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
This Christmas
TobyMac Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I sweep the snow from my doorstep
I just can't help but stop and grin
It's like I'm ten years old again
And everywhere I go I can feel it
Some say it moves like a spirit
It falls on us once a year
It's all love the season is a gift
When love came down to let us live
Let's open up and let our hearts embrace this moment
For Christmas this year
Gonna make a sound gonna make it loud
For Christmas this year
We're gonna make some noise let the world rejoice
For Christmas this year
For Christmas
For Christmas this year
The laughter starts
Before the sunrise
I sneak downstairs to sparkling eyes
And oh what joy it brings to me
Our family around our Christmas tree
And I thank the Lord for his favor
As we sing the songs of the Savior (our Savior)
It's all love the season is a gift
When love came down to let us live
Let's open up and let our hearts embrace this moment
For Christmas this year
Gonna make a sound gonna make it loud
For Christmas this year
We're gonna make some noise let the world rejoice
For Christmas this year
For Christmas
For Christmas this year
Holy Holy holy
God is coming near
Unto us a Savior's born
On a midnight clear
Holy Holy holy
God is coming near
Unto us a Savior's born
On a midnight clear
Oh For Christmas this year
Gonna make a sound gonna make it loud
We're gonna make some noise let the world rejoice
For Christmas this year
For Christmas
For Christmas this year
For Christmas this year
Gonna make a sound gonna make it loud
For Christmas this year
We're gonna make some noise let the world rejoice
For Christmas this year
For Christmas
For Christmas this year
Holy Holy holy
God is coming near
Unto us a Savior's born
On a midnight clear
In TobyMac's song "This Christmas," he describes the joy and excitement that comes with the holiday season. As fall comes to an end and the snow starts to fall, TobyMac can't contain his childlike excitement as he reminisces about being ten years old again. Christmas is a special time of year that brings people together, and TobyMac can feel the spirit of the season all around him, like a "spirit" that "moves" through everyone.
The central theme of the song centers on the idea that Christmas is a gift - a time to spread love and joy throughout the world. This sentiment is embodied in the chorus, where TobyMac declares that "for Christmas this year," he is going to "make some noise" and "let the world rejoice." The holiday season is a special time that allows us to open our hearts and embrace the moment, and TobyMac encourages us all to do so.
Line by Line Meaning
As fall rides off in the sunset
As the season of autumn comes to an end
I sweep the snow from my doorstep
I clear the snow from my front porch
I just can't help but stop and grin
I can't help but smile
It's like I'm ten years old again
I feel young and full of wonder
And everywhere I go I can feel it
I sense the magic of the Christmas season all around me
Some say it moves like a spirit
Some people describe the spirit of Christmas as moving and palpable
It falls on us once a year
The holiday of Christmas comes to us once a year
Like it came on a midnight clear
Just as the story of Jesus' birth says it did
It's all love the season is a gift
The Christmas season is all about love and giving
When love came down to let us live
Celebrating the arrival of Jesus and His sacrifice for us
Let's open up and let our hearts embrace this moment
Let's open our hearts to the joy and love of Christmas
Gonna make a sound gonna make it loud
We're going to celebrate Christmas with enthusiasm and noise
We're gonna make some noise let the world rejoice
We'll share our love for Christmas with everyone and bring joy to all
The laughter starts before the sunrise
We start the day with laughter before the sun even rises
I sneak downstairs to sparkling eyes
I sneak down to the Christmas tree to see the joy in my loved ones' eyes
And oh what joy it brings to me
The happiness of my family brings me so much joy
Our family around our Christmas tree
My family gathers around the Christmas tree together
And I thank the Lord for his favor
I am grateful to God for His blessings and grace
As we sing the songs of the Savior (our Savior)
We sing songs about Jesus, who we believe is our Savior
Holy Holy holy
Acknowledging God's holiness
God is coming near
Believing God is reaching out to be with us
Unto us a Savior's born
Celebrating the birth of Jesus
On a midnight clear
Just as the story of Jesus' birth tells us
For Christmas this year
This year's Christmas celebration
We're gonna make some noise let the world rejoice
We will spread joy and love to the world through our Christmas celebration
For Christmas
For the holiday of Christmas
Lyrics © CAPITOL CHRISTIAN MUSIC GROUP, CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Major Bob Music, Inc. / Rio Bravo Music, Inc. / Castle Bound Music, Inc. / Hanna Bea Songs, Capitol CMG Publishing, Spirit Music Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Cary Barlowe, Jesse Frasure, Toby McKeehan
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
지거국
Now Jonnie never got his wish December 25th
That’s what he said when we left the orphanage
Nine years old, but Jonnie was an old soul
Gonna spend his first Christmas in a real home
Then he showed me a picture he made the night before
A drawing of a man standin’ outside the door
He said, “I see him in my dreams
He comforts me when I can’t sleep”
Father of the fatherless
Be with your sons and daughters this Christmas
This Christmas
“Believe in angels?”
He asked starin’ at the sky
I said I do and saw a sparkle in his eye
Big brother for the weekend, respondin’ to the season
I took the chance that givin’s better than receivin’
Two nights, a new family, some holiday cheer
We laughed and sang
Came on a midnight clear
We gave, received, and as we headed to a close
We looked to the heavens, and it started snowing blessings
Father of the fatherless
Be with your sons and daughters this Christmas, this Christmas
(You ain’t livin’ ‘til you choose to give
Love and joy and peace to one of His)
Father let us not forget
The children who are all alone this Christmas, this Christmas
(You ain’t livin’ ‘til you choose to give
Love and joy and peace to one of His)
[James 1:27]
Religion that God our Father
Accepts as pure and faultless is this:
That we look after orphans and widows in their distress
Merry Christmas everyone
Joy to the world
The Lord is come
Let Heaven and nature sing
Let Heaven and nature sing
Let Heaven and nature sing
Big brother turned dad in a couple weeks
Some gifts give more than you could ever dream
Started out as a plan just to do my part,
But that little man went and stole my heart
Father of the fatherless
Be with your sons and daughters this Christmas, this Christmas
(You ain’t livin’ ‘til you choose to give
Love and joy and peace to one of His)
Father let us not forget
The children who are all alone this Christmas, this Christmas
(You ain’t livin’ ‘til you choose to give
Love and joy and peace to one of His)
Let Heaven and nature sing
Let Heaven and nature sing
[x2]
From me and mine, to you and yours…
Merry Christmas
This year, reach out and love somebody, y’all
Gifty Eliyana Grace Acts 17:28
Father Let us not forget. The children who are all alone this Christmas 🎄 🎄..... Sweet song... Sweet. You are inspiring. Love from 🇮🇳
Anand Joshua
Gifty Grace ❤️❤️
Tiaam Du Nord
I remember we LITERALLY had to sing this in like 4th grade and I’ve never forgotten this song
Denzel Muonagor
7th grade haha
Tina Douglas
I got goosebumps listening to this song! Good lyrics.
Anisa Fegan
"This year, reach out and love somebody y'all!"
ChristLife
SALUDOS DESDE BOLIVIA🇧🇴-SUD AMÉRICA DIOS OS BENDIGA HERMOSAS CANCIÓN👏 PARA DIOS👑
Naomy Pastori
Amei 🎄
Daniel
beautiful, the message, the performance--thank you
CCM101: Contemporary Christian Media 101
I really can’t wait to add this to the Christmas playlist for ccm101