Randy Stonehill was born in Stockton, California on March 12, 1952, the son of Leonard Stonehill and his wife, Pauline Correia and is the younger brother of Jeffrey Stonehill.
He graduated from Leigh High School, in San Jose, California, then moved to Los Angeles where he stayed with pioneer Christian Rock singer, Larry Norman.
Stonehill's first album, Born Twice was released in 1971, with financial help from Pat Boone. The album—one side a live performance, the other side recorded in a studio—was recorded for a mere
$800US and according to Stonehill, "sounds like every penny of it!" [insert rim-shot here]
A year later, Stonehill made his film acting debut in The Blob sequel, Beware! The Blob (also known as Son of Blob), with Cindy Williams. He also made a cameo appearance in the 1973 Billy Graham film Time to Run, performing his song I Love You.
In 1976, Stonehill released the "Welcome to Paradise" album produced by Larry Norman with Andy Johns (The Who, Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin) doing the engineering. This became a landmark album for the songwriter and was voted "3rd most important contemporary Christian album" in a mid-1980s poll of Christian music critics.(Contemporary Christian Music Magazine)
In the late 1970s, Stonehill then joined forces with Daniel Amos for the Amos n' Randy Tour. Stonehill would later provide backing vocals on several of Daniel Amos's musical projects.
1984, 'the album project "Celebrate This Heartbeat" Stonehill joined forces with longtime friend Phil Keaggy for the song Who Will Save The Children? The two later formed The Keaggy/Stonehill Band in 1989 with Daniel Amos bassist Tim Chandler and Swirling Eddie's David Raven on drums. Keaggy and Stonehill would also team up with singer Margaret Becker, drummer Joe English (former member of Paul McCartney and Wings) and others, in 1988 for the Compassion All Star Band's album "One by One".
UPDATED by Mark"The Shark" Christian
Take Me Back
Randy Stonehill Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Chased every bright falling star,
Deaf to your words, I was willful and wild,
Every rocky road just left me scarred,
Now I know the treasure that you are.
Take me back, take me back,
I've come such a long way just to ask,
And from this day I will stay - take me back.
Yeah.
When I remember the good times I had they don't seem so good anymore,
Even the laughter was hollow and sad,
I've never felt so lost inside before; standing like an orphan at your door.
Take me back, take me back, (take me back, take me back)
I've come such a long way just to ask,
Take me back, take me back, (take me back, take me back)
And from this day I will stay - take me back.
All the days I threw away, I regret each one: the careless things I did, the things I left undone,
And I know that even though I can't go back again, if you'll take my hand, I'll follow 'til the end.
Take me back, take me back,
I've come such a long way just to ask,
Take me back, take me back,
And from this day I will stay - take me back,
And from this day, home to stay - take me back.
In Randy Stonehill's song Take Me Back, the singer reflects on their past mistakes and poor choices that led them away from their true home with a loving God. The lyrics describe the singer as a blind, foolish child who chased the temporary joys of the world, ignoring the guidance of their faith. The singer realizes that these worldly experiences left them with nothing but scars and emptiness. They express deep regret for their actions, describing the feeling of being lost and alone. However, despite the singer's overwhelming regret, they remain hopeful that they can still find their way back to their faith and find redemption.
The chorus, "Take me back," is a plea for forgiveness and a desire to return to a life guided by faith. The singer knows that they cannot change the past, but they are willing to move forward and stay true to their faith. The singer acknowledges the mistakes they made, including wasting time on careless things and leaving important tasks undone. Still, they know that if God takes their hand, they can follow Him until the end.
Overall, the lyrics of Take Me Back convey a sense of deep longing for a return to a life of faith and a rejection of the temporary pleasures of the world. The song offers hope to those who feel lost or disconnected from their faith, expressing the idea that no one is too far gone to come back to their spiritual home.
Line by Line Meaning
I wandered away like a blind, foolish child,
I left on my own, without direction or guidance, making foolish decisions.
Chased every bright falling star,
I pursued things that seemed desirable, but were fleeting and transient.
Deaf to your words, I was willful and wild,
I ignored your advice and did things my own way, recklessly and without considering the consequences.
Every rocky road just left me scarred,
The difficult times I encountered along the way only caused me pain and damage.
Now I know the treasure that you are.
Now I understand how valuable and important you are to me.
Take me back, take me back,
Please bring me back to where I was before.
I've come such a long way just to ask,
I've traveled a great distance to seek your forgiveness and acceptance.
And from this day I will stay - take me back.
From now on, I will remain by your side and never leave again.
When I remember the good times I had they don't seem so good anymore,
Looking back, the enjoyable moments I experienced no longer bring me happiness or joy.
Even the laughter was hollow and sad,
Even when I was happy, there was a sense of emptiness and melancholy.
I've never felt so lost inside before; standing like an orphan at your door.
I have never been so confused and uncertain about my place in the world, feeling abandoned and alone.
All the days I threw away, I regret each one: the careless things I did, the things I left undone,
I deeply regret all the time and opportunities I wasted by being reckless and negligent.
And I know that even though I can't go back again, if you'll take my hand, I'll follow 'til the end.
Although I cannot change my past mistakes, I am willing to commit to staying with you and being faithful from now on.
Take me back, take me back, (take me back, take me back)
I am pleading with you to let me return to where I belong.
And from this day I will stay - take me back.
I am making a promise to you that I am committed to staying by your side and never leaving again.
And from this day, home to stay - take me back.
From this point on, I want to make a home with you and be a loyal companion for life.
Contributed by Claire C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.