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
Everything
TobyMac Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm on a whole new intrigue
My space invaded, upgraded
I hear You talking to me
It's in the boom of the thunder, it's in the cool of the rain
And I'll say I don't ever want to get away
Tonight is beautiful
And everywhere I turn is a reminder (reminder, reminder)
I see You in everything, all day
And every beat of my heart keeps reminding me
I see You in every little thing, all day
No matter where I go I know Your love is finding me
I see You in everything
You're all up in everything
My soul's awaken
I'm taken by all the beauty You bring
You got it blarin', I'm starin'
Love watching You do Your thing
There's no mistaking Your style
No mistaking Your touch
I see the grand, I see the subtle of Your love
Lord, I see You in everything, all day
And every beat of my heart keeps reminding me
I see You in every little thing, all day
No matter where I go I know Your love is finding me
It's finding me in everything, all day
And every beat of my heart keeps reminding me
I see You in every little thing, all day
No matter where I go I know Your love is finding me
Tonight is beautiful
It's got my mind on You (got my mind on You)
And everywhere I turn is a reminder (ooh, ooh)
From the sparkle in her eyes to the starlit open skies
You bring my heart to life, fill me with wonder (with wonder, with wonder, with wonder)
I see You in everything, all day (all day!)
And every beat of my heart keeps reminding me
I see You in every little thing, all day (all day!)
No matter where I go I know Your love is finding me
I see You in everything
You're all up in everything
I see You in everything
You're all up in everything
Oh, I can see Your love, Your love in everything
And that's why You'll always be my everything
Yeah, I can see Your love, Your love in everything
And that's why You'll always be my everything
The lyrics to TobyMac's song Everything are a declaration of the singer's faith and recognition of God's presence and love. He is captivated and intrigued by the all-encompassing nature of God's love and is in awe of the beauty that God brings to his life. The song speaks to the theme of the omnipresence of God, as TobyMac recognizes God in everything around him, from the boom of the thunder to the sparkle in someone's eyes.
The chorus of the song emphasizes that no matter where he goes, TobyMac knows that God's love is finding him. He sees God in every little thing, and every beat of his heart reminds him of God's presence. The singer recognizes that God's touch is both grand and subtle, and there is no mistaking the power of his love.
The bridge of the song shows the singer's acknowledgement of God's love in everything around him. He sees God in the sparkle of someone's eyes and the starlit open skies. The beauty that God brings to his life fills him with wonder and reminds him of God's overwhelming love.
Overall, the song's message is one of faith and recognition of God's presence in everything, both big and small.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm captivated, I'll say it
I am completely engulfed by You and Your love and I willingly admit it.
I'm on a whole new intrigue
You have introduced me to a new level of interest that I have never experienced before.
My space invaded, upgraded
You have come into my life and transformed it, giving me a sense of growth and progress.
I hear You talking to me
I can feel Your presence and Your voice guiding me through every step of my life.
It's in the boom of the thunder, it's in the cool of the rain
I can see traces of Your power, Your grace and Your beauty in every aspect of nature.
And I'll say I don't ever want to get away
I want to stay connected to You forever, never wanting to lose the bond that we share.
Tonight is beautiful
Right now, in this moment, I see beauty all around me because of You.
It's got my mind on You
My thoughts are absorbed entirely by You, and experiencing Your presence is only adding to my joy.
And everywhere I turn is a reminder (reminder, reminder)
Everywhere I look, there is a cue for me to remember You and Your everlasting love for me.
I see You in everything, all day
In every minute detail, in every circumstance, I can see Your handiwork and You looking back at me.
And every beat of my heart keeps reminding me
My heart beats with Your love and serves as a constant reminder to me that You are always present.
No matter where I go I know Your love is finding me
Regardless of where I am, I recognize that Your love can locate me and continuously flows over me.
My soul's awaken
You have stirred up something inside me that was lying dormant and have now brought it to life.
I'm taken by all the beauty You bring
I am amazed and filled with joy by the beauty You bring into my life and the world around me.
You got it blarin', I'm starin'
You are showcasing Your splendor and I am unable to look away, just gazing upon You with amazement.
There's no mistaking Your style
It is clear and undeniable that Your love has a unique style that is unique to You and You alone.
No mistaking Your touch
I can feel Your touch, all-encompassing, all-loving, and reassuring me of Your ever-presence.
From the sparkle in her eyes to the starlit open skies
I can see Your grace, Your love, and Your power reflected in the beauty of the world and in the people around me.
You bring my heart to life, fill me with wonder (with wonder, with wonder, with wonder)
You give purpose and meaning to my life and fill me with a sense of awe and wonder that takes my breath away.
Oh, I can see Your love, Your love in everything
You have filled my world with Your love, tangible and evident in every detail and moment of my life.
And that's why You'll always be my everything
Because Your love is pervasive throughout my life, You will always remain my everything.
Lyrics © Capitol CMG Publishing, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Toby McKeehan, David Arthur Garcia
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@angellbeam
Toby please here my message, not asking for a handout from anyone but please pray for I, and finally finding a family who will look out for me!! But we are struggling fighting the homeless system on Texas
Doing our best to Keep fighting
I'm getting a job, they all are finding jobs too
And staying clean from drugs
Please pray for us 🙏 I want to go to College back to college safely, and, not addivted or murdered by drugs
I lost too many friends this way
Please everyone, pray for me the strength to be a good friend to them and we take care of each other
That god is with us, we don't be giving up
I want to be with God when I'm housed too
AMEN
@carmenriddell9607
❤ who's got this in 2024
@sallyhenry4473
aaaaaay I love ❤ this song and this year 2024 2024 2024
@anitabraatz8807
Me😂
@JAEDENLEEHSIENCHERNMoe
me?
@azprepper87
Me❤❤❤
@justmerosie1349
Are you kidding me? This is one of my all time favorite Jams. Praising the The one and only True King JESUS🙏🎵🎶💞
@ngoc4312
I was homeless, got into drugs, went into prisons, then i got to know Jesus, He changed my life.. Now i have a home, a wife, a lovely daughter and a new identity... A child of God.. Hallelujah
@maritrnning5357
@llcms.empressqueenlady-asp5928
Thank you for sharing your story sending love and strength and blessings to you and your love ones
@yiantorres9312
Amen God is so good. I accepted the Lord to take full contro of my life yesterday. Happiest day of my life. My journey with the Lord is just starting and I already have everything I wished for just with the Lord and his love. I