Haddon began his recording career in the mid 90s with the Voices of Unity on the small Tyscot label. As the group leader for their three albums, Haddon expressed his forward looking musical view, merging elements of soul, hip-hop and funk in the group's Gospel music. VOU had some mild success on the Gospel charts, but by the late 90s Haddon was ready to move more clearly front and center as a solo artist. His first two solo albums, This is My Story and Chainbreaker continued his artistic development and made some moderate noise on the Gospel charts.
However, I’m not sure that even the devoted fan base he had been accumulating could have anticipated his late 2002 release, Lost and Found, his first on giant Gospel label Verity. A project as ambitious as Tonex’s noted debut, Pronounced Toe-Nay, Lost and Found is an exhaustive, inspired opus by a Gospel artist who, with its release, clearly declared himself a new Gospel star.
The disc begins sounding like a dance Gospel album, leading off with two funky numbers, “D.D.” and “Oh Yeah” (the latter featuring the ubiquitous Fred Hammond). From there it covers broad territory, including bluesy, southern soul (“Ain’t Got Nothing” and the radio hit, “Sinner’s Prayer”), Praise & Worship (“Worship Medley”), Prince-style electric soul (“It’s Me”), big ballads (“Stand Still”) and joyous calypso (“The Praises Go (Up, Up, Up)”). Haddon is literally bursting with musical ideas on the album and, amazingly, virtually all work. Equally impressive is the strong lyrical content of the disc – much of it autobiographical -- focusing principally on the power of redemption and the ability of faith to rescue lost or miscast souls.
It took me almost two months to review Lost and Found, mostly because it took so long to fully absorb such an ambitious project. Now I can clearly say that this stands, with Mary Mary’s “Thankful” and Tonex’s “O2,” as perhaps the definitive modern Gospel album of this decade, and is a must for both Soul and Gospel lovers.
excerpt from The Deitrick Haddon Page at Soul Tracks (www.soultracks.com)
© Copyright 2004-5 by Chris Rizik and Soul Tracks ™
Where You Are
Deitrick Haddon Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I don't know
I don't know
It seemed like I had to lose in order to win
And when they walked out on me, that's when Your love came in
And when I feel like dyin', You made me feel better
You took me by the hand
You were my strength, You were my strength
When I was exhausted
You were my strength, You were my strength
You were my strength, helped me climb the mountain
You were my
My God, my sword, my shield, my joy, my life
Your love so real
You were my strength, You were my strength
You were, you were my
It's amazin' to me when I look back and see, whoa, whoa
How I made it over
Man, I thought it was over
And when my heart was shattered into a million pieces
Your love put me back together again
You knew just what I needed
You were my strength, You were my strength
When I was exhausted
You were my strength, You were my strength
You were my strength, You helped me climb the mountain
You were my
My heart, my sword, my shield, my joy, my life
Your love so real
You were my strength, You were my strength
I just wanna say this
You were my
That is why I love You
That is why I love You
Took me back is why I love You
That is why I love You
You were my strength, You were my strength
When I was exhausted, yeah
You were my strength, You were my strength
You were my strength, helped me climb the mountain
You were my
My body, my sword, my shield, my joy, my life
Your love so real
You were my strength, You were my strength
You were my, my
You were my
You were my strength
You were my strength when I was exhausted
You were my strength
You were my strength, helped me climb the mountain
That is why I love You
That is why I love
You were my strength
You were my strength
I will never forget how You were
You were my strength
You were my strength
You were my strength
You were my strength
My body, my soul, my shield, my joy, my life
Your love so real
You were my strength, You were my strength
You were my
The lyrics of the song "You Are My Strength" by Deitrick Haddon speaks about a personal relationship with God and closely reflects the Christian belief of relying on God's strength to overcome life's struggles. The lyrics acknowledge that sometimes one has to go through challenges to experience the sweetness of life. In the first verse, the singer says that he had to lose in order to win, and when his loved ones walked out on him, God's love was there to comfort him. This line signifies that sometimes in life, one may go through a difficult phase, but God's love is always there to provide comfort and strength. The singer highlights the point that when he feels like giving up or dying, God's love makes him feel better, and God takes him by the hand, assuring him that they can make it through together.
In the second verse, the artist acknowledges that with God's love, he is made whole again. Even though his heart was shattered into a million pieces, God's love put him back together. The lyrics convey gratitude to God for being the source of strength, a sword, shield, joy, and life. The singer repeats the phrase "You were my strength" to emphasize the importance of God's presence in his life. The chorus emphasizes that God's strength helped him climb the mountain of obstacles and made it possible for him to overcome the struggles of life. Overall, the song is a beautiful representation of the importance of relying on God's strength to overcome life's struggles.
Line by Line Meaning
I don't know
Uncertainty or lack of knowledge
It seemed like I had to lose in order to win
Success came only after facing moments of failure
And when they walked out on me, that's when Your love came in
In times of loneliness and abandonment, God's love remains present
And when I feel like dyin', You made me feel better
In moments of despair, God provides comfort and hope
You took me by the hand
God guides and leads His people through difficult times
You told me we could make it through this together
God assures His presence and help in every circumstance
You were my strength
God is the source of strength and security
Helped me climb the mountain
God provides the necessary support to overcome obstacles
My God, my sword, my shield, my joy, my life
God is the defender, provider, and source of hope and happiness
Your love so real
God's love is constant and genuine
It's amazin' to me when I look back and see, whoa, whoa
Reflecting on God's provision and protection is incredible
How I made it over
Overcoming trials and difficulties through God's grace
Man, I thought it was over
Feeling hopeless and defeated before God's intervention
And when my heart was shattered into a million pieces
Emotional devastation that only God could heal
You knew just what I needed
God provides for His people's needs and desires
That is why I love You
Expressing gratitude and love towards God for His faithfulness
You were my
God's role as protector and provider of strength and hope
I will never forget how You were
The impact of God's protection and provision remains ingrained in memory
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Capitol CMG Publishing
Written by: Fred Crawford, Deitrick V Haddon, Kevin Johnson, Roderick Young
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind