Donald Lawrence studied at Cincinnati Conservatory, where he earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in music. To his credit, Donald's musicality has seen many incarnations, as vocal coach to the R&B group En Vogue, musical director for Stephanie Mills, songwriter for The Clark Sisters, and producer for a host of artists including Peabo Bryson and Kirk Franklin. Lawrence took on The Tri-City Singers after a friend vacated his position as musical director.
The group debuted in 1993 with A Songwriter's Point Of View on a then-brand-new independent record label called GospoCentric Records. The set debuted at #2 on the Billboard Top Gospel Charts. The group's follow-up release Bible Stories would top those same charts when it arrived in 1995. It was the first to be billed as Donald Lawrence & The Tri-City Singers and featured black church-ubiquitous hits such as "A Message For The Saints", "I Am God" and "Stranger".
In 1997, Donald Lawrence produced the live portion of Karen Clark Sheard's Grammy-nominated Finally Karen debut. Lawrence & Tri-City also released the seasonal Hello Christmas the same year.
In 2000, Donald Lawrence & The Tri-City Singers signed to EMI Gospel. To promote the new album, a maxi CD of the lead single "Testify" to the mainstream. House remixes by Junior Vasquez sent the song to #33 on Billboard's Mainstream Dance Charts. When tri-city4.com was finally released in 2001, the set peaked at #2 on Billboard's Top Gospel Charts and #13 on Billboard's Heatseekers Charts. The album also got a profile boost from the all-star standout "God's Favor", featuring vocal turns from Karen Clark Sheard, Kim Burrell, and Kelly Price.
In 2004 "I Speak Life" was Donald Lawrence' first solo album, the debut for his newly inked recording contract with Verity Records, and also the first release under his new sublabel Quiet Water Entertainment. Though the album was without The Tri-City Singers, guest appearances were plenteous. Donnie McClurkin, Hezekiah Walker, Faith Evans, Richard Smallwood, and Carl Thomas all contributed to the album. Even jazz notables Ramsey Lewis and Lalah Hathaway were on hand for a remake of the Bible Stories classic "Don't Forget To Remember".
Testify
Donald Lawrence Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I wanna testify.
Got a job a roof overhead don't live fancy but my family's fed
I wanna testify.
Got my strength and I got my health you can't buy that with fame or wealth And
I just wanna testify.
I get overwhelmed with thankfulness for things I have received.
More than fame or wealth I feel the spirit inside movin' me
And I just wanna testify
I got a joy that comes from within, deep in my soul I feel so content
And I just wanna testify
I searched high and I searched low, to find the answers only Heaven holds
And I just wanna testify
Too much joy, can't keep it to myself, I feel the need to tell somebody else
And I just wanna testify
Gifts of love that we all need, are provided if we only plant the seeds
And I wanna plant the seeds and testify.
I just wanna testify.
Feelin' light enough to fly.
Lift your voice up to the sky.
Come on join in and don't be shy.
Get on your feet and testify.
Feelin' light enough to fly.
Lift your voice up to the sky.
Come on join in and don't be shy.
The lyrics to Donald Lawrence's song Testify are centered around gratitude and the desire to share it with others. The first verse begins with the singer expressing thankfulness for the gift of another day and the desire to testify or bear witness to the goodness of their life. The second verse talks about the singer's basic needs being met, such as having a job and a roof over their head, and their family being fed. The third verse speaks to the value of health and strength over fame and wealth, and the overwhelming sense of thankfulness the singer feels for the blessings they have received. The chorus repeats the desire to testify and share the joy and love that the singer feels within them.
The second half of the song encourages others to join in and testify themselves. The singer encourages listeners to lift their voices and join in the feeling of gratitude and lightness that comes with sharing one's blessings with others. The song ultimately ends with a call to action to plant the seeds of love in others and continue to spread joy and thankfulness.
Overall, the song Testify is a powerful ode to gratitude and encourages listeners to share their blessings with others. The lyrics remind us of the value of basic needs being met and the importance of health and well-being over material wealth. The call to action at the end of the song reminds listeners of the power of love and encourages them to spread it wherever they go.
Line by Line Meaning
In the morning when I wake I'm so thankful for another day
I wake up in the morning and feel grateful for another day of life
And I wanna testify.
I want to share my gratitude with others
Got a job a roof overhead don't live fancy but my family's fed
I have a job and a place to live, even though it's not luxurious, I am able to provide for my family
I wanna testify.
I want to express my gratitude for having a job and a home for my family
Got my strength and I got my health you can't buy that with fame or wealth And I just wanna testify.
I am grateful for having good health and strength, which cannot be bought with fame or wealth and I want to express it
I get overwhelmed with thankfulness for things I have received.
I feel an intense feeling of gratitude for all the blessings I have received
More than fame or wealth I feel the spirit inside movin' me
I realize that material things like fame or wealth are not as important as the spiritual feeling that moves me
Looked around and can't ignore, there's so many things to be thankful for.
I look around and realize there are so many things I can be grateful for
And I just wanna testify
I want to express my gratitude through testimony
I got a joy that comes from within, deep in my soul I feel so content
I have a joy that comes from within, and I feel content deep in my soul
And I just wanna testify
I want to express this joy and contentment through testimony
I searched high and I searched low, to find the answers only Heaven holds
I searched everywhere to find answers, but I realized that the answers only come from Heaven
And I just wanna testify
I want to share my realization and express my gratitude through testimony
Too much joy, can't keep it to myself, I feel the need to tell somebody else
I have so much joy that I cannot keep it to myself, I want to share it with someone else
And I just wanna testify
I want to testify about this joy and share it with others
Gifts of love that we all need, are provided if we only plant the seeds
Love is a gift that we all need, and it is provided if we take the time to cultivate it
And I wanna plant the seeds and testify.
I want to do my part in cultivating love and share my experience through testimony
Feelin' light enough to fly.
I feel light and unburdened, as if I could fly
Lift your voice up to the sky.
I encourage others to raise their voices in gratitude and praise to the heavens
Come on join in and don't be shy.
I invite others to join me in expressing their gratitude and not to be shy about it
Get on your feet and testify.
I urge others to stand up and testify about their blessings and gratitude
Feelin' light enough to fly.
I still feel light and unburdened, as if I could fly
Lift your voice up to the sky.
I repeat the invitation to raise voices in gratitude and praise to the heavens
Come on join in and don't be shy.
I repeat the invitation to join me in expressing gratitude and not to be shy about it
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Gary Dennis Hines, James Samuel Harris, Terry Steven Lewis
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
VWM
on Soulful Noel
Shoo Ba Doo Deet deet dee
Doop Doo Doo
Shoo Ba Doo Deet deet dee
Doop Doo Doo
Verse 1
It was the first Noel the angels did say
To certain poor shepherds in fields where they lay
Keeping their sheep on a cold winters night
This was so deep y’all it was so right
CHORUS
Noel Noel
Noel Noel Noel.
Noel Noel
Noel Noel Noel.
Verse 2
I can imagine it was a cold night (Oo so cold)
All of the shepherds, trying to do (their jobs right)
Suddenly in the sky, there appeared (the sky, the sky, the sky)
A host of angels, which caused them to fear
CHORUS
Noel Noel
Noel Noel Noel.
Noel Noel
Noel Noel Noel.
Verse 3
Behold, I bring you tidings of great joy (great joy)
In the city of David of (Christ, the Lord)
You can find these things in swaddling clothes
(Tell it , Tell it Go tell it)
I want you to go and tell everybody you know
Go tell them that Christ is born
Verse 4
I’m going to tell everyone that I meet (hi oo)
To go and humble yourselves at (this child’s feet)
He came to save to heal and forgive (heal and forgive)
So that we all we might live
CHORUS
Noel Noel
Noel Noel Noel.
Noel Noel
Noel Noel Noel.
Born is the King of Israel
Born is the King of Israel
He is the King of Israel