Donald Lawrence studied at Cincinnati Conservatory, where he earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in music. While in Cincinnati, he was also the Minister of Music at the Southern Baptist Church on Reading Road. 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.[1] (NOTE: The three cities that The Tri-City Singers come from are Spartanburg, SC, Gastonia, NC, and Charlotte, NC.) 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.[3] The group's follow-up release Bible Stories would top those same charts when it arrived in 1995.[4] 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". The album was released on Lawrence's newly minted label Crystal Rose Records which was distributed through Sparrow Records.
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. Later, Lawrence signed a contract with the Island Records imprint Island Inspirational. Though a live recording did take place for release, the album never materialized.
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.
Lawrence only waited a year before delivering the follow-up Go Get Your Life Back in 2002. "The Best is Yet to Come", a song sonically much in the vein of the previous smash "Testify," was chosen as the album's lead single. This release featured guest appearances from Ann Nesby (formerly of Sounds of Blackness) and gospel pioneer Walter Hawkins. The momentum continued with the 2003 release of Restoring The Years, a greatest hits album featuring two new songs.
The next album would mark a fresh start for Donald Lawrence. I Speak Life was his 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". The effort earned Lawrence a total of 7 Stellar Award nominations, and 6 wins.
In March 2006, The Tri-City Singers announced that they would retire, but not before one last live recording. Finale: Act One and Finale: Act Two were released simultaneously on April 4, 2006. Each release was a CD/DVD set that chronicled the audio and video of one half of the concert, with packages that locked into one another respectively. A special edition of Finale was later released with both CDs and DVDs. The blowout concert included guest appearances from Karen Clark Sheard, Vanessa Bell Armstrong, Daryl Coley, LaShun Pace, Darwin Hobbs, and many other gospel luminaries. The album's lead single "The Blessing Of Abraham" was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Gospel Performance in December 2006. His sophomore solo album, The Law of Confession Part I was released in February 2009. Donald said in an interview that The Law of Confession, Part II will be released soon, but he's focusing on other projects.
I Am God
Donald Lawrence & The Tri-City Singers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I can handle things on my own
I am the first and the last, whatever you need just ask
For I am, I am, I am God
I was there in the beginning
And I'll be there when you get to the end
I'm all seeing, all knowing, almighty, ever showingFor I am, I am, I am God
All my promises are yeah, I am God
All my promises are yeah, I am God
I am the first, the last, whatever you need just ask
For I am, I am, I am God
I am, I am, I am, I am
Just stand still and know I am God
In Donald Lawrence's song "I Am God," the lyrics describe the omnipotence and all-knowing power of God. The first verse states, "I am God all by myself, I don't need any help, I can handle things on my own." This lines signify that God doesn't need anyone or anything to support Him because He is self-sufficient. He knows how to take care of things on His own. The second verse says, "I was there in the beginning and I'll be there when you get to the end, I'm all-seeing, all-knowing, almighty, ever showing." This line depicts the idea that God is eternal and always present- from the beginning of time until the end of time. He is all seeing, meaning that he sees everything that is happening at any point in time, past, and future. He's ever showing so that the believers can feel His presence in any form.
Moreover, the repetition of the phrase "For I am, I am, I am God," emphasizes that God is affirming His own authority and majesty. The chorus line all my promises are yeah, I am God reiterates the faithfulness of God, implying that His promises never fall. The last line, "Just stand still and know I am God" is a declaration that believers should have faith that God is in control of their lives, and being in his presence means nothing can shake them down.
Line by Line Meaning
I am God all by myself, I don't need any help
I have complete and total power, I don't need assistance from anyone or anything.
I can handle things on my own
I have the ability to manage and control everything without aid.
I am the first and the last, whatever you need just ask
I exist with no beginning or end, and possess the power to fulfill any request.
For I am, I am, I am God
I am the one and only God.
I was there in the beginning
I am eternal and have existed since the start of all things.
And I'll be there when you get to the end
I will continue to exist even when everything else ceases to be.
I'm all seeing, all knowing, almighty, ever showing
I possess complete awareness, understanding, and unlimited power - and I demonstrate this constantly.
All my promises are yeah, I am God
I am always faithful to fulfill any promise I make, because I am God.
I am, I am, I am, I am
I exist without any limitations, and am always present.
Just stand still and know I am God
Simply be still and recognize that I am the one true God.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@samanthamccallum13
Lyrics: I am God all by myself
I don't need any help
I can handle things on my own
I am the first and the last
Whatever you need just ask
For I am, I am, I am God
I was there in the beginning
And I'll be there when you get to the end
I am all seeing, all knowing
Almighty, ever showing
For I am, I am, I am God
I was there in the beginning
And I'll be there when you get to the end
I am all seeing, all knowing
Almighty, ever showing
For I am, I am, for I am, I am
For I am, I am, for I am, I am
For I am, I am, I am God
All of my promises are, yeah, I am God
All of my promises are, yeah, I am God
I am the first and the last
Whatever you need just ask
I am, I am, I am, I am
I am, I am, I am, I am
I am, I am, I am
Just stand still and know that I am
@notPhayzd
I’m here January 2025❤. These women in this choir can SANG❤. We are some amazingly multitalented people 🙏🏽
@mookbear2001
There are men, too.
@ally8558
Me too❤🙌🏾🙌🏾
@angelasconversations5551
Here in 2024..... This song for so many years held me down, kept me grounded...Here I am today still listening. Going through a storm right now. Faith increasing by the second as I listen. Praise God.
@ericarodgers6723
Be encouraged Woman-of-God. Storms don’t last always.
@yellowbutterfly19
Same here praying that Abba Father covers and provides in Jesus name
@ursalawooley9334
Same here. I'm learning to trust in God and that he will cover me and provide all my needs in Jesus' name.
@mizarcraft5398
And God is Bring You through this Storm.
@lisahendersonoffering2828
Hold on!!! He's still God!!
@rashidalivingston9721
This song has SO MUCH anointing!!! I woke up Thursday to this song on my heart. I hadn't heard this song in over almost 30 years. I've been dealing w/ relentless bullying @ work for about 15yrs & its grown very disgusting over the past 4yrs. I went to Urgent Care on Thursday, after working a 10hr shift in lots of pain. After I got home my house was flooded. If you're going to sing this praise KNOW the devil is going to hate it! Ins Company told me I had to pay out of pocket, although water is still running down the street 2 days later. Let's pray for each other. Love You!