher, higher
Than the pain that I feel
Lift Me
Higher, higher
Let Your holy love reveal
And plunge Me
Deeper, oh deeper
Than these nails can drive Me
Take Me
Higher, higher,
Father And plunge Me deeper, oh deeper
Than these nails can drive Me
Take Me higher, higher
Can You hear me, hear the sound of My pain
Can You hear Me I can hear You
The beginning of the song starts off by describing a dark day that is crowning, with screams and chanting sounding in the singer's ear. The lyrics then use words such as "pounding," "driving," "ringing," and "stinging" to describe the level of pain that the singer is experiencing. However, the chorus of the song provides a sense of hope and a longing for something greater. The singer pleads to be taken higher than the pain that they feel, and to be plunged deeper than any nails could drive them.
The lyrics describe a desire to be taken to a brighter place and to experience the depth of God's love. The second verse shifts to a more positive tone, describing children laughing and lepers being healed. The imagery of Jordan and Galilee are used to further illustrate the miraculous acts of healing happening in that region. The singer longs to be a part of this world of sweet forgiveness and asks to be taken there.
As a whole, the song Higher is about the human experience of pain and suffering, and the desire to be lifted higher and deeper into God's love. The lyrics are full of vivid imagery that portray the reality of physical and emotional pain, but also provide hope and a sense of joy for the future. It is a song that many people can relate to and find solace in during difficult times.
Line by Line Meaning
Dark day crowning
A day so gloomy that it feels as if darkness is taking over
Screaming, chanting
The vocal outburst of an inner turmoil
Sounding in My ear
The thoughts that echo incessantly in the mind, refusing to go away
Pounding, driving
The intensity of the pain that feels like a relentless assault on the body and mind
Ringing, stinging
The sharp and unpleasant sensation that lingers on and on
Take My thoughts away
The desire to escape the mental anguish that seems to be overwhelming
To a brighter place
The hope and yearning for a happier and more peaceful state of being
Chorus: Higher, higher Than the pain that I feel
The aspiration to rise above the suffering and transcend the limitations of the physical body and the emotional turmoil
Take Me Higher, higher Let Your holy love reveal
The plea to a higher power to come to the rescue and reveal the healing power of divine love
And plunge Me Deeper, deeper Than these nails can drive Me
The desire to go deeper into the spiritual realm, beyond the reach of the physical pain and the crucifixion of the ego
Father Children laughing And Lepers healing In the waters of sweet forgiveness Jordon, Galilee The lame are walking By the shining sea Oh take Me
The vision of a world where the children are happy, the lepers are healed, and the lame are walking, a world of forgiveness, love, and joy
Chorus: Higher, higher Than the pain that I feel Lift Me Higher, higher Let Your holy love reveal And plunge Me Deeper, oh deeper Than these nails can drive Me Take Me Higher, higher, Father
The repetition of the chorus emphasizes the urgency and intensity of the plea for divine intervention and the longing for a higher state of consciousness
And plunge Me deeper, oh deeper Than these nails can drive Me Take Me higher, higher Can You hear me, hear the sound of My pain Can You hear Me I can hear You
The final plea to the divine to connect with the human and to hear the cry for help and the recognition that the connection is already there
Contributed by Alexis H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.