Just To Be A Child Again
Just To Be A Child Again
”If I could go back in time and talk to 13-year-old me, I’d tell her that all the pieces of this sometimes puzzled life eventually fall into place.” (Brittney Spencer)
JUST TO BE A CHILD AGAIN
Written by Brittney Spencer (BMI), David Brymer (ASCAP)
© 2018 Common Hymnal Digital (BMI), BSpencer Publishing (BMI), Common Hymnal Publishing (ASCAP), Innerland (ASCAP), Underground Treasure (ASCAP) (admin by IntegratedRights.com). CCLI 7119232.
VERSE 1
A
Cut it down to make it grow
Bm
Anything worth letting go
F#m
Make me little again
D
Make it all make sense
A
Let me be, let me sing
Bm
Cause it eases all the pain
F#m
I was young, I grew older
D
Just to be a child again
CHORUS
A Bm
Da Da Da Da Da Da Da
F#m
Da Da Da Da Da Da Da
D
Da Da Da Da Da Da Da
A
Just to be a child again
VERSE 2
When I knew the Holy Ghost
The thing that I remember most
I was closer to my purpose
And what I was meant to be
Love with no expectation
Asking so many questions
When trust was natural and real
And I embraced with empathy
BRIDGE
D E
I don't wanna judge my neighbor
A/C# D
I want the stranger as my friend
Dmaj7 E
To unlearn all this learned behavior
A/C# D
To face the darkness within
D E
Give my soul a deep awareness
A/C# D
Tenderize my heart again
Dmaj7 E
To sit, in suffering, with another
D/F# E/G#
Until the tears come to an end
More Songs Written By Brittney Spencer
If I could go back in time and talk to 13-year-old me, I’d tell her that all the pieces of this sometimes puzzled life eventually fall into place. I’d tell her that all the aching questions keeping her up at night somehow send her on a lifetime of adventure. I’d tell her not to let society define beauty, her goals or how to view and treat the world and people around her. I’d tell her how strong she is and that after all these years, I’m still always trying to get back to her, just to be a child again.
This song was written on a sweet afternoon after some laughter and great conversation between friends David and Brittney, an afternoon that turned into a soul-searching writing session. In one sense, everything was on the table.. the loss of innocence, relationship with the Holy Spirit, prejudice and fear, friendship and rejection, racism and reconciliation, suffering and empathy... and each theme as it was honestly discussed was explored and woven into a simple song with an effortless chorus that felt like it just floated out of the breeze... a carefree melody followed with the line "just to be a child again". One of David's highlights that resonated most with him is the line "to unlearn all this learned behavior". So much of our blindness to see and treat our brother and sister as they are and not as we think them to be is very connected to our conditioning, things we've seen and learned growing up, and that forms our beliefs more than we know. David has come to a place where he realizes he can't see or deal with his own prejudices without the help of others and the Holy Spirit, and that phrase came from his desire to be more aware. Both David and Brittney ended up so excited with the finished song, and it was evident that something special had been formed in the process. More than a song, it was a tender moment in the midst of a larger conversation, and they both believe it will bring others who listen into that same moment.