His funeral was open to the public and had a massive gathering. He is buried in the Harrison Township Cemetery in Hollansburg, Ohio, alongside his baby brother who died as an infant and his father.[
Between 1974-78, Mullins attended Cincinnati Bible College. He worked in a parking garage to help pay for his schooling. [7] From 1975 -1978 he was also the Music Director and Youth Director at Erlanger United Methodist Church in nearby Erlanger, Kentucky. [8]
In the mid-1980s he moved to Nashville, Tennessee to begin his professional recording career.
Mullins is best known for his worship songs "Step by Step" (later incorporated into his hit single "Sometimes by Step") and "Awesome God", both of which have been embraced as modern classics by many Christians. Some of his albums are also considered among Christian music's best, including Winds of Heaven, Stuff of Earth (1988), The World As Best As I Remember It, Volume One (1991) and A Liturgy, A Legacy, & A Ragamuffin Band (1993). His music has been covered by many artists, including Caedmon's Call, Five Iron Frenzy, Amy Grant, Jars of Clay, Michael W. Smith, John Tesh, Chris Rice and Third Day.[1]
In 1988, Mullins moved to Wichita, Kansas where, in 1991, he enrolled as a student at Friends University and lived with his best friend, David Strasser (a.k.a. Beaker). He graduated with a B.A. in Music Education on May 14, 1995 [12]. After graduation, he and musician Mitch McVicker moved to a Navajo reservation in Tse Bonito, New Mexico to teach music to children. They lived in a hogan at the reservation until his death.
Rich Mullins is also remembered for his devotion to the Christian faith, which was often an inspiration to others. He was heavily influenced by St. Francis of Assisi (1181-1226). In 1997, he composed a musical called Canticle of the Plains, a retelling of the life of St. Francis set in the Old West. [2]
His biggest hits were the praise choruses Awesome God and Step by Step. Three of his albums are considered among Christian music's best: Winds of Heaven, Stuff of Earth (1988), The World As Best As I Remember It, Volume 1 (1991) and A Liturgy, a Legacy & a Ragamuffin Band (1993). The posthumous The Jesus Record include one disc of demos he had recorded shortly before his death, and a second disc of recordings of the songs completed by The Ragamuffin Band, several with guest vocalists.
Mullins often called St. Francis of Assisi (1181-1226) his hero. He modeled his life after St. Francis by showing great compassion towards the poor and adhering to a vow of poverty. In 1997, he composed a musical about the life of St. Francis set in the Old West titled Canticle of the Plains.
Mullins was seen as an enigma to the Christian music industry. Often barefoot, unshaven, and badly in need of a haircut, Mullins did not look like the average American Gospel music writer. He was very much at home among the non-Christians, and unafraid to name his own sin and inadequacies in public. This baffled some in the American Christian culture where he seemed an odd member. His lifestyle was unquestionably marked by devotion and discipline, yet his simultaneous refusal to subscribe to contemporary Christian "niceties" made him a bit of an uncomfortable presence in the Christian music culture. Although he achieved a significant amount of success on Christian radio, he never received a Dove Award until after his death.
Unlike most artists in Contemporary Christian music, Mullins did not consider his music his primary ministry, but rather a means to pay his bills. Instead, his ministry was the way he treated his neighbors, family, enemies, and those outside the church. Taking a vow of poverty, he accepted a small church salary and spent the last years of his life on a Navajo reservation teaching music to children.
these days
Rich Mullins Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Like a vision asleep in the dark, with no one around to dream it
We just all sit back and watch all that we love sinking away
When we got to where we was going, we forgot just where it was
The next thing that you know is, all we found was, we was lost
And the blame, oh, the blame comes down on all of us, these days
These days, oh, it's the blind leading the blind
And these days, I need more than just a line about Jesus
Oh, I need to see His love, these days
We got sophistication in the wake of the fall
Now we got this civilization and it's got us all involved, in nothing
Oh, nothing at all but atomic waste
And we got too many people, who are too easily disposed of
Well, you can make it all legal, but in the end you know that it ain't right
You were just doing your job and your job did you in, these days
And these days, we got nothing left to find
And these days, oh, it's the blind leading the blind
And these days, I need more than just a line about Jesus
Oh, I need to see His love, these days
And these days, I need more than just a line about Jesus
Oh, I need to see His love, these days
The song “These Days” by Rich Mullins talks about the struggles of modern life, the disillusionment with society, and the longing for genuine faith. Mullins begins the song with the metaphor of a song that he has in his heart, but with nobody to sing it. This expresses the universal sentiment of a deep longing that people have, but the inability to communicate or express it. He continues by describing the realization that the people around us are sinking away and we just sit back and watch. This portrays a sense of apathy towards the world’s problems and an inability to take action to make a difference.
Mullins then highlights the hypocrisy of society and the disillusionment with the progress and sophistication that we have achieved. He laments that we have lost our way and forgotten where we are going. We are lost, but we all blame each other for it. He also criticizes the legal system, stating that even though something may be legally acceptable, it doesn't necessarily mean it is right. The portrait that Mullins paints is one of a society that is struggling with its values and morals, and the need for a deeper connection with faith.
The chorus of the song repeats the lines, “And these days, we got nothing left to find. These days, oh, it's the blind leading the blind,” which points to the overall sense of disillusionment with society. The final lines of the song emphasize the need for a genuine connection with Jesus and to see his love in action.
Line by Line Meaning
There's a song down in my heart, nobody there to sing it
I have music in my soul, but there's no one to share it with.
Like a vision asleep in the dark, with no one around to dream it
My dreams are like a sleeping vision, waiting for someone to bring them to life.
We just all sit back and watch all that we love sinking away
We watch helplessly as everything we care about slowly fades away.
When we got to where we was going, we forgot just where it was
We lost our way and forgot the purpose of our journey.
The next thing that you know is, all we found was, we was lost
We became so lost that we forgot what it means to be found.
And the blame, oh, the blame comes down on all of us, these days
We are all responsible for our own failures and shortcomings in this time.
These days, we got nothing left to find
We've searched for everything and now we've come up empty handed.
These days, oh, it's the blind leading the blind
We are all following each other blindly with no true leadership or direction.
And these days, I need more than just a line about Jesus
Mere words about Jesus are not enough for me in this day and age.
Oh, I need to see His love, these days
I need to experience and witness the love and compassion of Jesus.
We got sophistication in the wake of the fall
We have created a sophisticated world, even though we are still dealing with the consequences of our past mistakes.
Now we got this civilization and it's got us all involved, in nothing
Our modern society has entrapped us in meaningless pursuits and distractions.
Oh, nothing at all but atomic waste
Our civilization is producing nothing of value, only radioactive waste and destruction.
We got too many people, who are too easily disposed of
We view people as disposable and unimportant, which leads to their mistreatment and marginalization.
Well, you can make it all legal, but in the end you know that it ain't right
Just because something is legal doesn't mean it is morally right or justifiable.
You were just doing your job and your job did you in, these days
Even if you are following orders, your actions can still lead to your own destruction.
Lyrics © CAPITOL CHRISTIAN MUSIC GROUP, Capitol CMG Publishing
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind