Copyright © 2017 Kyle Knapp. All rights reserved.
Refugee -
Though the concept of this album was inspired, in large measure, by the history of Europe's "eastern bloc" countries, the effects of tyranny can be found throughout all regions of the globe and in every culture of humanity (more..)
Track List (click for lyrics)
words and music by Kyle Knapp
What has become of the laughter of the gypsies?
Or the tillers of the soil in their simplicity?
Did a faithless lover's promise leave your hope undone
when a veil of iron blotted out the sun?
I've seen a desecrated land where all that should be green is black
And the Danube is no longer blue
And the children choke in homage, in the incense of the smokestacks,
To the gods of unrelenting rule
Romania! In a world that killed your fathers,
Crucified your land and sky, poisoned all the water,
Sold you into bondage, took away your will to live,
Can you find the grace to heal and to forgive?
Romania!
We live our peaceful Western lives, disinclined to face the tears
of our kindred in their woe.
We ignore the voiceless victims of utopia gone awry,
Is the friend worse than the foe?
Romania! In a world that raped your daughters,
Crucified your land and sky, poisoned all the water,
Sold you into bondage, took away your will to live,
Can you find the grace to heal and to forgive?
Romania!
My heart is with you, but do you dare receive my love
After decades filled with promises and lies?
Oh my brave and broken people, can your ancient pain be healed?
Is there justice for the orphans of the world?
Romania! With your wounded sons and daughters,
Is there enough left to rebuild? Did you survive the slaughter?
While your struggle is unwon, until you live in peace,
I will plead your cause to Heaven on my knees!
Romania!
©1992 Kyle Knapp
words and music by Kyle Knapp
Standing out in the cold I see a refugee
To the empires of this age you've refused to bend your knee
Guess again! Do you really think you can make it on your own?
Someday you'll reap the seeds you've sown
Someday you'll cry, "Somebody rescue me!"
Do you think that anyone will hear your helpless plea, refugee?
Where're you gonna turn when the sky is falling down?
Try everything you know -
Forget the lies that you've been told! The answer's not within!
Only the cross of Jesus can free you from your sin
Someday you'll cry, "Somebody rescue me!"
Do you think that anyone will hear your helpless plea, refugee?
There is someone who knows your secret pain, refugee
Only one place to find shelter from the rain, refugee
Oh, no, it doesn't matter where you've been, refugee
You've got to learn to trust again
Don't think you're all alone -
But the Rock of ages took me in
His love is a mighty fortress -
You can find security in Him
All of us are refugees from the cruelty of our times
No hope, no shelter, no peace of mind
You'd better put your trust in Jesus -
The power of death and life are His
and when at last you cry, "Somebody rescue me!"
I'm telling you the truth my friend, He'll hear your helpless plea, refugee
He's the only one that can heal your secret pain, refugee
Only one place to find shelter from the rain, refugee
Oh, you're welcome in the fold, refugee
It's time to come in from the cold
I'm telling you the truth, my friend,
He'll hear your helpless plea, refugee
He'll hear you, refugee
He'll save you, refugee
Come inside now.
©1993 Kyle Knapp
(lyrics adapted from Psalm 92)
It is a good thing to give thanks to the Lord
To sing praises to Your Name
To declare Your faithfulness by night
Your mercies in the day
On an instrument of strings
A song that echoes thru the land
I sing for joy at the works of Your hands
For You, oh Lord, have made me glad!
How awesome are Thy works oh Lord!
Your thoughts too deep for man
Though some, in ignorance, may doubt your goodness
Oh, they just don't understand
That when the wicked seem to spring up like the grass,
And evil seems to grow, their end will come at last
Blinded by their greed, they can't see the end they're headed for:
To be wiped away forevermore
But You oh Lord, You reign on high forever! Forever!
And all who dare to stand against your glory will be scattered
But as for me, You've exalted my horn
Like the wild ox proud and free
Behold, a righteous man will flourish like a palm tree
Planted in the courts of God, with branches full and green
And when he's old, he'll bear a fruitful legacy
To declare of God my Rock, "There is no unrighteousness in Thee!"
It is a good thing to give thanks to the Lord
It is a good thing to give thanks to the Lord
It is a good thing to give thanks to the Lord
And to sing praises to Thy name
And to sing praises to Thy name, Oh Most High!
And to sing praises to Thy name, Oh Most High!
And to sing praises to Thy name!
It is a good thing
It is a good thing to give thanks to the Lord
©1997 Kyle Knapp
words and music by Kyle Knapp (inspired by the book of Ecclesiastes)
In this realm of here and now
Where meaning passes by like faces in a crowd
Where do I run?
Does it matter what I do
If there is nothing new under the sun?
You can only see so far
When you're looking with your eyes and not your heart
But is there anything beyond?
What the prophet said is true:
There is nothing new under the sun
Eyes are open but do not see
Everything is vanity
Ending just where we begin
Chasing the wind
There's a hope on the wing
In the voice of the Maker of all things
But when will we hear?
Take advantage of the day
It soon will fly away never to reappear
And all who play the game
will find wisdom and folly are the same
and death and life are one
Some hope as we endure that we can build a better world
But I've seen what man has done under the sun
Eyes are open but do not see
Everything is vanity
Ending just where we begin
Chasing the wind
So what is left for you, o man
but to find joy in the works of your hands
and in the wife of your youth?
This is the end of everything:
Trust the Lord -
Looking through His eyes you'll see
Glimpse into Eternity
At the end we've just begun
Under the Son
©1995 Kyle Knapp
I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
words and music by Adam Clayton, Dave Evans, Larry Mullen, Paul David Hewson, Victor Reina
I have climbed the highest mountains
I have run through the fields
Only to be with you
Only to be with you
I have run, I have crawled
I have scaled these city walls
These city walls
Only to be with you
But I still haven't found what I'm looking for
No I still haven't found what I'm looking for
I have kissed honey lips
Felt the healing in the fingertips
It burns like fire
This burning desire
I have spoke with the tongue of angels
I have held the hand of the devil
It was warm in the night
Left me cold as a stone
And I still haven't found what I'm looking for
No I still haven't found what I'm looking for
I believe in the kingdom come
Then all the colors will bleed into one
Bleed into one
But yes, I'm still running
You loosed the bonds
You broke the chains
Carried the cross of my shame
Of my shame, you know I believe it
But I still haven't found what I'm looking for
No I still haven't found what I'm looking for
I still haven't found what I'm looking for
© Universal Music Publishing Group, used by permission
words and music by Kyle Knapp
You can only see God's Kingdom
when you're looking through the eyes of a child
If your eyes are on the world,
there's nothing to be seen that's worth your while
Since I became a baby,
my Father carries me across the miles
And it almost makes me cry
when I think of how the Lord has made me smile
You can't work your way to Heaven,
no matter how you try
And if a seed is gonna grow,
first it's got to fall to earth and die
Jesus gave His life, He said He loved us
I can't imagine why
But the seed of God is growing
in everyone who looks thru a baby's eyes
My little girl is growing,
a year or two from now she'll prob'ly say
"If Jesus came to save us,
why did He go away?"
Well, He's with us in the Spirit,
and He said he'd be beside us come what may
And now we're waiting on the Savior,
'cause we know He's coming back for us someday
Coming back someday.
You can live to please yourself, but when life's over
where is your reward?
But if you're looking thru the eyes of a child,
your life has been restored
To start your whole life over would cost a price
that no-
Ah, but Jesus paid it for us,
so we could come as little babes before the Lord
Yes, my Jesus paid it for us,
So we could come as little babes before the Lord
©1978 Kyle Knapp
words and music by Kyle Knapp
This world's become a dark place -
Surely something's 'bout to hit the fan
Wars, famines, earthquakes -
For the coming of the Son of Man
We've seen the rebirth of Israel, false messiahs all around
And most people's love is growing cold
You know Y'Shua said it long ago, "watch and be ready"
Do you remember what you've been told?
A day is coming like you've never seen
Just in case you don't know what all this means...
Y'Shua is coming
The Lord is on His way
Y'Shua is coming
Today might be the day
Just like in Noah's day when the world kept carrying on
Like tomorrow didn't even count,
You know they all got swept away. Now when the final day has dawned
Will you know what it's all about?
When you hear the shout...
Y'Shua is coming
The Lord is on His way
Y'Shua is coming
Today might be the day
I see you studying the future. Do all the signs convince you
That you've got plenty of time to play?
Don't you know He said He's gonna come back when you can't anticipate it
He said, "No one knows the day!"
When Y'Shua comes back for you will you be prepared?
You'd better pray that day doesn't catch you unaware
Or don't you care?
Y'Shua is coming
The Lord is on His way
Y'Shua is coming
Today might be the day
In the Father's house there is a place for you to dwell
Y'Shua's coming back to take you to Himself
Don't you know the things He promised us are true?
Can't you hear the heart of God is calling out for you?
Calling for you...
Y'Shua is coming...
Y'Shua is coming...
Y'Shua is coming...
Y'Shua is coming...
Is He coming for you?
Is He coming for you?
Is He coming for you?
©1991 Kyle Knapp
words by Bob McDonald, music by Kyle Knapp
It was a cold winter's day in Omaha
The sun was glistening off the new-
The weatherman said ten degrees for the high
Yet there's no other place I want to go
I only want to be where you are
And if I'm not then you're too far away
I want to be where you are
In your heart is where I want to stay
Well the pickup broke down coming home from work
And I didn't have the money for a tow
And wouldn't you know I would miss the last bus
But there's nowhere else that I'd rather go
I only want to be where you are
And if I'm not then you're too far away
I want to be where you are
In your heart is where I want to stay
Today Miami's high is seventy-
And Albuquerque hit the big eight-
And here I am walking on ice-
Still there's only one place I want to go
I only want to be where you are
And if I can't be then I might as well die
I want to be where you are
So baby let's give it another try
I only want to be where you are
And if I'm not then you're too far away
I want to be where you are
In your heart is where I want to stay
In your heart is where I want to stay
©1995 Kyle Knapp/Bob McDonald
words and music by Kyle Knapp (with apologies to Chitty-
Have a seat and I'll tell a tale of Chuck, the flying car
Perhaps you've seen his headlights as he's sailing thru the stars
When his riders, girls and boyses
Join together happy voices
You can hear them singing from afar
OOOOOh.
Up, Chuck, let's go up, Chuck, Into the yonder, wild and blue
Up, Chuck, let's go up, Chuck, into the clear sky, me and you
Up, Chuck, and when we're up, Chuck
Oh how fine it feels
Up, Chuck, let's go up, Chuck
Our faithful friend on wheels
Remember now as you set out to find your pot of gold
Wherever there's adventure, there's danger too, I'm told
There's good reason to be cautious
This kind of ride can make you nauseous
When the wheels begin to leave the road
OOOOOOOOh.
Up, Chuck, let's go up, Chuck
Into the yonder, wild and blue
Up, Chuck, let's go up, Chuck
Into the clear sky, me and you
Up, Chuck, and when we're up, Chuck
Oh how fine it feels
Up, Chuck, let's go up, Chuck
Our faithful friend on wheels.
Up, Chuck, let's go up, Chuck
Our faithful friend on wheels
© 1996 Kyle Knapp
words and music by Kyle Knapp
We may not have everything we'd like to
but at least we have a roof over our heads
and friends and family to come home to
hot running water and soft warm beds
Can you feel the longing
In the heart of a homeless child?
We have so much -
To give him hope for just a little while
When you're warm and full, and all your needs are met
and you've never known hunger or despair
Sometimes it's easy to forget
That for others, one meal a day is like a castle in the air
Can you see the pain
In the eyes of a hungry child?
We have so much -
To give her hope for just a little while
Tonight as you count your blessings
holding hands around the supper table there
giving thanks to Jesus for all that you've been given
remember, blessings are to share
Don't you love to watch children playing in the schoolyard
as they skip and run and throw and catch
taking arms and legs for granted, seldom give a second thought
to others who can only sit and watch
Do you hear the question
In the mind of a crippled child?
We have so much -
To bring him hope for just a little while
Wouldn't you love to hear the laughter
In the voice of a grateful child?
We have so much -
To bring them joy for just a little while
© 1995 Kyle Knapp
words and music by Kyle Knapp
Where's a generation gone -
The wrinkled hands, the weathered heads of gray
The knowledge of a lifetime locked behind their fading eyes
Does anybody hear a word they say?
And when they're weak we lock them up and throw away the key
Is the same fate in store for you and me?
Where are the sages?
The eyes that see how life has changed
The hearts that earned through pain the wisdom of the ages
Where are the sages?
Where are the mentors of our youth
To teach the truth not found in printed pages?
Where are the sages?
On the temples of our elders there's a crown of glory laid
But we live in an age that worships youth
Do we dare forsake the ones that God in His own image made?
For our blossom's pride will we sacrifice our roots?
The mountains crumble, beauty fades, eternal truth remains
But how can we learn it when our teachers are in chains?
Where are the sages?
The eyes that see how life has changed
The hearts that earned through pain the wisdom of the ages
Where are the sages?
Where are the mentors of our youth
To teach the truth not found in printed pages?
Where are the sages?
We must give honor where it's due for the curse to leave our land
Or when the judgment comes where will we stand?
With one hand reaching backward, and the other stretched before
A chain is forged to reach beyond the years
Will the circle be unbroken, and the fathers' hearts restored
Or in failure, will we realize our fears?
When the past's forgotten, tomorrow's here,
and we're daunted by the task
What will we answer when our children ask.
Where are the sages?
The eyes that see how life has changed
The hearts that earned through pain the wisdom of the ages
Where are the sages?
Where are the mentors of our youth
To teach the truth not found in printed pages?
Where are the sages?
Where are the sages?
Where are the sages?
©1998 Kyle Knapp
words and music by Kyle Knapp
Lord, I'm pressing on -
For the high calling of God in Jesus Christ
All the things of this life, to me they're lost
They ain't worth nothing when you count the cost
I'm gonna leave it all behind and carry the cross
I'm pressing on
I know I'm not there yet, but there's one thing I've done
Leaving behind the things behind, I look ahead to the Risen One
I want to have the same attitude
That drove Jesus to die for me and you
No matter what it takes, or what I have to go through
I'm still pressing on
You know the grass will wither, the flowers fade away
Nothing but the word of our God will stand in that final day
When the castles of sand that we live in are washed away by fire
Will anything remain?
You don't own yourself, you were bought with a price
put your life in His hands
If you want to be like those who overcame by the blood of the Lamb
When I consider the cross on which my Savior hung
I gotta know Him and the power of His resurrection!
So, following His voice until His kingdom come,
I'm pressing on...
©1992 Kyle Knapp
words & music by Vicki Lynn Whitesel
You are everything that's beautiful to me
You're beautiful to me
You are my strength -
You are my sanity
and You are the Light that beckons me
whenever I can't see
Jesus You...
You are the One, You are the One
You are the One I believe
You are my friend when all the others leave
When the others leave
And You are my comfort in the times I grieve
In the times I grieve
and You are the Light that beckons me
whenever I can't see
Jesus You...
You are the One, You are the One
You are the One I believe
I never knew love until You loved me
Not until You loved me
And I wasn't free until You touched me
Not until You touched me
I love You...
and I know, yes, I know
I know that You love me
Jesus You...
You are the One, You are the One
You are the One I believe
©Vicki Lynn Whitesel
lyrics by Francis Scott Key, music and arrangement by Kyle Knapp
Oh say, can you see, by the dawn's early light
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars thru the perilous fight
O'er the ramparts we watched stood so gallantly streaming?
And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air
Gave proof thru the night that our flag was still there
Oh say, does that star-
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?
On the shore, dimly seen thru the mist of the deep
Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes
What is that which the breeze from the towering steep
As it fitfully blows half conceals, half discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam
In full glory reflected, now shines on the stream
It's the star-
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!
And thus be it ever when free men shall stand
Between their loved homes and the war's desolation.
Blessed with victory and peace, may this Heaven-
Praise the Power that has made and preserved us a nation
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just
And this be our motto: "In God is our trust!"
And the star-
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave
excerpted from “The New Colossus” by Emma Lazarus
Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp
Cries she with silent lips
Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore
Send these, the homeless, tempest-
I lift my lamp beside the golden door
This project is dedicated to the oppressed and downtrodden people of the world.
Though the concept of this album was inspired, in large measure, by the history of Europe's "eastern bloc" countries, the effects of tyranny can be found throughout all regions of the globe and in every culture of humanity.
While the survivors of Hitler's holocaust plead "never again!", we who enjoy the blessings of "Western" prosperity remain largely untouched by the murder of Chinese dissidents, the torture of children in Sierra Leone, the oppression of Afghan women under Taliban rule, and the horror of human slavery, not just of blacks by whites but of whites, blacks, Asians and others, often by those of their own race. In more "enlightened" societies you'll find those who advocate euthanasia of the elderly and infirm, and who yawn with disinterest at the extermination of the unborn. From the Kurds of Iraq to the Vietnamese "boat people", from the Ixil Indians of Central America to the Nubian Christians of Sudan, lovers of truth and freedom everywhere are opposed by nearly every human government. Democracies and dictatorships alike seem to regard human bodies and souls as mere raw materials for the sake of their own profit. Even our beloved America is not without her share of guilt.
Alas, tyranny is not constrained by geographic boundaries; it is limited only by the seemingly inexhaustible well of evil that inhabits the hearts of men. Even knowing this, refugees by the score come to our country in search of the liberties that have been denied them in their own. But I wonder, where do you go to find freedom from the things that oppress your soul?
~kyle knapp 2001
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“This project is dedicated to the oppressed and downtrodden people of the world.