I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me ~ Galatians 2:20 ESV
There is nothing people can or need to do. Only Christ could do—and has done—what must be done to make people acceptable to God.
Album: Turn Up the Divine
Inspired by Galatians 2:14–21
Video Credits: E.M.
© 2024 Eddy Mann
‘Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker;’ ~ Psalm 95:6
Over the next few weeks you’ll no doubt start to see O’ Come popping up on the landscape of your favorite social network and streaming platform. It’s a new Christmas offering, but what with the blurred lines of advertising and the rush to beat the competition these days, there doesn’t seem to be traditional calendar seasons anymore. That being the case, management expressed that I should plan on having it available in the beginning of November to achieve a Christmas footprint.
So here’s the announcement of my new single, one that will certainly continue to ramp up over the next few weeks as Thanksgiving approaches.
On the heels of the release of It’s Time, Lord comes the release of O’Come. It’s a prayerful plea for hope in a world where even when there’s a moment of light, there’s still darkness. Relying on a historical refrain, the message is still relevant as we continue to encounter human brokenness on a daily basis.
Pray on,
Eddy
A re-imagining of a familiar Christmas refrain, as it happened during a spontaneous time of worship in December of 2024. It was sung beneath a prayer reading from the Book of Psalms.
‘Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker;’ (Psalm 95:6)
Do you spend more time thinking about the future or the past? Why?
I spend the majority of my time attempting to live in the moment. It’s an outgrowth of trying to be more mindful. I can’t change the past, and I have little to no control of the future, so it’s the minute at hand that has the most to offer me.
The future is a very fragile and unpredictable thing. We have no way of assuring how each day, let alone our week, or year, will turn out with any certainty. I was reflecting on this and the use of the word someday when I wrote this song. I was thinking about how we often refer to someday in describing our future dreams and endeavors. My parents always spoke of someday as in my future, down the road, and spiritually God also does, but life has an uncanny way of sneaking up on us when we least expect it.
Someday was oh so later
Someday was down the road
But someday just happened to me now
~ E.M.
Album: Stars Under My Feet
Video Credit: E.M.
Available at http://www.eddymann.com
© 2017 Eddy Mann
Hissongs | ASCAP
What motivates you?
My motivation each and everyday is to serve and give back simply because I’ve been so blessed. I love on others because I was first loved. I know it can sound too sweet at times, but the truth is the truth, and that’s the honest …
Let my love be my mark…
Be my mark in this world
Let my love be my alms…
Be my alms to the Lord
~ E.M.
I’m dropping another single from the Trio album this month and wanted to share a little background on it’s conception.
The song has a metaphorically smiling lyric that prayerfully will challenge the listener a bit. The title was actually from a magazine article that I had stumbled upon. When I first saw it, I immediately recognized a lyrical idea that could be light in a comical sense, but at the same time thoughtfully spiritual. History has demonstrated to me on more than a few occasions how wonderfully guard-dropping this approach can be.
I’m always looking for a way to stir up the listener’s imagination, and hopefully conjure up some emotional response from them. In this case, maybe even some abstract thinking.
Musically the composition was once again a reaction to the Blicher, Hemmer, Gadd album called Omara, which dominated my playlist throughout the early months of 2022.
Lyrics:
Early in the morning, any time of day
Any time’s a good time, any kind of way
I can take it cold, any time at all
It goes down easy, in the local church hall
So tell me?
Tell me, please?
Won’t you tell me?
How well do you know ‘Za?
If I had my way, I’d always have more
More than may be normal, a note of folklore
Some cry, ‘oh no!, you can’t do that!’
Preaching to the misfit, like some green-eyed cat
So tell me?
Tell me, please?
Oh won’t you tell me?
How well do you know ‘Za?
Don’t give me substitutes, don’t give me theories
No hypothetical miniseries
Just give me a slice, a verse or two
Yeah, I’m a greek guy, but any version will do
I go traditional, I go New York
I go with fold it, or a knife and fork
I don’t go judging, so don’t judge me
Just offer me a bite, and let my manna be
So tell me?
Tell me, please?
Won’t you tell me?
How well do you know ‘Za?
© 2022 Eddy Mann
Hissongs | ASCAP
Album: Trio
Video Credit: E.M. | Pizza by Alfredo (dafont.com)
Available on the platform of your choice.
YouTube Link
‘Za is the fourth single release from December’s Trio album. A sparse reimagining of the tradition trio setting.
This song has a metaphorically smiling lyric that should challenge the listener a bit. The title was actually from a magazine article that I had stumbled upon. I immediately recognized what I wanted to say, or maybe play with is a better explanation. I’m always looking for a way to stir up a listener’s imagination, and hopefully conjure up some emotional response from them. In this case, maybe even some abstract thinking.
Lyrics:
Early in the morning, any time of day
Any time’s a good time, any kind of way
I can take it cold, any time at all
It goes down easy, in the local church hall
So tell me?
Tell me, please?
Won’t you tell me?
How well do you know ‘Za?
If I had my way, I’d always have more
More than may be normal, a note of folklore
Some cry, ‘oh no!, you can’t do that!’
Preaching to the misfit, like some green-eyed cat
So tell me?
Tell me, please?
Oh won’t you tell me?
How well do you know ‘Za?
Don’t give me substitutes, don’t give me theories
No hypothetical miniseries
Just give me a slice, a verse or two
Yeah, I’m a greek guy, but any version will do
I go traditional, I go New York
I go with fold it, or a knife and fork
I don’t go judging, so don’t judge me
Just offer me a bite, and let my manna be
So tell me?
Tell me, please?
Won’t you tell me?
How well do you know ‘Za?
© 2022 Eddy Mann
Hissongs | ASCAP
Album: Trio
Video Credits: EM | Pizza by Alfredo (Dafont.com)
YouTube Link
Website
A combination of things brought this song to life rather quickly. It was a year ago February (Black History Month), when I was inspired by the poem, ‘As I Grew Older‘ by Langston Hughes. The softening of time touched a nerve within me and I felt the need to comment on it, and so I did.
Musically as 2022 arrived I had been taking a deep dive into the organ trio Blicher, Hemmer, Gadd and their album, ‘Omara.’ Recalling a season quite a way back where I played 300 some dates in an organ trio, this arrangement became an outcome of the many smoke filled nights from that different world. I truly believe that when we write, perform, and listen to music it seeps deep into our soul and often needs some time to brew down there before creatively rising up in a new form.
The studio process was seamless, it really was uneventful other than my rather large grin that continued to grow through the sessions. There’s no excess on the whole Trio project, just the essentials.
I should add as a clarification that I included the DR in the title, ‘The DReam’ to honor Dr. Martin Luther King.
Lyrics:
A long, long time ago
So long ago I’ve forgotten
A notion filled my mind
A dream divinely begotten
But suddenly a distance appeared
Vanquished, the dream disappeared
A long, long shadow
Grew ever longer every day
In the darkness I struggled
Contentious in my way
But nothing by chance impressed
The dream dimmed and was suppressed
My credence, my steadfast credence
Strengthened my enchanted moonbeam
My journey will not be abandoned
Providence will shelter the dream
A long, long tomorrow
As long as the aim can see
Good fortune will indwell me
I’ve been reassured lovingly
That in the cards works a love supreme
A love that’ll ascertain the dream
© 2022 Eddy Mann
Hissongs | ASCAP
Album: Trio
Video Credit: E.M. | 愚木混株 Cdd20
YouTube Link
Available at http://www.eddymann.com
We are by nature creative beings. We’re wired to be imaginative, to be innovative, and to be resourceful. Regardless of what we do for a living, we’ll do it better if we’re thinking as a visionary.
The title of this song was inspired by a random magazine article entitled For the Love of Vinyl, It grabbed my attention immediately and I found the lyric to be an easier than usual creation.
I had just read an inspiring Rich Kirkpatrick blog on our need be creative so I found myself within the creative flow very quickly.
We are created in the image of our Creator… so dare to be a dreamer.
Lyrics:
Life is a bohemial existence
With a disregarding tenet or two
With non-conventional thoughts and reason
And behavior that some might misconstrue
Life is a juvenescent sandbox
Where building roams beyond confines
Where boundless minds can wander
Coloring where there are no lines
Welcome to the splintered aggregation
Where odd resolve to get even
Curious for the love of art
And the courage to brave the unbelievin’
Life is a poetic string of ramblings
Written in the margins of the day
Multicolored snap-shots in couplets
A work of acrobatic wordplay
Life is a whimsical pallet
Daring you to conjure the extreme
Releasing your inherent rhapsody
For the love of art must venture to dream
For the love of art; write the unspoken
For the love of art; paint the unseen
For the love of art; voice the unheard
For the love of art
© 2022 Eddy Mann
Hissongs | ASCAP
Album: Trio
Video Credit: E.M.
YouTube Link: https://youtu.be/RZZURiRreqs
Available at http://www.eddymann.com
The question is… Your will, my will, or His?
~ E.M.
Album: Stars Under My Feet
Video Credit: Yaroslav Shuraev | E.M.
Available at http://www.eddymann.com
© 2017 Eddy Mann
Hissongs | ASCAP
Lyrics:
I’d like to believe it’s just you and me
And the tiny little world we’ve carved out
But I can’t deceive what my eyes perceive
That there’s always a speckle of doubt
In your playful dreams it’s just you and me
In a 5 Below novella
But in my prayerful mind I sense a plan that’s divine
And there’s no prince or Cinderella
What if this?
What if that?
What you gonna rhyme if I drop my hat?
I can’t promise you more than the hippest cat
What if it comes down to that?
Will you be mine?
Will you be my sunshine?
Whose will provides the fizz
Will I be yours?
Will there be tempting doors?
Your will, my will, or His?
In the beginning we swore against sinning
And said we’d be pure until ashes
But words won’t protect us from life’s unexpected
Only perfect love’s cancels out crashes
©️ 2017 Eddy Mann
Hissongs | ASCAP
Works 