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".
There Is a King in You
Donald Lawrence Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
An aristocratic dynasty
The goal of the enemy,
Is that you don't know who you are
There's power when you speak
Be mindful of words you release
I know that life has challenged you,
You were born to rule
There is a king in you
There is a king in you
Is there no King in you,
Then why do you speak, speak with such defeat
Is there no King in you,
Then why do you speak, speak with such low esteem
I know life has challenged you,
But the King in me speaks to the king in you
You were born to rule
There is a King in you
There is a King in you
The lyrics of Donald Lawrence's song "There Is a King in You" speak about our true identity and the power that it gives. The first line "You come from Royalty, an aristocratic dynasty" emphasizes the fact that we are children of God, who is the King of Kings. This means that we have royal blood running through our veins, and we were born to rule.
However, the enemy's goal is to make us believe that we are less than who we really are. This is why the lyrics say "The goal of the enemy, is that you don't know who you are". We need to be mindful of the words we speak because they have the power to create or destroy. When we speak with defeat or low esteem, we are not living up to our true identity as royalty. Instead, we should recognize that "there's power when you speak" and speak from the place of authority that comes from our identity as children of God.
The chorus repeats the phrase "there is a King in you" to emphasize the main message of the song. It encourages us to recognize and embrace our true identity as royalty and to live in the power and authority that comes with it. It is a reminder that we were born to rule and that we have the potential to impact the world around us for good.
Line by Line Meaning
You come from Royalty,
You have a divine lineage and come from a family of esteemed nobles.
An aristocratic dynasty
You belong to a powerful and privileged family who have achieved great things.
The goal of the enemy,
The objective of those who go against you is to make you forget your worth and identity.
Is that you don't know who you are
The enemy wants you to remain unaware of your true identity and the potential you possess.
There's power when you speak
Your words carry immense power and can influence your life and those around you.
Be mindful of words you release
You should be careful of what you say and the energy behind your words to positively impact your life.
I know that life has challenged you,
I understand that life hasn't been kind to you and you have faced difficulties.
But the King in me speaks to the King in you
The highest part of me speaks to the highest part of you, reminding you of your true potential.
You were born to rule
You were brought into this world to lead, accomplish great things, and make your mark in society.
There is a king in you
You possess the qualities and potential of a mighty king, and you should never forget that.
Is there no King in you,
If you don't recognize the king within yourself,
Then why do you speak, speak with such defeat
Why do you talk negatively and hold yourself back when you have the potential for greatness?
Then why do you speak, speak with such low esteem
Why do you speak with such self-doubt and a lack of confidence when you have so much to offer?
There is a King in you
Reminding you yet again of your innate potential for greatness and leadership.
Lyrics © CAPITOL CHRISTIAN MUSIC GROUP, Capitol CMG Publishing
Written by: DONALD L. LAWRENCE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Jay Lee
I can never listen to this song just once. It has to sit on repeat for a while 🙌🏾
kayla kegler
Same here 🙏🏾
Shakinah Bullock
Yeah it hits hard🧡
Yvonne Mooka
Only discovered it yesterday🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌What a song!
WE ARE THE SONS OF GOD
I know it's the truth!!!
Tracy Gaters
I know.
Scottany Taylor
I think people are misunderstanding this song. He's saying God lives in us, and when we realize he's on our side we, children of God, are can do all things through him. There is no army like the ARMY OF THE LORD.
We are children of the most high yet we put ourself down as if we are anything less. We go through things and we lose faith, we lose hope, we gain insecurities because we forget God is with us. We forgot that there is a King in us. We are royalty. :)
My POV
Bunmi
Totally!!!🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽
Percy / ASTRONAUT STATUS.
How can someone MISUNDERSTAND this song ...there is a KING in every man m The only thing is there is also a FOOL in every man ..Which one is leading or which one are u listening to?? U may not agree but there is. A KING even in UNSAVED men ...king means the power to RULE or take control of their lives ...and I agree it's best to have Jesus but there are men who exhibit instances of kingship and their not saved ....
Blossom Hicks
You better preach preacher they don’t get it is because they don’t know Jesus Christ!