Song-writing Blog - "Singing a new song unto the Lord..."

Pray For America

9/3/2024

Here's my prayer request to you, sung by the latest and greatest technology of AI-improved digitally-synthesized "voices." No, they are NOT the stuttering chipmunks we heard a few years back!

My apologies for some amateurish things, such as timing issues, that kept the video from being better, but may it be able to bless you just as it is.

I wrote the song back in 2006, but it's even more timely today, as the treasured values of our homeland are under all sorts of crazy assaults.

Keep looking up. Live for Jesus, and keep remembering... When the last earthly nation is history, the Kingdom of God will be just on the threshhold of eternity, and Life will be better than we can possibly imagine! In the meantime, Pray for the peace of Jerusalem, and PRAY FOR AMERICA.

Click HERE to download the free Sheet Music (in Shape Notes or Round Notes).

Once On a Cross, Behold Him Now

10/17/2020

This new Hymn takes us beyond the Sufferings of our Lord on the Cross, and up into the GLORIES He now shares with the Father! This is so Encouraging!

I Gazed Upon the Crucified

8/23/2020

As you follow through this ballad, you will be an Observer— watching the strangest, and most horrible, and most wonderful Event that has ever happened!
Gazing at Jesus on His cross— the only good place for all the horrible sins crushing Him to death— you will see all the evils of our broken world being OVERCOME by the most perfect LOVE ever carried in a bleeding, bruised, and broken body!
Strange— so wonderfully strange!

Just Because (Because You spoke to me...)

8/4/2020

JUST BECAUSE

Under the bright blue sky of our spinning Earth pain, confusion, and disappointment often try to drag us down. But look up! ...and keep looking ahead!

Our brief testing-time will soon be over, and an eternity of "they lived happily ever after" assuredly awaits the Faithful.

Where Shall I Search Beneath the Sun?

7/11/2020

WHERE SHALL I SEARCH BENEATH THE SUN?

This haunting minor and its first four verses came to me on Aug.15, 2006, but two years would pass before I wrote the bridge after verse 4, and another seven months before I composed the final verse in Jan. of 2009.

In the same way that a song-writer may search, then wait awhile for a fresh perspective, then work again— always looking for a purer phrase of lyrical or

And Are My Sins Expunged?

7/10/2020

This short video plays Track 09 of our new CD: "21 Songs & Hymns."

I wrote this song on July 11, 2008, and have been somewhat hesitant to publish its strong message of assurance ever since!

Would it not be a terrible thing to give a strong— but false— assurance to a person who is still in his sins— still living in a state of adultery, or with "murder" (hatred?) in his heart, or with a

I Like to Sing When I'm Alone

6/27/2020

I LIKE TO SING WHEN I'M ALONE

Since I'm more of a "loner" than most of my friends, I'm thankful God gave me this "people-song" which children— and families with children— love to sing. May you enjoy its encouraging message!

When I wrote the song back in 2003, our society seemed to enjoy a safer and saner culture, so today the song's themes are increasingly vital.

Had I Ten Thousand Tongues to Praise

6/13/2020

HAD I TEN THOUSAND TONGUES TO PRAISE

On a 3x5 Post-It™ note, of all things, I wrote this tune and the first verse of its lyrics, back on Feb. 23rd of 2017— then finished the other three verses the following day.

During these past five decades I've hastily scribbled down songs on envelopes, in stores, in my car on the way to or from work— even on a Kleenex™ once, just as the music was ready to begin at a funeral service.

Sadly, for me personally, this song gives sober reflection on how many HOURS of precious TIME I have wasted in my fifty years as a Christian.

Rise Up, My Love

5/24/2020

Springtime in Israel.

Flowers waving, doves cooing, vineyards and orchards calling, romance is in the air— NEW LIFE is vibrating in every breath we breathe.

How is it possible, that thirty years have passed since I set the six verses of this beautiful passage in King Solomon's "Song of Songs" to music!

So simply and beautifully it shows Christ in all His holy passion and pining, CALLING US AWAY, to run over the hills with Himself!

Thank You, Lord, and thank you, Edith S. Witmer, for arranging it for choir!
______________
FULL LYRICS:

RISE UP, MY LOVE

The voice of my Beloved! Behold, He cometh,
Leaping upon the mountain, Skipping upon the hills!
The voice of my Beloved! Behold, He cometh,
My Beloved spake and said to me,

“Rise up, my love, and come away;
Rise up, my love, my fair one, come away.”

My Beloved is like a roe or a young hart; (young hart)
Behold, He standeth behind our wall!
He looketh forth at the windows,
showing Himself at the lattice.
My Beloved spake and said unto me, (unto me)

“Rise up, my love, and come away;
Rise up, my love, my fair one, come away. (come away)"

“For lo, the winter is past, The rain is over and gone.
The flowers appear on the earth,
The time of the singing of birds is come,
And the voice of the dove is heard in our land;
The fig tree putteth forth her green figs,
The vines with their tender grapes give a good smell.

“Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away!
Rise up, my love, my fair one, come away! (Come away.)"
______________
©1989 Stanley K. Brubaker / Brooksong LLC

Only God Can Make a Morning

5/18/2020

This song came to me early on a Sunday morning, in late September. I was taking a short prayer-walk— just before sunrise— heading eastward.

I don't remember if the sugar maples along the road had already started to color. But as the sun began baptizing the new splendors of the morning around me, the words and music of this simple little hymn started singing together in my heart.

It's one of my wife Janice's favorites; she probably doesn't remember it was written a day before her birthday.
_________________
FULL LYRICS:
ONLY GOD CAN MAKE A MORNING

1.Only God can make a morning full of mystery and bliss!
Only God can make a new day with beauty like this,
Turn the star-shine to sunrise, as the day begins to glow,
While the night-song falls silent 'mid the splendors below,
And we worship You, Lord, O Lord, our Lord, dear Lord,
And we worship You, Lord, our Lord so high.

2.Only God can make a morning full of majesty so bold,
Touch the clouds on the horizon, and paint them with gold;
Bring the birds to full chorus, as He sets His torch ablaze,
While His awe settles o’er us, as we think on His ways,
And we worship You, Lord, O Lord, our Lord, dear Lord,
And we worship You, Lord, our Lord so high.

3.Only God can make a morning like the one that soon will be,
When the Savior comes in splendor and bright majesty;
When we see You, Lord Jesus, Your bright angels circling 'round,
And the King of all Glory in His glory comes down,
We will worship You, Lord, O Lord, our Lord, dear Lord,
We will worship You, Lord, our Lord so high.

Words & Music © 2007 by Stanley K. Brubaker / Brooksong LLC
______________
To purchase this CD with its 21 Original Tracks, or the two pocket-size "Heart Songs" Collections, just click HERE. All three items there are still discounted, and there's an EXTRA discount if you order the "Trio"— each of the Songbook Collections plus the CD.

You probably should do that now, since I need more money, and YOU need more SONG! :-)

After the Tempest

5/8/2020

"After the Tempest" is the first track on the CD we just released, and the first of my eight compositions sprinkled through "Heart Songs" Collection One.
Composed in the late 1980s, this song was a favorite of a dear friend of ours whose MS progressed from walking with a limp, to a walker, then a wheelchair, and finally years being bedridden. His joy in spite of his affliction, and his tears when our family sang this song at his request, will always make it special to us.
To purchase the two "Heart Songs" Collections, and this first CD just click HERE. All three items there are still discounted, and there's an extra discount if you order the "Trio"— each of the Songbook Collections and the CD.

Jared Martin sings "Teach Me, O Lord, to Number My Days"

6/7/2018

Masterly presented by a friend I haven't met yet, here's a song the Lord gave me many years ago, when I was 28 years old. The song is now in at least six hard-cover hymnals, and has been translated into Spanish.

Good job on the video, Jared!

Sun in the Sky, Sailboats On the Sea

12/8/2017

These simple "seaside meditations" celebrate the Goodness of our God, and the amazing gifts of Beauty that He has left for us to enjoy.
My notes tell me that I penned it the day after my 50th birthday, and my prayer today is that it may refresh your spirit, relax you, increase your longing for a closer walk with God
For maximum enjoyment, use a good set of headphones. If you have any desire to memorize the song, the full lyrics are just before the end (at 04:02) so if you pause it there and take a screen-grab of that page, you can text or email it to yourself, for printing it out, or to have it on your mobile phone or tablet for easy access.
If the song blesses you, you can bless me, by hitting the Like button, leaving a positive Comment, or Sharing it with someone else, maybe a shut-in or older person who would love you for it.

Sheri Yutzy Interviews Me about Song-writing

11/17/2017

Sheri is a story-creator and worlds-creator, and occasionally does a "Made to Create Interview." Here's one she did recently, to dig into what I have learned in my several decades of song-writing:

https://sheriyutzy.com/2017/made-create-interview-stan-brubaker/

Shepherd My Heart, O Father

10/21/2017

I wrote this short song last spring, April, 9, 2017, as a simple prayer-hymn.
Like the 23rd Psalm, it reminds us that we really do NEED a shepherd, and that God is ABLE to keep us!
To learn the words, do a Screen-Grab near the end, at 02:46, to print out the lyrics for encouragement or memorization. If you like the video,please share it with someone needing encouragement, and God bless you!

My True Love Waits

10/21/2017

I composed the music and first verse of this old-fashioned "love song" this past Wednesday evening, and the rest of the words Thursday morning.

To me it has a bit of an Irish or Scottish feel, and reminds us of a time when instant communication and travel were not possible, and were therefore very special when realized.

It also shows the beauty of true love, which can only be fully expressed when the couple is each-for-only-the-other, and till-death-do-us-part.

Always Kiss Me Goodnight

8/19/2017

A year ago I saw a gift sign in a local store, with the motto "Always KISS ME Goodnight." I shot a photo of it, then wrote down this tune & one verse of lyrics on a folded pocket paper which I always carry for such a purpose.

God of All Holiness (new song)

7/9/2017

This video is just a "rough draft" video, but maybe it will bless someone, since it contains some beautiful thoughts about our Lord.

Note! If you don't see the words, please go to YouTube (you may have to do it on a computer) and hit the CC button below the video to turn on the Closed Captions, so you can 'hear' the words as it plays.

Two days ago, I used my iPhone to shoot this quick video, about 30 minutes after I started writing the song. I used no audio cables, and added no MIDI instruments. Basically it was just a clip to help me remember these first chords, so I could go back to working on a couple more verses.

Most of my new Christian hymns are metrical, and with near-perfect end-rhyme. I am posting this one, even though it is probably not as "good" as others I hope to post, because I love the thoughts it contains about God. I hope it can bless you, as you think of the goodness and permanence of our God.

To see my other YouTube videos go to my "stanbrubaker" channel.

Oxen Are Lowing in Stables Dim

12/1/2016

Something huge is happening in little Bethlehem tonight... and it's an Event for the Ages!

In this dark little room we hear animals slumbering, a lamb softly bleating, and a few oxen lowing their last sleepy calls of the day. A sleeping rooster has perched near our heads.

But our eyes are drawn to a rough-sawn feed trough, in which a newborn baby lies sleeping. His young Mother looks at Him— with adoring eyes— and beside her a young Jewish man bows before the Babe in amazed worship.

The animals cannot know, and the worshipping man and woman can hardly comprehend, that this helpless, newborn infant is that very Being Who once spoke themselves and our world into existence. But their hearts are bowed, as our should be, before the sacred scene.

Click HERE to see it at my YouTube Channel.

I must apologize again that this is just an unpolished "Demo" and is certainly not "CD Album" quality. My present goal is to get a hundred or so of my songs out of their folders, and see if I get any feedback toward hiring professional CDs made, or making some of them available in sheet music or songbooks.

Oxen Are Lowing In Stables Dim

Oxen are lowing in stables dim,
Dark are the alleys in Bethlehem;
Hush, children, sleep, through the whispering night,
Circled by stars with a radiance bright.

Slumber, Judea, amid your hills,
Shepherds awake to celestial thrills;
Hark! the bright Angel speaks to their fear--
Tidings of gladness of Life they hear.

Sleep, deeply sleep, O Bethlehem,
Oxen and rooster, and donkey and Lamb--
Joseph bows down to the One they've adored,
Mary exults in her newborn Lord.

Sleep, little Child from the Father, sleep,
Hidden away in the silences deep;
Dim is the stable, dark is the night,
Where You are shining, dear Child of Light.

© 2006 by Stanley K. Brubaker / Brooksong LLC
Call the composer at 269-228-1999, or email him at [email protected]

Write It On the Wind

11/23/2016

What an AMAZING development... that the all-powerful Creator GOD would send Himself to Earth in helpless form, to be born of a young Jewish virgin.

May this song help us to meditate on the meaning of the miracle, and encourage us to pass it along to those who have not yet heard the story.

Click here to see it on my YouTube channel.

Write It On the Wind

Write it on the Wind, in letters made of sand,
Send it to the reaches of the earth again,
Who will hear the message? Who will understand--
Written on the Wind in letters made of sand?
Who will understand?

Write it on the Clouds, so huge across the blue,
Sailing over oceans and the mountains too;
Who will hear the message, knowing it is true--
Written in the Heaven, scrolling through the blue?
Who will understand? Who will understand?

Write it on your Heart, to pass along today,
Moisten it with tears to soften up the clay,
Give it to the Angel— speed it on its way--
Written on your heart and given to the clay.
Who will understand? Who will understand?

Write it in His tears, all hidden from the earth,
Give it to the virgin, bring it to its birth,
Show it to the shepherds, worship at its worth--
Written in a groaning, given to the earth.
Who will understand?

Written in the Word, and given to the poor,
Bless it to the children of the sick and sore,
Breathe upon the Mystery, open wide the Door--
Open up your hand and give it to the poor.
Who will understand? Who will understand?
__________________________
© 2006 by Stanley K. Brubaker / Brooksong.org
Phone 269-228-1999 Email: [email protected]
Permission is hereby granted for non-commercial uses.

Lord, My Love, Watch Over Her

10/15/2016

This short song is a PRAYER for GOD and His ANGELS to protect and keep a LOVED ONE who is going away for a time.
The tune and words of the song came to me seven weeks ago as I was watching my lovely wife Janice drive out our driveway with our daughter Anna, who was taking her to the Philadelphia airport, so she could make an earlier-than-we-had-expected flight to Colorado for a couple of weeks to help at a friend's birth (Janice is a Certified Doula).
[This ROUGH Demo Video is downloadable, and can also be seen here on YouTube.]

Lord, My Love, Watch Over Her

Lord, my Love, watch over her,
As she goes away;
Fold her in bright angel wings—
Keep her safe, I pray.
Love her as I love her, Lord,
Gently, strongly, keep her, Lord,
Heart of mine, to have, to hold—
Hold her close today.

Heaven’s child— O keep her, Lord,
Down the^unfolding path;
Heaven’s mercies give her, Lord,
Blessings to the last.
Angels bright attend her, Lord,
Ever to defend her, Lord,
Heaven’s love within her, Lord—
Keep your child, I ask.

__________________________________________
© 2016 by Stanley K. Brubaker / Brooksong LLC
Composed Aug.26, 2016 Phone 269-228-1999
Email: [email protected]

Not a Shadow Lies Between Us

9/5/2016

This simple song is easily sung, but carries a powerful message. As committed 'Christ-followers' we have the privilege of exercising our faith continually, by saying Yes to God's faithfulness, in every situation.
Lord, deliver us into the very highest and best that you have for each one of us, that we may SHINE, as lights in this world.
[This ROUGH Demo Video is downloadable.]

Not a Shadow Lies Between Us

Not a shadow lies between us: My Lord and I
Share the brightness of His likeness, like the clear crystal sky;
Like the rainbow in the storm cloud, I am standing on His Word,
And I am resting on His promise in the goodness of the Lord,
Yes, I am resting on His promise, in the goodness of the Lord.

Like the Mountains Around Jerusalem

8/21/2016

Does God still care for Israel? Does such a tiny nation, with its despised and maligned people, yet have reason to believe in a hope and a future?

In a powerful summary sentence Paul tells us, in Rom. 11:26, that even though they are enemies of the Gospel, "they are beloved for the fathers' sakes." Surely they are a supreme object lesson for us, portraying even today the amazing faithfulness and mercies of our Creator— and the vilest sinner can take hope in those mercies.

From poetic and prophetic passages of sacred Scripture this hymn springs forth to remind us that Yes!— our Heavenly Father still cares about His people, and will protect them for His own glorious purposes. It looks forward in sure triumph of Faith to that coming day when God will be glorified in Israel, as Life and Truth flow out to all nations. This will be a sure work of God, and all men will marvel. Blessed is he who believes. [ Video is downloadable. ]

Like the Mountains Around Jerusalem

Like the mountains around Jerusalem, I surround you with My love,
I will guard you as My chosen one— you're My darling and My dove;
When your foes would rise against you, evil enemies draw nigh,
I am jealous to defend you, as the apple of Mine eye,

Come Ye Apart

8/18/2016

Remember the time Jesus invited His disciples to "Come apart and rest for awhile"? This simple hymn invites us to do likewise— by coming unto Jesus Himself, Who is our own true Rest.
Have you heard the "Divine Whoa!" recently? Possibly not— but when the Holy Spirit whispers to us, may we turn aside, and season our busy lives with some simple celebrations of resting, refocusing, revitalizing, refreshing, and renewing— by coming to Him.

Come Ye Apart

"Come ye apart," the Savior is calling,
"Come, ye distressed, and rest for awhile;
Billows may roll their crowd-fevered madness,
Turn from the tempest— Come ye apart.

I Kneel Beside the Jordan River

8/16/2016

[An 'Early-American'-flavored "Spiritual" with Harp and Pan Flute sounds]

Yes, I had to smile— as I looked in the folder for this song I composed nearly ten years ago— when I saw two variations of the lyrics. At the top of the one paper I had written "Proper English"— and on the other, "Cotton-pickin' English."

Since this song is a "spiritual" I'm choosing to favor the latter version, with its colloquial, and hopefully-not-too-offensive, dialect, to give the song more authenticity.

When I ponder the difficult lives of the colonial slaves on our early-American soils, I rejoice that some of them knew the mercies of Jesus, and kept their Faith alive, even through sometimes horrible and harrowing circumstances, by singing such simple, arrows-from-the-heart, hymns of Hope.

May we also, amid the deluge of our social media, choose daily to be active SING-ers of simple songs that move our hearts, and stir our spirits toward God.

I Kneel Beside the Jordan River

I kneel beside the Jordan River, deep and wide,
Feel the lonely billows rollin' over me,
Know that I will soon be on the other side,
Free— forever free;
Listen! Do you hear the angel sayin',
"Wontcha come along without delayin'?
Soon you'll leave your sins behind, and all your prayin'—
Walk on through with me."

Purpose of Blog

Tips... Insights... Song-writing How-to... Critiques... Time-saving Methods... to help make YOU a joyful bard for the Lord.

My best-known songs are probably "Lo, I Come"– composed before I was married– and "Teach Me, O Lord, to Number My Days" which you may have seen in various hymnals. I have many others trying to sneak out of their file folders, to join the march of music around the world.

Some will be introduced here first as just lyrics, to study the crafting of their messages, others will have music mp3 files or videos also.

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