After moving from Chicago to California at the age of ten, he was involved in various high school bands playing guitars and keyboards, playing baseball in his spare time. He studied music in college and started a progressive rock band named after himself, but he soon discovered the music of Kitaro and was heavily influenced by it. Arkenstone was influenced by writers such as J. R. R. Tolkien and Ian Fleming, and grew up listening to bands like Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Deep Purple, and Yes, as well as listening to classical music.
Arkenstone went solo and found his own sound in New Age music. He says that has been greatly aided by technology: "Technology has produced some wonderful tools for making music. The computer allows me to fully orchestrate my pieces and really fine tune them". His music is primarily instrumental. His albums, typically fantasy themed, often come packaged with literature and art. He worked with fantasy novel writer Mercedes Lackey on a few of his albums. Arkenstone and his ex-wife, Diane, created their own record label called Neo Pacifica. In addition to releasing their own music on the label, they have included other bands such as Earth Trybe, Enaid, and the Marquis Ensemble.
He has also composed music for television; channels such as the History Channel, the Discovery Channel and NBC Sports include his music. He has also written music for trailers and film soundtracks, including the independent film PRISM, as well as computer game soundtracks such as World of Warcraft, Lands of Lore 2 and 3, Earth and Beyond, and Emperor: Battle for Dune; and Starlight Inception. He also features on 20 Years of Narada Piano.
Arkenstone has earned four Grammy nominations for his work: In the Wake of the Wind in 1992, Citizen of the World in 2000, and Atlantis in 2004. 'Fairy Dreams in 2020.
Arkenstone has learned to play a variety of musical instruments, including bouzouki, mandolin, guitar, bass guitar, harp, cello, flute, electronic keyboards, piano, Turkish saz, pennywhistle, melodica, and pan pipes. He also plays drums and percussion and has performed some vocalizations on his albums.
Arkenstone is also involved in the band Troika; their sound is similar to his solo work. The band members like to remain anonymous, although the compositions are credited to Arkenstone.
His theme "The Journey Begins/Kyla's Ride" was used for the FIFA World Cup France '98 broadcastings intro by the Mexican television network Azteca.
His song "Papillon (On the Wings of the Butterfly)" is used as background music in Future World at Epcot in Walt Disney World. His song "The Palace" was once used as background music in Tomorrowland at the Magic Kingdom as well. "The Palace" also used to play in Tokyo Disneyland's Tomorrowland, and another one of his songs, "Valley in the Clouds" was also used.
He signed with Domo Records and re-released the album Echoes of Light and Shadow in 2010.
Arkenstone was a member of the composing team who developed the music for Blizzard Activision's World of Warcraft videogame's Cataclysm expansion. Along with Arkenstone, the team consists of Derek Duke, Glenn Stafford, and Neal Acree.
Deliver Me
David Arkenstone Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Deliver me, from all of the madness.
Deliver me, courage to guide me.
Deliver me, strength from inside me.
All of my life I've been in hiding.
Wishing there was someone just like you.
Now that you're here, now that I've found you,
I know that you're the one to pull me through.
Deliver me, giving and sharing.
Deliver me, the cross that I'm bearing.
All of my life I was in hiding.
Wishing there was someone just like you.
Now that you're here, now that I've found you,
I know that you're the one to pull me through.
Deliver me,
Deliver me,
Oh deliver me.
All of my life I was in hiding.
Wishing there was someone just like you.
Now that you're here, now that I've found you,
I know that you're the one to pull me through.
Deliver me,
Oh deliver me.
Won't you deliver me.
"Deliver Me" by David Arkenstone is a powerful and moving song about feeling lost or trapped in life, and the hope and strength that can come from finding someone who can help guide you out of those circumstances. The repeated refrain "deliver me" expresses a deep yearning for help and salvation.
The first verse describes the struggle and pain that the singer has experienced throughout their life, feeling like they have been in hiding and unable to find someone to help them through. But when they do find that person, they feel that they have finally been delivered from their sadness and madness. The second verse continues this theme, with the singer expressing gratitude for the new love and caring they have found.
The cross that the singer references in the third verse is likely a symbol for the challenges or burdens they have been carrying, and they are asking their partner to help them bear it. Overall, the song is a beautiful tribute to the power of love and support to overcome even the most difficult experiences.
Line by Line Meaning
Deliver me, out of my sadness.
I hope you can rescue me from this feeling of sadness I'm experiencing.
Deliver me, from all of the madness.
Help me to escape from this chaotic and crazy situation around me.
Deliver me, courage to guide me.
Grant me bravery which I can lean on to lead me through difficult circumstances and tough times.
Deliver me, strength from inside me.
Give me the inner strength to withstand and overcome my problems and challenges.
All of my life I've been in hiding.
I've been afraid and vulnerable, always keeping to myself and away from everyone else.
Wishing there was someone just like you.
Longing for someone with qualities like yours whom I could rely on to support me.
Now that you're here, now that I've found you,
Since you are now a part of my life, after having searched and found you,
I know that you're the one to pull me through.
I have faith in you and trust that you can help me overcome my problems and lead me to a better place.
Deliver me, loving and caring.
Show me love and care as we move forward together.
Deliver me, giving and sharing.
Teach me the value of generosity and sharing in our journey together.
Deliver me, the cross that I'm bearing.
Help me handle the burden of my problems and lead me in a direction where it doesn't weigh me down as much.
Deliver me, oh deliver me.
I'm desperate for your help and need you to assist me.
All of my life I was in hiding.
For my entire life, I've been keeping to myself and avoided others out of fear and vulnerability.
Wishing there was someone just like you.
For years, I've wished and hoped for someone like you to come into my life to help me out of this situation.
Now that you're here, now that I've found you,
Since you are now a part of my life, after having searched and found you,
I know that you're the one to pull me through.
I trust that you can guide and help me through my problems and lead me towards a brighter future.
Deliver me, oh deliver me.
I'm pleading with you, asking you to help me and free me from my suffering.
Won't you deliver me.
I am asking you to do me the favor by rescuing me from my problems, fears and stresses.
Writer(s): John Marsh, Helena Marsh
Contributed by David D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.