Dedicated to Chris Anderson
Released: 8/3/1991
Romans 12:1-2 has received a pretty thorough representation in the Living Water Composition Project because it's a very important verse in my own life. I don't tire of its message, and think that no Christian ever should. After all, we're always fighting against the attempts of the world to squeeze us into the shape it wants us to take.
This song is Chris' because he was a highly-ranked swimmer in high
school, and it took Amy
Somes all of three or four seconds to make the association. The
style is Fifties boogie rock(I suppose it harks back to an old, old,
dance called "The Swim" too), and features an option for the tenor
section to do an optional full voice stretch into the middle soprano
range to attain the strident, tight sound characteristic of a number
of male pop singers.
God has made this song to be consistently well-received; for
instance, when we sang it at the 1992 Tri-Valley Choral Festival in
Dublin, California, someone over to our left started clapping in time
to the music during the second verse, and it was just a matter of
seconds before everyone else there was rejoicing in the same way.
Curious historical event: When we first sang this at Valley Church on March 22, 1992, God engineered a little joke: It rained!
This song is featured on the recording of the Living Water 15-Year Reunion Concert available (exclusively!) from Choraegus ShareMusic for $10.00 per CD, plus $3.00 shipping and handling.
Chorus: You've gotta swim, swim against the tide,
Don't just go along for the ride,
You've gotta follow follow the Son of God
who died to buy eternal life for you,
You've gotta move, move against the flow,
Don't go where all, all the other people go,
You've gotta live above the status quo
and follow God's plan for you!Now there's a world that's out there tryin'
to press you in its mold,
And there's a devil who's really dyin'
To twist your heart and soul,
He'll pour temptation in your brain
to lead your mind astray,
And send cascades of guilt and pain
to push you off the way.Chorus Now there's a Lord who's fully willin'
to make His life your own,
And have His Holy Spirit fillin'
the heart that is His home,
He'll give you power to stand for right
as on Him you depend,
And bring you vict'ry in the fight
against the worldly trend.Chorus