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
Gone
TobyMac Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She told me all the things you did and it was shady, man
She said that what you say and what you do are different things
While you were telling me that you were checking out them blingy rings
She said she's had enough
Well, it sounds to me like you're straight out of luck
And she said she's all through
I wanna know, wanna know what you were thinkin'
I can't imagine why it didn't even sink in
They say you never know what you got till it's gone
(Never know what you got till it's gone)
I wanna know, wanna know what you were thinkin'
I can't imagine why it didn't even sink in
They say you never know what you got till it's gone
(Never know what you got till it's gone)
She said she's had enough
So, it sounds to me like your still out of love
And she said you weren't true
And life's not blowin' her kisses thanks to you
I wanna know, wanna know what you were thinkin'
I can't imagine why it didn't even sink in
They say you never know what you got till it's gone
(Never know what you got till it's gone)
I wanna know, wanna know what you were thinkin'
I can't imagine why it didn't even sink in
They say you never know what you got till it's gone
(Never know what you got till it's gone)
She said it's gonna be alright
Cause God made a way through the pain and he opened her eyes
And she said you came crawling back
But after what you did to her she wouldn't have any of that
I wanna know, wanna know what you were thinkin'
I can't imagine why it didn't even sink in
They say you never know what you got till it's gone
(Never know what you got till it's gone)
I wanna know, wanna know what you were thinkin'
I can't imagine why it didn't even sink in
They say you never know what you got till it's gone
(What you got, what you got, till it's gone)
The lyrics of “Gone” by TobyMac are about a man giving advice to a girl, telling her to be treated like a lady. She then reveals the shady behavior of her partner, and how it conflicts with the things he says. Despite his apparent materialistic pursuits, the girl has had enough and decides to leave him. The chorus says that you never know what you got until it’s gone, and the man cannot understand why her partner did not appreciate her while they were together. The girl tells him that despite the pain, she knows that God made a way and opened her eyes, and she refuses to take her partner back after what he did to her.
The song explores the themes of trust, betrayal, and regret in relationships. It points out that material possessions and dishonesty cannot make up for a lack of genuine love and respect. The girl taking control and leaving her partner despite the pain he caused shows her strength and independence, and her faith in God helps her to move on.
Line by Line Meaning
I told the girl that you should treat her like a lady and
I advised her that she deserves to be treated with respect and kindness
She told me all the things you did and it was shady, man
She informed me of your untrustworthy and dishonest actions
She said that what you say and what you do are different things
She noted your lack of consistency between your words and actions
While you were telling me that you were checking out them blingy rings
You were expressing your interest in material possessions
She said she's had enough
She reached a breaking point with your behavior
Well, it sounds to me like you're straight out of luck
It seems like you will face negative consequences for your actions
And she said she's all through
She has made the decision to move on from the relationship
And life's not blowin' her kisses thanks to you
Your actions have caused her pain and suffering
I wanna know, wanna know what you were thinkin'
I am curious about your thought process
I can't imagine why it didn't even sink in
I cannot comprehend why you did not understand the consequences of your actions
They say you never know what you got till it's gone
It is a common saying that we often do not appreciate something until we lose it
(Never know what you got till it's gone)
This phrase is repeated as a reminder of its significance
So, it sounds to me like you're still out of love
It appears that you still have not learned to love truly and respectfully
And she said you weren't true
She accused you of being unfaithful and dishonest
She said it's gonna be alright
She has found comfort in her faith, believing that things will improve
Cause God made a way through the pain and he opened her eyes
She believes that God helped her through difficult times and gave her clarity
And she said you came crawling back
You attempted to reconcile, but on her terms
But after what you did to her she wouldn't have any of that
After your mistreatment of her, she is unwilling to enter a relationship with you again
(What you got, what you got, till it's gone)
This final repetition of the phrase emphasizes its importance and relevance to the message of the song
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Chad Vaccarino, Ian Axel
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
mrm6464
I teared up because this is my childhood right here...can't believe this was 10 years ago and I'm gonna be 20 in a few days... o_o
Jinnai
@mrm6464 bruh you're so old now, the same age as me! and youtube works completely different from how it did 8 years ago
Joshua Lee
Same, this is my childhood, im 23 now, I was 15 when you made this comment, wow
Anon Pure
Now you are around 28 and I'm 21 damn dude how life works its crazy. You still got that youtube account
Cory Baker
@mrm64 u still kickn? 🤘
Saved by Grace
And now you're 28
GoGo 1017
13 years later this song still bops, and I'm still wondering how they did this music video with the cuts and stuff
love flamingos
I remember this song playing non-stop on the radio when I was a kid. Hearing it again is nostalgia
DomsBlading
I really miss the old Tobymac. He's still awesome now, don't get me wrong. But his style and genre back then was so much more funk and rock. Now he's slipping into the mainstream pop sounding genre. ): Oh well, things can't stay the same forever I guess.
Woofle the Dog
Agreed