Green took to music at a young age, and his talents were noted by major newspapers by the time he was only eight years old. Following a performance of Arthur Laurents' The Time of the Cuckoo, the Los Angeles Times wrote that "roguish-looking, eight-year-old Keith Green gave a winning performance," one that "stole the show". Green went on to play "Kurt Von Trapp" in a major production of The Sound of Music.
At the age of eleven, Green became the youngest person ever to sign with the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) when he published, recorded and released the song "The Way I Used to Be".
In his early teens, with more than 50 original songs under his belt, Green was signed to Decca Records. Decca had plans to make Green a teen-idol, regularly getting the young man featured in fanzines like Teen Scene and on popular television shows like The Jack Benny Show and Steve Allen's show. Time Magazine called Green "a prepubescent dreamboat". His dreams of stardom were shattered, however, when Donny Osmond stole his short-lived spotlight and Green was quickly forgotten.
By his mid-teens, Green became heavily involved in drug use, eastern religion, astrology, and mysticism. After experiencing a really horrifying "bad trip", he abandoned drug use and also became bitter towards philosophy and theology in general. In the midst of his skepticism, as Green described it, God's love 'broke through' his 'calloused heart'. He began on a new path 'with Christ as his guru', but had many 'spiritual struggles' and hardships along the way. He married his wife Melody in 1973, and the two became involved in the Vineyard fellowship in Southern California, where they were introduced to Bob Dylan.
The Greens began an outreach program to their community by purchasing two homes (and renting five) to provide housing and care for prostitutes, drug addicts, and homeless people. Eventually, the couple and the rest of their group relocated to Lindale, Texas, where the Greens founded Last Days Ministries.
Green began to release a series of albums in the new Contemporary Christian music market in 1977, after being signed to Sparrow Records and working on their Christian musical album Firewind (1976) with 2nd Chapter of Acts, Terry Talbot, John Talbot, and Barry McGuire. Two years later, Keith would shock many in the industry by refusing to charge money for concerts or albums. He insisted that his new label, Sparrow Records, let him out of his contract. The Greens then mortgaged their home to privately finance the album So You Wanna Go Back To Egypt? (with a guest appearance by Bob Dylan), which was then offered through mail-order and at concerts for "whatever you could afford". As of May of 1982, Green had shipped out more than 200,000 units of his album - 61,000 for free.
Last Days Ministries also began publishing a self-described "small, colorful magazine" called the Last Days Newsletter. The magazine featured articles by Keith and Melody as well as contemporary authors such as David Wilkerson, Leonard Ravenhill, and Winkie Pratney, all of whom lived in the area, as well as reprinting work by earlier Christian workers such as Charles Finney, John Wesley, and William Booth and his wife Catherine. The newsletter had such an impact on the Christian community at the time that many of the articles were reprinted as tracts.
Green was killed on July 28, 1982, when a small airplane owned by Last Days Ministries crashed on takeoff. Green had planned to give visiting friends an aerial view of the Last Days Ministries compound. Two of Green's children, three year old Josiah, and two year old Bethany, were also on board the plane, as was pilot Don Burmeister, and friends John and Dede Smalley and all six of their children. All passengers were killed in the crash. Crash investigators determined that the aircraft was nearly 500 lb (230 kg) overweight with 12 passengers and only 6 seats. Keith, Josiah, and Bethany Green are interred at Lindale Cemetery.
In 1992, several artists joined together to re-record many of Green's most well known songs for a tribute album called No Compromise: Remembering the Music of Keith Green, on Sparrow Records. Artists contributing to that record included Charlie Peacock, PFR, Susan Ashton, Margaret Becker, Michael Card, Rich Mullins, and Russ Taff. BEC Records released a second, more modern, tribute record Start Right Here: Remembering the Life of Keith Green, in 2001. That tribute was produced by Derri Daugherty and included performances by MxPx, Joy Electric and others. In 2002, upon the twentieth anniversary of Keith's death, Sparrow Records released another tribute album. Your Love Broke Through: The Worship Songs of Keith Green contains re-recordings by Rebecca St. James, Michelle Tumes, Chris Tomlin, Twila Paris, Darlene Zschech, Jason Upton, Martin Smith, Charlie Hall, Joanne Hogg, Matt Redman, Paul Oakley, and Sarah Sadler. This album also includes "There Is One" performed by Michael W. Smith, which was an unfinished work completed by Michael W. Smith and Martin Smith.
Since the time of his death, the only known unreleased Christian song recorded by Keith was "Born Again". This song was finally released 17 years later in 1999 on the First Love compilation video and CD, which also features a two-song tribute to Keith by other artists. Keith was working on other songs at the time of his death, but these are in the sole-possession of his widowed-wife, Melody Green, and not available to the public. Melody inherited Keith's writings as well, and she has released many excerpts of these as books: Cry In The Wilderness (Sparrow, 1993), If You Love the Lord (Harvest House, 2000), and Make My Life a Prayer (Harvest House, 2001).
On November 27, 2001, Green was inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame. Keith's mother, Char Green was present with a heavy heart but very proud of her son.
Since 1982, Melody Green has continued to operate Last Days Ministries from Oceanside, California, and has "become an internationally known speaker and author". She now ministers as a Christian prophet and a touring evangelist.
The land in Lindale, Texas (more specifically, Garden Valley, Texas) where Last Days Ministries was once located is now occupied by Teen Mania Ministries. Teen Mania has dedicated one of its dormitories, Green Hall, in memory of Keith.
There is a biography of Keith Green's life written by Melody Green with David Hazard called No Compromise: The Life Story of Keith Green (Harvest House Publishers, 1989; revised and expanded in 2000) and a documentary film called Your Love Broke Through: The Keith Green Story (available from www.keithgreen.com and serialized on youtube.com).
Soften Your Heart
Keith Green Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But I don't think you've been listening
There's nothing I wanna try and sell you
'Cause His love is free
You're so proud of saying you're a seeker
But why are you searching in the dark
You won't find a thing
La-la-la-la, la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la-la
The message is oh so very simple
You gotta be like a child to see
'Cause Jesus said "Let the little children
Come unto Me"
You try to make things to complicated
But you really don't have to be so smart
You don't learn a thing
Until you soften your heart
La-la-la-la
La-la-la-la
Well if this just this once
I could show you your empty life
I know you would follow Him right now
Well I know it sounds
Just too good to be true
But if He Lives in you
[Chorus]
You'll never die,
You'll never die,
You'll live forever
You'll never die,
You'll never die,
Take care of forever now
You tell everyone to keep on smiling
Your outlook on life is so positive
But deep down inside
You're searching for a reason to live
Like everyone else you're scared of dying
But the power of death has been blown apart
And you'll live forever
If you soften your heart
[Chorus]
In Keith Green's song Soften Your Heart, he sings about the importance of opening up one's heart to the love and message of Jesus Christ. He addresses those who may be searching for meaning in life, yet refuse to believe in Jesus because they find themselves too smart to simply believe. Green acknowledges that the message is simple, but it requires a childlike openness and vulnerability to truly embrace it. He also highlights the fear of death that plagues many people, but reminds listeners that the power of death has been conquered by Jesus and eternal life is possible for those who soften their hearts.
Throughout the song, Green uses a repetitive melody with various harmonies to create an almost meditative quality. He encourages listeners to let go of their pride and intellectualism and surrender to the love of Jesus. The chorus is particularly powerful in its message of eternal life for those who accept Jesus as their savior.
Line by Line Meaning
So many times I've tried to tell you
The singer has attempted to share a message with the listener multiple times before.
But I don't think you've been listening
The listener has not been paying attention to the message being shared.
There's nothing I wanna try and sell you
The singer does not have any agenda other than to share a message.
'Cause His love is free
The message being shared relates to freely available love.
You're so proud of saying you're a seeker
The listener considers themselves a seeker, a person searching for spiritual answers.
But why are you searching in the dark
The singer questions why the listener is searching for answers without the aid of God's light.
You won't find a thing
The listener will not find what they are searching for without help.
Until you soften your heart
The listener needs to open themselves up to receive the message and let it affect them.
The message is oh so very simple
The message being shared is straightforward and easy to understand.
You gotta be like a child to see
The listener needs to approach spirituality with the open and humble mindset of a child.
'Cause Jesus said 'Let the little children
The singer is referencing a quote from Jesus about children being welcomed into His presence.
Come unto Me'
Jesus invites children, with their open and trusting hearts, to follow Him.
You try to make things to complicated
The listener is overthinking things and making the message more complex than it needs to be.
But you really don't have to be so smart
Being highly intelligent is not necessary to understand and receive the message.
You don't learn a thing
The listener will not gain new understanding until they are receptive to the message.
Until you soften your heart
The listener must be open and humble to learn and receive the message.
Well if this just this once
The artist is asking for one opportunity to share the message.
I could show you your empty life
The singer believes that the listener's life is lacking without God's love and guidance.
I know you would follow Him right now
The singer believes that the listener would accept God into their life immediately if they could see things from the singer's perspective.
Well I know it sounds
The artist sympathizes with the listener's potential skepticism.
Just too good to be true
The message seems too perfect to be believable.
But if He Lives in you
If the listener has faith in God and accepts His love, they will be able to feel His presence in their life.
You'll never die,
Through God's love and grace, the listener will have eternal life.
You'll never die,
The promise of eternal life is repeated for emphasis.
You'll live forever
Through faith in God, the listener will have everlasting life after death.
You'll never die,
The message of eternal life is reiterated once more.
You'll never die,
The singer emphasizes the everlasting nature of eternal life.
Take care of forever now
The listener needs to prioritize their everlasting life and make choices that will support it.
You tell everyone to keep on smiling
The listener presents themselves as optimistic and cheerful.
Your outlook on life is so positive
The listener generally has a positive view of the world and their future.
But deep down inside
Despite their outward optimism, the listener has internal struggles or concerns.
You're searching for a reason to live
The listener may be feeling lost or purposeless in life and is searching for ways to find meaning.
Like everyone else you're scared of dying
The listener, like most people, is fearful of their own mortality.
But the power of death has been blown apart
Through the power of God's love and teachings, the fear of death can be overcome.
And you'll live forever
Through faith in God, the promise of eternal life will be fulfilled.
If you soften your heart
The listener must be receptive and open to God's message and love to receive the promise of eternal life.
[Chorus]
The chorus repeats the message of everlasting life through faith in God.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Capitol CMG Publishing
Written by: KEITH GORDON GREEN, MELODY GREEN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Brian Swinford
on War Games
I've been out fighting the war today
The war inside of my head
I thought that I'd killed my enemies
Yes, I thought that my ego was dead
But it's still stubbornly living, in the kingdom of my thoughts
In the state of mind
I'm been out struggling with everyone
In the arena all day
Views I defend, they don't matter much
'Cuz they could debate either way
Where's the root of my problem?
Why does everyone oppose every side that I take?
(There's gotta be a reason...)
Hey God, where were You today?
You didn't answer my prayer
Seems like I pray and I pray
And lately, You are not there
Maybe my beliefs are all illusion
Created by my mind, just for a crutch
Doubt creeps in to make its reintrusion
And sweep away the faith I need so much
I've been out fighting the war today
The struggle is endless, it seems
And when I lie down to sleep at night
It even goes on in my dreams
It's like an inward Armageddon
And you know I'm stuck right in between
And both sides, both sides are so mean