So You Wanna Go Back To Egypt

Ok, it has taken a few days, but here we go in the continuing series of posts about Keith Green and his music.

I have just finished the newest edition of the biography of Keith written by his wife Melody. This is an expanded and updated edition, and it is excellent. Even though this is the fourth time I have read this book, and I knew how it was going to end, it still moves me emotionally every time I read it. This is a book that needs to be read by every believer who wants to fully commit themselves to their Lord and Savior.

Ok, now on to the music.

The third album that Keith recorded was called, "So You Wanna Go Back To Egypt".


The most unique thing about this album was this: Keith gave it to you for whatever you could afford. Even if you couldn't afford anything, he would send it to you for free. At his concerts he would let you have it for whatever you could afford, even if it was nothing. You couldn't find it in the bookstores at first. All they would have is an order blank, you filled out the order blank, sent it in with whatever you could afford (even if it was nothing) and Keith would send you the album and send the bookstore a dollar for having the order forms available. Even if you could not afford to pay Keith anything for the album, he still sent the bookstore a dollar for carrying the order forms. Eventually he let the bookstores carry the album, but only with a sticker that said, "If you cannot afford to pay the full price for this record, write to the address below and send whatever you can afford to pay, even if it is nothing and we will mail you an album." When interviewed by a christian magazine who gave Keith a hard time for giving the album away, he was confronted with a statement along the lines of, "Well, if they can't afford to buy the album, they probably don't have anything to listen to it on anyway, what will you do about that?" Keith's response was that while he would not buy anyone a fancy sound system, he would send someone a protable cassette player and a tape (for whatever they could afford....even if it was nothing) in order for them to be ministered to by the music. Is that a radical idea or what? Does anybody do this in music ministry today? While pastors are paid a salary (hopefully), the salary is paid out of the offerings the church collects, which is strictly on a voluntary basis. While that is considered the norm for pastors, Keith is the only christian musician I have ever known who did this with his music.

As for the songs on the album, they reflected the growth and maturity that comes with walking with the Lord. Keith was still very outspoken, but he was starting to understand the grace of God and how that works in our lives as beleivers. This was reflected in many of the songs, and yet he still confronted lukewarm and apathetic beleivers.

This quickly became my favorite Keith Green album of all, and stayed that way until just recently (more about that, hopefully, tomorrow). Just a little bit of trivia about this album, it featured a rock legend, who said that he loved to listen to Keith's albums. He played harmonica on at least one song, and maybe more. His name is Robert Zimmerman, but you probably know him better as Bob Dylan.

Anyway, here are some lyrics to some of the songs on this album.

"So You Wanna Go Back To Egypt"

"So you wanna go back to Egypt
Where it's warm and secure
Are sorry you bought the one way ticket
When you thought you were sure
You wanted to live in the land of promise
But now it's getting so hard
Are you sorry you're out here in the desert
Instead of your own back yard

Eating leaks and onions by the Nile
Ooh what breath for dining out in style
Ooh, my life's on the skids
Building the pyramids

Well there's nothing do but travel
And we sure travel a lot
'Cause it's hard to keep your feet from moving
When the sand gets so hot
And in the morning it's manna hotcakes
We snack on manna all day
And we sure had a winner last night for dinner
Flaming manna souffle

Well we once complained for something new to munch
The ground opened up and had some of us for lunch
Ooh, such fire and smoke
Can't God even take a joke? Huh? NO!

So you wanna to back to Egypt
Where your friends wait for you
You can throw a big party and tell the whole gang
Of what they said was all true
And this Moses acts like a big shot
Who does he think he is?
Well it's true that God works lots of miracles
But Moses thinks they're all his

Oh we're having so much trouble even now
Why'd he get so mad about that c-c-c-cow (that golded calf)
Moses seems rather idle
He just sits aound, he just sits around and writes the Bible!

Oh, Moses, put down your pen!
What? Oh no, manna again?

Oh, manna waffles....
Manna burgers
Manna bagels
Fillet of manna
Manna-cotti?
BaManna bread!"

"You Love The World (And You're Avoiding Me)"

"I want you here with me.
But you've been keeping other company.
You can't sit still, it's plain to see.
You love the world and you're avoiding me.

My word sits there upon your desk.
But you love your books and magazines the best.
Prefer the light of your TV.
You love the world, and you're avoiding me.

You used to pray, you were so brave.
Now you can't keep even one appointment we've made.
Oh I gave my blood, to save you life.
Tell me, tell me is it right?
Will you leave me here along again tonight?

Well I love you, still more and more.
But you're fighting everything I'm working for.
You're acting like my enemy.
You love the world and you're avoiding me.

These other loves, they're hurting you.
If you end up losing me, then what will you do?
Oh, I gave my blood, to save your life.
Tell me, tell me is it right?
Will you leave me here alone again tonight?

Well, I want you, here with me.
But you've been keeping other company.
Prefer the light, of your TV.
You love the world, and you're avoiding me.
You love the world, you love the world,
You love the world and you're avoiding me.
Oh, you love the world.
You love the world and you're avoiding me."

"I Want To Be More Like Jesus"

"As each day passes by,
I feel my love run dry.
I get so weary, worn,
And tossed around in the storm.
Well I'm blind to all his needs,
And I'm tired of planting seeds.
I seem to have a wealth,
Of so many thoughts about myself.

I want to, I need to, be more like jesus.
I want to, I need to, be more like him.

Our father's will was done,
By giving us his son,
Who paid the highest cost,
To point us to the cross.
And when I think of him,
Taking on the whole world's sin,
I take one look at me,
Compared to what I'm called to be.

I want to, I need to, be more like jesus.
I want to, I need to, be more like him.
Remember, there's no greater love,
Then to lay down your life for a friend.

The end of all my prayers,
Is to care like my lord cares.
My one and only goal,
His image in my soul.
Yes my weakness is revealed,
When by his stripes I'm healed.
He's faithful and he's true,
To complete the work he begins in you."

"Lies"

"When I was young I used to believe everything that I heard, just what I heard.
But now the only thing that I can believe is god's word, his holy word.
But even now my doubts will open up for me a world that I just despise.
And then the shades come down, the light turn off,
And I'm left alone with my helpless cries.
When I hear all his lies. all of the devil's wicked lies.
If you believe and your faith just dies.
Don't you be a fool, don't you even open up,
Or expose yourself to just one of his wicked lies.

I want to go around the world and prove jesus lives, you know he lives.
And we're not only friends, we're family, we're relatives, relatives.
But when I'm far from home and so alone, and my imagined fears get so oversized.
That's when I listen to the one no one should listen to, and get fooled by his disguise.
Feeling weak from his lies, all of his bad wicked lies,
If you believe and your faith just dies.
Don't you get fooled, don't you even open up,
Or expose yourself to just one of his wicked lies.

If you're well read, you probably know how the story goes.
That wolf can look so good especially dressed in the right clothes, the wooly clothes.
And as he starts to knit the counterfeit he'll totally make you feel like you're paralyzed.
He'll keep you spun around and looking down,
Just when you should be looking straight to the skies.
Pleading help from his lies, all of the devil's wicked lies.
If you believe and your faith just dies.
Don't you be a fool, don't you even open up, or expose yourself,
To one of his wicked lies, to one of his wicked lies."

"Romans VII"

"The very things I hate, I end up doing,
The things I want to do, I just don't do.
Lord it seems do sad, why am I so bad?
When in my heart I only want to be like you.

The very ones I love I end up hurting,
The ones I want to help I pass right by.
Now I want to be, finally set free
The grace you've shown, the love I've known,
Please let it shine through me.

I want to love them, the way you do,
I want to serve them, by serving you

Lord how I know your tender heart must be broken,
By all those unkept promises I've made,
The question still prevails, please take away the doubt,
About how you forgive, and still you live inside when I fail

I want to love them all, the way you do,
I want to serve them, by serving you.
I want to be like you - Jesus I do

I want to love them all, the way you do,
I want to serve them, by serving you."

And lastly, here is my all time favorite Keith Green song. I have posted the lyrics on another blog here back in April 2007. I'll share the story behind why this song is so important to me at a future date. But the bottom line is this, without the grace of God, we are all hopeless. Our salvation is one huge, enormous, gigantic, unfathomable act of grace.

"Grace By Which I Stand"

"Lord, the feelings are not the same,
I guess I'm older, I guess I've changed.
And how I wish it had been explained, that as you're growing you must remember,
That nothing lasts, except the grace of God, by which I stand, in Jesus.
I know that I would surely fall away, except for grace, by which I'm saved.
Lord, I remember that special way,
I vowed to serve you, when it was brand new.
But like Peter, I can't even watch and pray, one hour with you,
And I bet, I could deny you too.

But nothing lasts, except the grace of God, by which I stand, in Jesus.
I'm sure that my whole life would waste away, except for grace, by which I'm saved.
But nothing lasts, except the grace of God, by which I stand, in Jesus.
I know that I would surely fall away, except for grace, by which I'm saved."

If things go well, tomorrow I will post about the last album that was released before Keith was taken home to be with Jesus. "Songs For The Shepherd" was released April 12, 1982 and Keith along with two of his children and several others would die in a plane crash just a few months later on July 28, 1982.

Pastor Dave