The ascension of TobyMac’s solo career has been nothing short of spectacular. In an era of declining music sales he has consistently defied the odds and has seen his sales increase with each new album release. This is no small feat. With his fourth studio album TONIGHT released on Feb. 9, he is poised to take things higher yet again.
Having climbed the mountain once with the group dcTalk (4 Grammys, more than 8 million albums sold), TobyMac knows how difficult the journey can be and how much work the process actually takes. Rarely does an artist get to soar to great heights for a second time, but soar he has. He took home his first Grammy as a solo artist last year after receiving Grammy nominations for each of his first four solo projects (Momentum, Welcome To Diverse City, Portable Sounds, Tonight). And last year TobyMac topped 2 million in total albums sold during his solo career. TobyMac has also remixed the Welcome to Diverse City album and Momentum, calling the new albums Renovating Diverse City and Re:Mix Momentum, respectively. He has done it with a combination of talent, hard work and humility which has produced songs that resonate with people from all walks of life .
Upon embarking on his solo career, Toby sought to surround himself with a talented and diverse cast of characters, aptly named the Diverse City Band. The result has been a musical fusion that radiates with an unquenchable energy and a penetrating message.
A self-professed perfectionist when making records—he’s been known to relentlessly tweak and massage every little thing in an inexorable effort to make it sound better—Toby is the first to admit that he has to work really hard to make great music. “That’s what drives me,” he says. “I feel like I have to work harder than other people to get there. Sometimes I feel like I’m slightly under-gifted; I usually don't sit down and write a great song in just a few minutes like others can. But I think my work ethic makes up for that.”
Starting with dcTalk, and then going solo when the group disbanded in 2000, Toby still clings to such rootsy notions as hard work, persistence, patience and—perhaps most relevant of all—the power of music, which he insists is still what keeps him going.
“It’s the truth,” he says. “I still believe that a song can penetrate a heart. I believe God can use a song to open someone’s mind and heart. Other songs can just drop what I call, 'the joy bomb' on somebody. I fight really hard to remain unjaundiced—to keep believing that you can actually walk into a studio and write a song that breathes life. That’s the hardest fight for a guy who’s been doing this for a while; it’s easy to fall into the trap of just making it your job. But I still believe that songs matter.”
The songs on TONIGHT certainly matter—everything from the prayerful first single “City On Our Knees” to the testimonial “Changed Forever,” from the worshipful “Captured” to the confessional “Start Somewhere,” and even down to the put-on-your-party-hat grooves of “Funky Jesus Music” and “ShowStopper.” One theme that runs loud and clear throughout is the idea that we all need God, and we need him now—this morning, this afternoon, tonight.
“Right here, right now / Under the stars / I promise You my heart / ’Cause it starts tonight,” Toby sings on the chorus of the title track. “If you gotta start somewhere why not here? If you gotta start sometime why not now?” he asks on “City on Our Knees.” And “I wanna straighten this before the sun goes down tonight,” he proclaims on “Start Somewhere.”
“There’s definitely a sense of urgency on this record,” says co-producer Chris Stephens, who has worked on TobyMac’s last three CDs. “And it’s an album that speaks of unity, of coming together and finding common ground to worship God.”
Toby has long had a passion for racial reconciliation and unity, a recurrent theme in his music. TONIGHT includes songs of reconciliation of another kind—between husband and wife. Toby and Amanda have been happily married for 15 years, but like all couples, it can be hard work sometimes. For Toby, who best expresses his emotions through music, it was a natural step to write about it. In “Hold On,” he sings, “If you move just a little bit closer / You can put your head on my shoulder . . . / Wipe away those tears / This one’s for you.” And on “Start Somewhere,” he’s downright confessional: “I said some things that I regret / And if I could, I’d take ’em back / But here I am, and there you are / The space between us is not so far / I’m reaching out my hand in love.”
“‘Hold On’ is very personal,” Toby says. “Many lines are there to encourage my wife, but I know those lines could encourage anybody in a relationship. As for ‘Start Somewhere,’ any time you’re in love with somebody, you’re going to bang heads from time to time. I don’t know how many times I’ve been lying in bed, sweating it out and thinking, How am I going to make this right? But then you reach that moment of apology and forgiveness. That’s one of my favorite songs on the record; it’s a personal perspective on confrontation and reconciliation.”
And then there’s “Wonderin’,” in which Toby reminisces about the past with Kevin Max and Michael Tait in dcTalk, one of Christian music’s biggest acts in the 1990s. “We was ridin’ in style, clockin’ them miles / With the songs that He put down deep in our hearts . . . / I’m wonderin’ ’bout the way I spend my days / Wonderin’ if it’s even worth the chase / Wonderin’ if they’re stealin’ me from you.”
“It’s just a warm look back at dc Talk,” says Toby, almost wistfully. “It’s reminiscing about Michael and Kevin and what we did together, and recognizing their influence on me. I love what I do today, but there are times when I wonder,What if we stayed together? I’ve got these dreams I’m pursuing now, but are they stealing me from you? I think about Kevin and Michael on every song I write. That's the truth man, we climbed a mountain together.”
Sonically, TONIGHT is typical TobyMac in many ways—an eclectic mix of rap, rock, pop and funk, all laden with catchy hooks and melodies just itching for airplay and audience singalongs. There’s even a healthy dose of reggae on the album closer “Break Open the Sky,” where Toby flexes his Jamaican family ties while Israel Houghton provides guest vocals. Other visiting vocalists include Skillet’s John Cooper on “Tonight” and Relient K’s Matthew Thiessen on “Wonderin’.”
Of course most of the vocals belong to the artist himself. Stephens says Toby “has stretched himself as a vocalist, he writes about things he is passionate about and his vocals reflect that urgency''. Toby agrees: “I do more singing on this record than ever before. I’m learning to use my vocal instrument in different ways, and I’m getting more comfortable with it everyday''.
It all adds up to a project that reflects one man’s desire to push himself beyond “very good,” to dig deep in the quest for that other country where greatness resides. He certainly reached for it. Hard.
“I’ve worked very hard not to fall into the trap of making this just a gig,” he says. “If it is a labor, it’s a labor of love. I know music can’t change the world, but who says God can't speak through a song."
Right here, right now. TONIGHT.
TobyMac is usually styled tobyMac or TOBYMAC
Burn For You
TobyMac Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm a man who's burnin' for you
The mistakes I've made have been chased away to the bottom of the ocean blue
I'm a brand new man in a foreign land, I'm a man who's feelin' that fire
And it's all so clear when I'm standing here at the peak of my desire
So won't you move me like you used to
I want the world to know I burn for you
I feel revived again, I am alive again
(Burnin' for you) You got me lifted and lifted you lift me up
I feel revived again, I'm energized again
(Burnin' for you) You got me lifted and lifted you lift me up
Woke up in a sweat, those ghosts in my head
Had a grip, but I slipped on by
It's a whole new day as the darkness fades
And the sun's climbing in the sky
I concede, my love, that I need your love
I'm before you, a broken man
And it's only you, no substitutes who can renew this soul again
You got me higher than Kilimanjaro
Got me believin' I can "save the day"
I'm up and running like their ain't no tomorrow
I'd rather burn for you than fade away
I'd rather burn for you than go my way
I'm a whole new guy with a whole new vibe
Changed inside - more flame in the fire
Can't stop, won't stop praying for desire
Like the bunny on the screen feel so energized
Old shell gone without a trace, new face
No more shortness of breath, new pace
Live life now without the taste of fear
Tobymac, Double Dutch now let the smoke clear
The lyrics of TobyMac's song "Burn For You" convey a message of spiritual renewal and transformation. The singer describes his journey of self-discovery and redemption, acknowledging his past mistakes but also recognizing that he has been forgiven and given a new lease of life. He declares himself to be a "brand new man," metaphorically reborn and on fire with passion and devotion for a higher power.
The song also speaks of the transformative power of love, of how it has the ability to lift us up and give us a renewed sense of purpose and energy. The singer acknowledges his need for this love and his willingness to surrender and be vulnerable in its presence. He is no longer afraid to show his true self and to express his innermost desires and feelings. The lyrics are both personal and universal, speaking to the experiences of anyone who has ever felt lost, broken, or in need of spiritual renewal.
Overall, "Burn For You" is a powerful and uplifting song that celebrates the human capacity for change and growth, and the transformative power of love and faith.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm a brand new man, I'm a conscious man
I have changed completely and I am now aware of my actions.
I'm a man who's burnin' for you
I am passionate and deeply in love with you.
The mistakes I've made have been chased away to the bottom of the ocean blue
I have left my past behind and moved on from my mistakes.
I'm a brand new man in a foreign land, I'm a man who's feelin' that fire
I am in a new setting and feeling excited and passionate.
And it's all so clear when I'm standing here at the peak of my desire
I can see everything clearly when I am at my most passionate.
So won't you move me like you used to
I want you to inspire me and make me feel the way you used to.
I want the world to know I burn for you
I want everyone to know how passionate I am for you.
I feel revived again, I am alive again
You have given me new life and energy.
(Burnin' for you) You got me lifted and lifted you lift me up
My passion for you is lifting me higher and higher.
(Burnin' for you) You got me lifted and lifted you lift me up
My passion for you is still lifting me higher and higher.
Woke up in a sweat, those ghosts in my head
I had a nightmare and was haunted by past memories.
Had a grip, but I slipped on by
I almost got stuck in my negative thoughts but I was able to move past them.
It's a whole new day as the darkness fades
I am starting fresh and leaving the darkness of the past behind.
And the sun's climbing in the sky
I see a brighter future ahead.
I concede, my love, that I need your love
I admit that I need you in my life.
I'm before you, a broken man
I am vulnerable and in need of your help.
And it's only you, no substitutes who can renew this soul again
I know that only you can help me heal and start anew.
You got me higher than Kilimanjaro
My passion for you is so intense that I feel like I am on top of the world.
Got me believin' I can "save the day"
Your love and support make me feel like I can conquer anything.
I'm up and running like their ain't no tomorrow
I am full of energy and ready to make the most out of every moment.
I'd rather burn for you than fade away
I am willing to stay passionate and committed to you no matter what.
I'm a whole new guy with a whole new vibe
I have completely transformed and have a new outlook on life.
Changed inside - more flame in the fire
I am now even more passionate and enthusiastic about life.
Can't stop, won't stop praying for desire
I am constantly praying to stay passionate and committed.
Like the bunny on the screen feel so energized
I feel energized and enthusiastic like the Energizer bunny.
Old shell gone without a trace, new face
I have shed my old self and have become someone new.
No more shortness of breath, new pace
I am no longer feeling overwhelmed or out of breath, and I am moving forward at a new pace.
Live life now without the taste of fear
I am now living without fear and am embracing life to the fullest.
Tobymac, Double Dutch now let the smoke clear
I am ready to take on anything, and I am calling for everyone to clear the way and let me keep moving forward.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Capitol CMG Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JOSIAH BELL, ROBERT MARVIN, TOBY MCKEEHAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind