Last week, I heard a new song on the radio called The Sound of a Million Dreams by David Nail. The song is so moving and speaks directly to my heart, especially the chorus:
And I'll labor for hours 'cause I know the power
Of a song when a song hits you right
Pouring my soul into stories of life
Hoping someone'll hear one tonight
Maybe my voice will cut through the noise
And stir up an old memory
Out of these piano keys
Comes the sound, the sound of a million dreams
I am particularly inspired by the words, "And I'll labor for hours..." I find comfort in knowing that I'm not the only one who labors for hours in the songwriting process. In this season of songwriting, the process for me has actually been a very long and arduous one. I find myself playing the music over and over again until it feels completely right. Once I settle on the music, then I continue playing it over and over again in order to get the lyrics, or the words of the song, just right. Sometimes the words come pouring out like rain; with little effort, my heart starts singing the words that match perfectly with the music while also helping to convey the story that I am trying to tell. Like when I was writing My Offering, it took me a few weeks to get the music, but the words just came very naturally.
With the latest song that I've been working on, Simply Worship, the words have not been flowing as freely. I've been laboring and laboring over the words, nearly to the point where I'm wondering if maybe I'm laboring too much! But just as I was starting to think that maybe this song that I'm working on wasn't meant to be, I heard this Sound of a Million Dreams song, and it gave me the extra little push that I need to keep laboring. I know it will be worth it in the end.
