God So Loved The World
God So Loved The World
"This song grabbed me the first time I heard it. Arvid isn't just a great songwriter, he's also a great drummer, and his unique approach to rhythm bring very fresh inspiration for his writing. He really played with time signatures in this song, but in such a way that it actually comes across as (incredibly) intuitive to sing. The first time I heard it, I was hooked.
The lyric was about Jesus being the hero of all, saving the world, and I wanted to try to wrap it around John 3:16 since I haven't known a song to do that in a while. But I also wanted to emphasize the nations side of it; after all, God so loved the world. Ever since the first time I heard the song I knew it needed to address the nations! The music already expressed a unique sound because of the play on time signatures (3/4, 4/4, and 2/4 in the verse, 5/4 and 6/4 in the chorus) and it felt somewhat "global" to me because of that." (Aaron Keyes)
GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD
Written by Arvid Asmussen (KODA), Aaron Keyes (ASCAP)
© 2015 Common Hymnal Publishing (ASCAP), 10000 Fathers (ASCAP) (admin by IntegratedRights.com). CCLI 7061297.
VERSE 1
I was lost without a clue, I was dead apart from you
I live because you loved and gave yourself for me
Merciful and meek
VERSE 2
I have been a fearful fraud, you have been a faithful God
I live because you loved and gave yourself for me
Purchased my release
CHORUS 1
God so loved the world he gave his only son to rescue us
There is no one like our savior
We will sing the nations' songs to heaven's king and Lord of all
He will be our home forever
VERSE 3
You are in the air I breathe, you are all-surrounding me
I live and move in you and have my being
All in you my king
VERSE 4
Everything I am, I bring, anything for you, my king
I live and move in you and have my being
All for you my king
CHORUS 2
Every tribe and every tongue will join the everlasting song
All the world as one will worship him
Every knee will bow before the loving king and living Lord
Mercy always triumphs in the end
"A bird's eye view into the process of how I translated the song from Danish into English." (Aaron Keyes)
"It took a while to find the right balance in the chorus of having the right content without having too much content. I wrote about 25 different versions of the chorus, some of which you can see in the worksheet excerpt below." (Aaron Keyes)