Toni Childs was born in Orange, California, but was moved to several small … Read Full Bio ↴Toni Childs was born in Orange, California, but was moved to several small towns in Arkansas, Kansas, Oklahoma and Nevada during her childhood. At the age of 15, Childs ran away from home and became a blues musician. In 1972, Childs saw Pink Floyd in concert, and afterwards decided to pursue a career as a singer-songwriter. Childs joined the band Berlin in 1979, but left to form her own group before the recording of Berlin's first album. Toni Childs and the Movers, which included Jack Sherman and Micki Steele, toured for two years but did not release an album. Childs signed a contract with Island Records in 1981 in exchange for perfoming janitorial duties for the company, but was unable to record an album.

In 1985, she signed to A&M Records, who released her debut album Union in 1988. She had previously provided backing vocals on David & David's album Boomtown. Later that year, she was nominated for two Grammy Awards, Best New Artist and Best Rock Vocal Performance (female). Her first national tour was opening for Bob Dylan. Her follow-up album House of Hope yielded a large hit in Australia with "I've Got To Go Now", but did not sell well in the US and was dropped from the A&M label. DGC Records, a subsidiary of Geffen Records, signed her and released her third album, The Woman's Boat. Although she was nominated for another Grammy Award for Best Female Rock Performance, the album sold poorly, and Childs was again left without a recording label. She recorded another album in 1996, but could not find a label to release it. Also in 1996, "The Very Best Of Toni Childs" was released, becoming the fifth biggest-selling album of 1996 in Australia. She retired from touring in 1997 after contracting a serious illness and starting the "Dream a Dolphin" charity. Childs released a song entitled "Because You're Beautiful", which won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Music & Lyrics in 2004. She has recorded a new album entitled Keep the Faith, which is expected to be released in Australia in 2006 and in the US and UK in 2007.

Keep The Faith
Toni Childs Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

If you call out loud
Will it get inside
Through the heart of your surrender
To your alibis
And you can say the words
Like you understand
But the power's in believing
So give yourself

A chance

'cause you can
Climb the highest mountain
Swim the deepest sea, hee
All you need is the will to want it
And, little self-esteem

So keep the faith
Don't let nobody turn you 'round
You gotta know when it's good to go
To get your dreams up off the ground

Keep the faith, baby, yea
Because it's just a matter of time
Before your confidence will win out
Believe in yourself no matter what it's gon' take
You can be a winner
But you got to keep the faith

gon' keep it brother
You got it
And when you think of trust
Does it lead you home
To a place that you only dream of when you're all alone
And you can go by feel
'stead of circumstance
But the power's in beliving
So give yourself a chance

I know that you can
Sail across the water
Float across the sky, high
Any road that you take will get you there
If you only try

So keep the faith, ow
Don't let nobody take you down, brother
Just keep your eyes on the prize
And your feet flat on the ground
Keep the faith, baby, yea
Because it's just a matter of time
Before your confidence will win out

I told my brother how to do the thing right
Lift up your head and show the world you got pride
Go for what you want, don't let 'em get in your way
You can be a winner,
But you got to keep the faith
Gon' keep it brother
You got it
I know that keepin' the faith
Means never givin' up on love
But the power that love has
To make it right
Makes it
Makes it right

Keep the faith
Don't let nobody turn you 'round brother
You got to know when it's good to go
To get your dreams up off the ground
Keep the faith
Baby, yea
Because it's just a matter of time
Before your confidence will win out

Better stand up and act like you wanna do right
Don't play the fool for the rest of your life
Work on it brother and you'll make it someday
Go for what you want and don't forget the faith
Look at yourself and what you're doin' right now
Stand back a minute just to check yourself out
Straighten out your life and how you're livin' each day
Get yourself together, 'cause you got to keep the faith
Uh, uh, uh

Don't let nobody take you down, brother
Just keep your eyes on the prize
And your feet flat on the ground
Keep the faith, baby, yea
Because it's just a matter of time
Before your confidence will win out
Lift up your mind
Before your mind gets blown
Some things in life you best just leave them alone
Go for what you want
Don't let it get in your way
You can make it happen
But ya got ta keep the faith

Gon' keep it brother
You got to keep the faith
Yeah keep the faith
Gon' keep it sister
You got to keep the faith now, now

I'll show my brotha
How to do the thing right
Lift up your head and show the world you got pride
Go for what you want
Don't let 'em get in your way
You can be a winner if you keep the faith

Straighten out yourself and get your mind on track
Dust off your butt and get your self-respect back
You've known me long enough to know that I don't play
Take it like you want it but you got to keep the faith
Gon'

Don't let nobody take you down
Just keep your eyes on the prize
And get your feet back on the ground
Keep the faith, baby, yea
Because it's just a matter of time
Before your confidence will win out

But till that day
I said you've got to keep the faith!

Overall Meaning

In Toni Childs's song Keep The Faith, the lyrics encourage listeners to believe in themselves and keep striving for their dreams, even in moments of doubt and difficulty. The first verse suggests that simply saying the words is not enough; true power and success come from believing in oneself. The chorus reinforces this message, asserting that with the "will to want it" and a little self-esteem, listeners can accomplish anything they set their minds to. The second verse seems to speak to the importance of trusting oneself rather than external circumstances, positing that the power of belief can lead to success even in the face of adversity. The bridge reinforces this message by acknowledging the strength of love in helping people "make it right," and the final verse urges listeners to "straighten out" their lives and "get [their] mind on track" in order to live up to their full potential.

Overall, Keep The Faith is a song about perseverance, self-belief, and determination. It encourages listeners to not give up on their dreams and to have faith in their own abilities, even when things get tough.

Line by Line Meaning

If you call out loud Will it get inside Through the heart of your surrender To your alibis
If you express your desires out loud, will they penetrate into the deepest part of your being, challenging your excuses and justifications?

And you can say the words Like you understand But the power's in believing So give yourself A chance
You may speak confidently as if you comprehend, but true power comes from a belief in yourself. Therefore, give yourself the opportunity to succeed.

'cause you can Climb the highest mountain Swim the deepest sea, hee All you need is the will to want it And, little self-esteem
With willpower and determination, you can conquer any challenge regardless of how extreme it may seem. No matter your level of confidence.

So keep the faith Don't let nobody turn you 'round You gotta know when it's good to go To get your dreams up off the ground
Believe in yourself unconditionally and don't let anyone discourage or hinder you. Find the appropriate timing to seize opportunities and elevate your aspirations.

Because it's just a matter of time Before your confidence will win out Believe in yourself no matter what it's gon' take You can be a winner But you got to keep the faith
Your confidence and self-belief will eventually emerge victorious. Therefore, regardless of obstacles, continue maintaining your faith in your abilities to be successful.

gon' keep it brother You got it And when you think of trust Does it lead you home To a place that you only dream of when you're all alone
Keep your faith, brother, you have it. When you contemplate trust, does it direct you towards a place of comfort and solace that you may only dream of when you are by yourself?

And you can go by feel 'stead of circumstance But the power's in beliving So give yourself a chance
You can trust your intuition over situations, as the power is in your self-belief. Hence, give yourself an opportunity to make things happen.

I know that you can Sail across the water Float across the sky, high Any road that you take will get you there If you only try
Believe that you can achieve even the impossible, cross the seas or soar through the skies. Simply focusing on your objectives with determination will get you there.

Better stand up and act like you wanna do right Don't play the fool for the rest of your life Work on it brother and you'll make it someday Go for what you want and don't forget the faith
Get up and demonstrate that you have a genuine desire to do what's right. Don't spend your life acting foolishly. Keep trying, and you will eventually succeed. Go after your objectives and maintain your faith.

Look at yourself and what you're doin' right now Stand back a minute just to check yourself out Straighten out your life and how you're livin' each day Get yourself together, 'cause you got to keep the faith
Analyze your behavior and your present circumstances. Take a moment to assess things from a distance. Arrange your life and how you live it each day. Get yourself together, and keep your faith in your abilities to thrive.

I know that keepin' the faith Means never givin' up on love But the power that love has To make it right Makes it Makes it right
I understand that keeping the faith entails never giving up on love despite the difficulties. Nevertheless, it is worth it because of love's power to heal and make things right.

Lift up your mind Before your mind gets blown Some things in life you best just leave them alone Go for what you want Don't let it get in your way You can make it happen But ya got ta keep the faith
Elevate your way of thinking before it's too late. Certain aspects of life should remain unexplored, just leave them be. Pursue your aspirations without self-sabotage, let nothing deter you, and you'll accomplish it. However, maintaining your faith is crucial.

Straighten out yourself and get your mind on track Dust off your butt and get your self-respect back You've known me long enough to know that I don't play Take it like you want it but you got to keep the faith
Resolve any self-doubt and concentrate on what you want to achieve. Reclaim your confidence and a sense of dignity. You have known me for long enough to be aware that I mean what I say and that I do not indulge in sarcasm. Keep the faith.

But till that day I said you've got to keep the faith!
Until that day of triumph arrives, make sure to sustain your faith.

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Universal Music Publishing Group, BMG Rights Management
Written by: MICHAEL JACKSON, SIEDAH GARRETT, GLEN BALLARD

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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