Camp was raised in a Christian home and drew musical inspiration from worship music and secular tunes alike. Touchstone albums in his artistic development include U2's The Joshua Tree, Delirious?' King of Fools , Jars Of Clay's debut album, Jars of Clay, and Steven Curtis Chapman's The Great Adventure.
When one of the worship leaders at the school heard Camp playing with some friends at his dormitory, he urged him to become involved with their music ministry program, and soon he was performing at Christian music events all over California, recording a self-released disc called Burden Me in 2000.
At one such appearance, Camp met a young woman named Melissa, and the two struck up a friendship that blossomed into a romance. When Melissa broke off the relationship after a few months, Camp was crushed, but when he next saw her, her life had taken a serious turn -- she had been diagnosed with ovarian cancer and was in the hospital. When Melissa went into remission, Camp married her, but after their honeymoon, they discovered the cancer had returned, and in early 2001 she passed on; she was only 21.
Camp poured both his sorrow and the faith that helped see him through into his music, and in 2002 he was signed to BEC Recordings, who released his first nationally distributed album, Stay; it was both a critical and commercial success, and five songs from the disc reached the top of the Christian singles chart. While touring in support of Stay, Camp met singer Adrienne Leisching, former singer with the Benjamin Gate; the two hit it off, and in 2003 they were married, and have since been blessed with two daughters.
In 2004, Camp released his second album for BEC, Carried Me: The Worship Project, which matched the gold record success of Stay, and Camp won two Dove Award trophies for Best Male Vocalist and Best New Artist. In 2005, Camp released two albums -- a studio set, Restored, which rose to number 45 on the Billboard Top Albums chart and spawned three number one Christian singles, and a live disc, Live Unplugged from Franklin TN. Camp also recorded the song "Open Up Your Eyes" for the soundtrack of the hit film The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, which earned him another Dove Award. The fall of 2006 brought another studio set from Camp, Beyond Measure, which reached number 29 on the Billboard charts and produced two more hit singles.
Speaking Louder than Before, his sixth album, was released on November 25, 2008.
The Way Songfacts reports that his seventh album, We Cry Out: The Worship Project , was released on August 24, 2010, and peaked at #1 on the Billboard Christian Albums Chart.
No Matter What
Jeremy Camp Lyrics
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I find the one thing that holds me back inside
I want to tear apart
And bring my selfish pleasures at Your feet
'Coz every part of me is an offering
I will set forth and lay it down at Your throne now
Because I live for You alone
No matter what it takes, I will offer
Everything I am, I give to You
Even unto death, I will follow
No matter what the price, I will give to You now
I won't throw this time, I have inside
You're the very prize I have in sight
You've placed this purpose down in me
And it burns so deep
Let this life I lead, bring You all the glory
I'm entrusted with a gift that I can't hide
Revive my heart, revive my mind
No matter what it takes, I will offer
Everything I am, I give to You
Even unto death, I will follow
No matter what the price, I will give to You now
I will give to You now
To live is to really die
I will keep this steady pace
Until that final day
No matter what it takes, I will offer
Everything I am, I give to You
Even unto death, I will follow
No matter what the price, I will give to You now
No matter what it takes, I will offer
Everything I am, I give to You
Even unto death, I will follow
No matter what the price, I will give to You now
I will give to You now, I will give to You now
In "No Matter What," Jeremy Camp offers a powerful message of devotion to God. The opening lines of the song suggest that the singer is struggling with something that is holding him back, a selfish desire maybe, that he wants to tear apart, and bring to God as an offering. The central message of the song, however, is that the singer is willing to give everything to God, even if that means death. He regards his life as an offering to God, to bring Him glory. The lines "To live is to really die / I will keep this steady pace / Until that final day" reinforce this idea, that life's purpose is to serve God, even if it means sacrificing one's own desires and comforts.
Throughout the song, Camp speaks to God directly, using the second person pronoun, "You," giving a sense of urgency and intimacy to the lyrics. The use of repetition throughout the song, with the repeated refrain "No matter what it takes, I will offer / Everything I am, I give to You / Even unto death, I will follow / No matter what the price, I will give to You now," creates a sense of commitment and conviction, driving home the message that the singer is willing to do anything for his faith.
Overall, the song is a powerful expression of devotion to God, with lyrics that demonstrate a willingness to sacrifice oneself to serve Him. The repeated chorus and direct address to God makes the song feel like a prayer that is both personal and universal.
Line by Line Meaning
I know that every time
I am aware of the moments in my life where I am held back and hindered
I find the one thing that holds me back inside
I recognize the one thing that is keeping me from fully living my life for God
I want to tear apart
I desire to break free from this thing that holds me back
And bring my selfish pleasures at Your feet
And lay down my selfish desires at Your feet
'Coz every part of me is an offering
Because every part of me is a sacrifice to God
I will set forth and lay it down at Your throne now
I will present my life to God now and lay it all down before Him
Because I live for You alone
Because my life is solely dedicated to living for You
No matter what it takes, I will offer
I will give everything I have to God, no matter what the sacrifice is
Everything I am, I give to You
I give my entire being to You
Even unto death, I will follow
I am willing to die for You and follow You for the rest of my life
No matter what the price, I will give to You now
I will give everything to You now, no matter what it costs me
I won't throw this time, I have inside
I won't waste the time and potential that is within me
You're the very prize I have in sight
You are the ultimate reward I am working towards
You've placed this purpose down in me
You have given me a specific calling and purpose in my life
And it burns so deep
And I am deeply passionate about fulfilling that purpose
Let this life I lead, bring You all the glory
May my life bring glory to You and honor Your name
I'm entrusted with a gift that I can't hide
I have been given a special gift or talent that I must use and cannot keep hidden
Revive my heart, revive my mind
Please renew and restore my heart and mind
To live is to really die
Living for You means dying to myself and my own desires
I will keep this steady pace
I will keep walking with You every day, taking one step at a time
Until that final day
Until I reach the end of my journey on this earth
I will give to You now
I am offering everything to You right now
No matter what the price, I will give to You now
I will give to You no matter what it costs me or how much I have to sacrifice
I will give to You now, I will give to You now
I will continually give to You with my words and actions
Lyrics © CAPITOL CHRISTIAN MUSIC GROUP, Capitol CMG Publishing
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