The son of an Assemblies of God pastor, Gary Chapman grew up in De Leon, Texas. He performed in bands throughout high school and college. After college, he moved to Nashville and was hired as bass player for The Rambos. In 1979, his song "Father's Eyes" was recorded as the title track to Amy Grant's second album. In 1982, his song "Finally" recorded by T.G. Sheppard reached #1 on the country music charts. He also received a Dove Award as Songwriter of the Year from the Gospel Music Association. That same year, he married Grant.
During the rest of the 1980s and the early 1990s, Chapman continued to write, record, and produce music, while touring as an opening act and bass player for Grant. His career reached new heights in the mid 1990s. He was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album in 1994. The Light Inside also resulted in a Dove Award nomination for Male Vocalist of the Year. and also yielded a Contemporary Christian Music chart #1 song, "Sweet Glow of Mercy." He won a second Dove Award in 1994 for co-producing the album, Songs From The Loft, featuring various artists.
In April 1996, Chapman was honored as Male Vocalist of the Year by the GMA. His 1996 album, Shelter, delivered another #1, "One of Two," with "Man After Your Own Heart" resulting in a Dove Award for Inspirational Recorded Song of the Year and being featured on the Dove Award winning Special Event Album of the Year, My Utmost For His Highest. Shelter also received a 1997 Grammy nomination for Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album.
In 1996, Chapman was selected as the host of The Nashville Network’s music and talk show, "Prime Time Country." The show experienced improved ratings, but was canceled in 1999.
At the 1998 Dove Awards, his album featuring other artists, Hymns From The Ryman, won Country Album Of The Year.
Chapman and Grant were divorced in 1999. He married Jennifer Pittman in July, 2000.
Chapman was arrested in 2006 for DUI, and after another divorce, recently remarried again, while also caring for his terminally ill father. Despite the many ups and downs of his life, about which he frequently blogs openly on his myspace page, he is still recording and making music.
I Surrender All
Gary Chapman Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
All to Him I freely give;
I will ever love and trust Him,
In His presence daily live.
I surrender all,
I surrender all;
All to Thee, my blessed Savior,
I surrender all.
Humbly at His feet I bow,
Worldly pleasures all forsaken;
Take me, Jesus, take me now.
All to Jesus I surrender;
Make me, Savior, wholly Thine;
Let me feel the Holy Spirit,
Truly know that Thou art mine.
All to Jesus I surrender;
Lord, I give myself to Thee;
Fill me with Thy love and power;
Let Thy blessing fall on me.
All to Jesus I surrender;
Now I feel the sacred flame.
Oh, the joy of full salvation!
Glory, glory, to His Name!
Gary Chapman's song I Surrender All is a deeply spiritual hymn that expresses the desire to give up worldly pleasures and surrender oneself wholly to Jesus Christ. The lyrics are a pledge of faith and devotion to the Savior, acknowledging His love and power and humbly submitting to His will. The repeated emphasis on surrendering all--in the opening verse and in the chorus--underscores the intention to let go of earthly desires and live in constant communion with Christ.
Throughout the song, the imagery of bowing at Jesus' feet and feeling the Holy Spirit's presence suggests a posture of reverence and awe toward God. The final verse celebrates the transformative power of salvation, as the singer declares experiencing the "joy of full salvation" and gives "glory" to God. Gary Chapman's rendition of the hymn has a contemporary feel with a soft rock arrangement, but the lyrics remain timeless and resonate with Christians around the world.
Line by Line Meaning
All to Jesus I surrender;
I give up all my worldly possessions and desires to Jesus
All to Him I freely give;
I willingly give everything to Jesus without any hesitation or reluctance
I will ever love and trust Him,
I promise to forever love and have faith in Jesus
In His presence daily live.
I commit to living every day in the presence of Jesus
I surrender all,
I am completely giving up everything to Jesus
I surrender all;
I reiterate my complete surrender to Jesus
All to Thee, my blessed Savior,
I give everything to you, my beloved Savior
I surrender all.
I declare my total submission to Jesus
Humbly at His feet I bow,
I humbly submit and worship Jesus at his feet
Worldly pleasures all forsaken;
I abandon all worldly pleasures to follow Jesus
Take me, Jesus, take me now.
I ask Jesus to take me completely under his control right now
Make me, Savior, wholly Thine;
I ask Jesus to completely transform and possess me
Let me feel the Holy Spirit,
I want to experience the power of the Holy Spirit
Truly know that Thou art mine.
I want to personally know and experience that Jesus is mine
Lord, I give myself to Thee;
I give myself completely to you, Lord Jesus
Fill me with Thy love and power;
I ask Jesus to fill me with his love and power
Let Thy blessing fall on me.
I desire to receive Jesus' blessings
Now I feel the sacred flame.
I feel the holy fire that Jesus has ignited in me
Oh, the joy of full salvation!
I am filled with joy realizing that I am fully saved
Glory, glory, to His Name!
I give all the glory to Jesus' name
Writer(s): W. S. Weeden
Contributed by Miles V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
SGM Southern Gospel Music
Gary Chapman - I Surrender All
Ross La Vel
Truly a beautiful song and video dear Baz! This is truly one of my favourites! <3
SGM Southern Gospel Music
Pleased to read that - God Bless