1) The Choir were a ro… Read Full Bio ↴There have been two bands known as The Choir:
1) The Choir were a rock band in the mid-1960s from Cleveland Ohio, best known for the oft-covered song "It's Cold Outside". With the addition of singer Eric Carmen, they became The Raspberries in 1970. The band consisted of Dann Klawon on rhythm guitar, Dave Smalley on vocals & rhythm guitar, Wally Bryson on vocals, lead guitar, & bass, and Jim Bonfanti on vocals & drums.
2) The Choir (originally The Youth Choir) is an atmospheric alternative Christian rock band, led by Derri Daugherty on guitar and vocals, Steve Hindalong on drums -- who also writes most of the band's lyrics -- and Dan Michaels on lyricon, electric flute and saxophone. Originally formed in Southern California in the early 1980s, the band members moved to the Nashville, Tennessee area in the 1990s. Past members include guitarist Marc Byrd and bass guitarists Michael Sauerbrey, Robin Spurs, Bill Batstone, and the late Tim Chandler.
Each band member also has a depth of musical history outside of The Choir. Hindalong produced four successful City On A Hill albums, writing the well-known song "God of Wonders" with Marc Byrd. Daugherty has been a member of the Christian-alterna-pop-supergroup The Lost Dogs since it started in 1991, and Hindalong joined the group in 2006. Chandler was the bass player for years for Daniel Amos and that band's alter egos The Swirling Eddies, and passed away in 2018. Byrd was a member of Common Children, recorded with his wife Christine Glass as Glassbyrd, and is currently half of the post-rock duo Hammock. Michaels has been a Senior Vice President of Fair Trade Services (formerly INO Records) since 2000.
Restore My Soul
The Choir Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
With one lung exploded
From breathing the dust of the earth
With my tongue eroded
From licking the crust of the earth
A tear away from reconciled
A prayer away from whole
Restore my soul
I cry to you
With two eardrums blistered
From laughing with preachers of night
With my vertebrae twisted
From dancing with creatures of night
A day away from sanctified
A breath away from whole
Restore my soul
I crawl to you
With ten fingers smoking
From turning the pages of sin
With my spirit choking
From earning the wages of sin
A bridge away from justified
A step away from whole
Restore my soul
The lyrics of The Choir's song "Restore My Soul" express the deep longing of a person for spiritual restoration. The opening lines use vivid imagery to describe the physical toll that sin has taken on the singer. The image of one lung exploded from breathing the dust of the earth and a tongue eroded from licking the crust of the earth suggest that the singer has been consumed by their own sinfulness. The use of these physical images makes the singer's plight feel visceral and real.
In the second verse, the singer cries out to God with "two eardrums blistered from laughing with preachers of night" and "vertebrae twisted from dancing with creatures of night." This suggests that the singer has been engaging in behaviors that are causing damage to themselves and, in turn, causing them to feel further removed from God. The lyrics, "A day away from sanctified, a breath away from whole" further emphasize the singer's desperation for healing.
The final verse has the singer crawling to God with "ten fingers smoking from turning the pages of sin" and a "spirit choking from earning the wages of sin." The imagery suggests that the singer has been deeply entrenched in sin and feels as though they are just barely holding on. However, even though they feel as though they are far from wholeness and restoration, they plead with God to restore their soul.
Overall, the song is a powerful expression of the human need for redemption and healing, and the lyrics paint a vivid picture of the damage that sin can cause.
Line by Line Meaning
I call to you
I reach out to you for help
With one lung exploded
I am struggling to breathe from being exposed to the harshness of the world
From breathing the dust of the earth
I have been inhaling the negative aspects of the world
With my tongue eroded
I am unable to speak truth from being constantly exposed to lies
From licking the crust of the earth
I have been consuming the bad in the world without realizing it
A tear away from reconciled
I am so close to finding peace, but I am still struggling
A prayer away from whole
All I need is some guidance and positivity to become whole again
Restore my soul
Help me become whole again and heal me from the damage of the world
I cry to you
I am asking for help in a state of emotional vulnerability
With two eardrums blistered
I have been hurt by the harsh words of others
From laughing with preachers of night
I have surrounded myself with negative influences
With my vertebrae twisted
I am physically and emotionally struggling due to my actions
From dancing with creatures of night
I have engaged with people or situations that are damaging to my soul
A day away from sanctified
I am so close to becoming holy, but I am still struggling
A breath away from whole
All I need is a small amount of hope and positivity to become whole again
I crawl to you
I am humbly seeking help and guidance
With ten fingers smoking
I have been engaging in activities that are damaging to my health
From turning the pages of sin
I have been exposing myself to negative influences
With my spirit choking
I am struggling to maintain a positive mindset
From earning the wages of sin
I have been engaging in actions that are detrimental to my soul
A bridge away from justified
I am close to finding redemption, but I am still struggling
A step away from whole
I only need a small amount of help and guidance to become whole again
Restore my soul
I need help to heal my soul and become whole again
Contributed by Evan Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.