Where Once I Feared To Walk

I recently was asked about the origin of this song and The Song Writing Process.

Where Once I Feared to Walk is the last song on the Surrendered & Untamed album and was actually written with that in mind – which is a miracle if you knew my writing process. Another small miracle was how easy this song came. Most times I fight hard for the lyrics, often witting a small novel before I’ve found the right words. But this one just seemed to flow…

We lived in a little house halfway up the 4th fairway on a country golf course 20 miles north of Jackson MS. One night Carver – a good friend – came over to hang out. One of the things I loved to do when it wasn’t 95 degrees with 95% humidity, was to walk the golf course. The best time was dusk.

Carver and I headed out that night, both of us eager to talk and also smoke the Cohibas my brother had smuggled in through Hatti. Though I’m not a huge cigar guy, there is something special about smoking a Cuban with a friend. That night’s walk was like so many other walks with friends, we laughed, talked and dreamed of a future even grander than the present. We reminisced about God’s goodness. Especially in light of past disappointments and failures.

Days later, as I scrambled for pen and paper, I recalled that night. But this time, it wasn’t Carver but Jesus who walked beside me, dreaming of a future.

The lyrics for the first half of the song came from the memory of the walk.

The second half and the last line, “Here’s to bigger dreams,” came from a conversation with my dad where he quoted C.S. Lewis, “You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.”

I wrote half of the S&U album on piano. This was one of those songs. In earlier albums, I had always written from an acoustic guitar. I wanted to try something different with the S&U album. I wanted the melody to drive the songs instead of rhythm. I can’t really play the piano – at least not with both hands at the same time – but I feel like it worked.

And that’s how the song came about, Jesus and I walking in the night dreaming about a future even better than the present and reminiscing about His past goodness. And though I was smoking a Cohiba, In my mind’s eye, Jesus seemed more like a pipe kinda guy. It might have had something to do with CS Lewis.

Where Once I Feared To Walk

We went walking out in the field 
Yeah, late tonight 
Could see our breath each dream exhaled 
Beneath the half moon light 

This is Life you said to me 
This declared round your pipe 
This is where it all works out 
In dreaming we’re alive 

I have dreamed and still believe 
I have risked and I have lost 
But looking down I see my feet 
Where once I feared to walk 

So we go walking out in this field 
To claim our destiny 
And if by chance it seems we’ve failed 
Then here’s to bigger dreams.