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
Truth
TobyMac Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Truth gonna set you free If you don't stand for something you'll fall for
anything Truth gonna set you free It could set you free if you believe
I know that you know it's time to walk in the light You been blind for too long
Let truth give you back your sight Tell the devil, let him know that he's a lie
Don't let him stop you Tell him he gets no free
ride
[Chorus]
Don't ya want to be,
don't ya wanna be free yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah
Who, what, me truth gonna set, gonna set your soul free, you can take it
From Damita and you can take it from me God sets
You free, yo, free indeed And I'm deep like a frek 'cause I believe in the way,
The Truth to the Life he's given the soul's the reflection of the way you're
Living Freedom ringin' Truth id the path T Mac is back and I'm free at last
[Chorus]
TobyMac's song "Truth" is an upbeat and energetic call to stand up for what you believe in and let the truth set you free. The chorus repeats the key message that truth can only set you free if you stand for something, otherwise, you can easily fall for anything. The first verse speaks to those who have been living in darkness for far too long and encourages them to let the truth shine a light on their situation. In the second verse, the message is directed towards the devil, who is seen as a liar and a deceiver, and urges listeners not to let him stop them from pursuing the truth. Overall, the song's message is a call to action to be courageous, stand up for what you believe in, and let the truth shine through.
Line by Line Meaning
Truth gonna set you free
The truth has the power to liberate you from lies and deceit
If you don't stand for something you'll fall for anything
If you don't hold on to your beliefs, you will have no defense against false ideas and propaganda
It could set you free if you believe
You must have faith in the truth for it to bring freedom to your life
I know that you know it's time to walk in the light
You are aware that it's time to reject darkness and embrace the light of truth
You been blind for too long
You have been ignorant and unaware of the truth for a significant amount of time
Let truth give you back your sight
Allow the truth to bring clarity and understanding to your mind, to restore your spiritual vision
Tell the devil, let him know that he's a lie
Expose the devil's lies and deceitful schemes with the truth
Don't let him stop you
Don't allow the devil to hinder or obstruct your pursuit of truth
Tell him he gets no free ride
Make it clear to the devil that his lies and deceptions will no longer go unchallenged or tolerated
Don't ya want to be, don't ya wanna be free yeah, yeah, yeah
Don't you desire to be free from the bondage of sin and lies?
Who, what, me truth gonna set, gonna set your soul free, you can take it From Damita and you can take it from me
The truth has the power to set your soul free, and this message is not just from TobyMac (T Mac), but from other messengers of truth like Damita
God sets You free, yo, free indeed
God is the ultimate source of freedom, and through faith in Him, you can indeed be free
And I'm deep like a frek 'cause I believe in the way, The Truth to the Life he's given the soul's the reflection of the way you're Living
TobyMac believes in the truth, and His faith runs deep. He understands that the truth is the key to living a fulfilling life, and our souls reflect the way we live our lives
Freedom ringin' Truth id the path T Mac is back and I'm free at last
Freedom is now attainable because TobyMac has discovered the path of truth and has embraced it wholeheartedly
Truth gonna set you free If you don't stand for something you'll fall for anything Truth gonna set you free It could set you free if you believe
The chorus reiterates the power of truth to bring freedom, the danger of not holding on to one's beliefs, and the importance of having faith in the truth
Lyrics © FUN ATTIC MUSIC , Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Harry Pendleton, Le Crae Devaughn Moore
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Kris B
I love this song