The Eye On It Songfacts reports that Eye On It, TobyMac's fifth full-length… Read Full Bio ↴The Eye On It Songfacts reports that Eye On It, TobyMac's fifth full-length studio album was released on August 28, 2012. Said TobyMac regarding the album title: "I want my music to depict what I'm going through. I want to write about the things that upset me, move me, hurt me and haunt me. The things that are real. With Tonight, I was determined to live more passionately with God. I was laying down the gauntlet. Eye On It is a continuation of that. It's saying, 'This is the person I want to be and I'm going to keep my eye on it, God willing!'"POOP"
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

Lose Myself
TobyMac Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Take all of the good and all of the bad
'Cause all of it's on me
Take all of my ways, the things that I chase
The things that control me

And all that I hide, could you bring me to life?
Could you open my eyes and show me?
Take all that was me and shape it to be

Reflecting you solely

I wanna lose myself, lose myself to find you
I wanna lose myself, lose myself to find you
I don't care how it sounds
Burn it up to the ground
Your kingdom, my desire
I wanna lose myself, lose myself to find to find you

I need to find you
I need to find you

As all of the fates, I'll be on my way
The wreckage behind me
My feet on the ground
Two hands reaching out
The future is blinding
So what is stirring in you?
Please, stir up in me
All the dreams that you placed inside me
Take all that you see and shape it to be
The story you're writing

I wanna lose myself, lose myself to find you
I wanna lose myself, lose myself to find you
I don't care how it sounds
Burn it all to the ground
Consume me with your fire
I wanna lose myself, lose myself to find to find you

I need to find you
I need to find you
I need to find you
I need to find you
I need to find you
I need to find you

So do not hide your face from me, do not hide your face
Do not hide your face from me, please don't hide

I'm gonna lose myself, lose myself to find to find you
I need to find you
I need to find you
I need to find you
I need to find you

So do not hide your face from me, do not hide your face
So do not hide your face from me, do not hide your face

I need to find you
So do not hide your face from me, please don't hide

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of TobyMac's "Lose Myself" explore the desire to surrender oneself completely to God in order to find true purpose and meaning in life. The first verse acknowledges that all aspects of the self, both good and bad, must be given up in order to be fully aligned with God's plan. The second verse speaks to the fear and uncertainty of the future, but implores God to reveal His plan and purpose for the singer's life. The refrain seems to be both a statement of intent and a plea for guidance. The singer states his desire to lose himself and find God, despite the potential destruction that may occur along the way.

The song is a reflection of the Christian faith, illustrating the need for full surrender to God and the trust and faith necessary to do so. The lyrics suggest that this process may involve significant personal sacrifice, but that ultimately the rewards are worth it. There is a sense of urgency and desperation in the lyrics, with repeated pleas to God to not hide his face and to reveal His plan.

The message of "Lose Myself" is relevant not only to Christianity but also to any faith or belief system that emphasizes the importance of surrender, trust, and faith. The song highlights the struggle that many people face in fully committing to something greater than themselves, and the fears and doubts that may arise as a result. However, it also suggests that the rewards of full surrender and trust are worth the potential difficulties along the way.

Line by Line Meaning

Take all of the good and all of the bad 'Cause all of it's on me
I'm taking responsibility for everything in my life, both the good and the bad.

Take all of my ways, the things that I chase The things that control me
I'm surrendering all the things that I pursue and control me to find something greater.

And all that I hide, could you bring me to life? Could you open my eyes and show me?
I want to be shown the things that I am blind to and brought to life by what I discover.

Take all that was me and shape it to be Reflecting you solely
I'm asking for my identity to be transformed to reflect what you want it to be, and not what I want it to be.

I wanna lose myself, lose myself to find you
I want to give up everything I am and find something greater than myself.

I don't care how it sounds Burn it up to the ground Your kingdom, my desire
I am willing to give up everything to pursue God's kingdom and make it my only desire.

As all of the fates, I'll be on my way The wreckage behind me My feet on the ground Two hands reaching out The future is blinding
I am making a choice to leave behind my old life and pursue something new, even though I don't know what the future will hold.

So what is stirring in you? Please, stir up in me All the dreams that you placed inside me
I want to be filled with the dreams that God has for me and let him move in my life.

Take all that you see and shape it to be The story you're writing
I am willing to allow God to shape my life into the story he wants it to be.

So do not hide your face from me, do not hide your face Do not hide your face from me, please don't hide
I am pleading with God to not hide himself from me and to reveal himself to me.

Lyrics © Capitol CMG Publishing
Written by: Chris Stevens, David Garcia, Toby McKeehan

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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