I wrote City Lights in 1993; it is a pretty little tune and now nestled into our concert set list.
There was a time when I wouldn't use songs I wrote before my conversion to Christ in a ministry concert. It was like a “that was then, this is now” sort of thing, but Holy Spirit straightened me out on that, and this song is a perfect example. When I wrote City Lights, I was not a Christian and had been fighting cancer for a year and beat it. I was in the hospital receiving my very last chemo treatment; it was the last day of all my treatments, I was excited to be done. I couldn't sleep, so I was up at sun rise and noticed how beautiful the city lights were against the new sky.
I kept hearing a small voice in my head telling me to get my guitar, I had just woken up and my guitar was in the far corner of the hospital room. The thought of bare feet on a cold floor was not helping to inspire me, but that voice, or idea wouldn't leave me alone, saying, “go get your guitar”. I finally did and out came the song City Lights … “The city lights are pretty watchin' em through this window” … Back then it was just a cool little song, I liked it, recorded it, but that was it, up on the shelf it went, until now.
There have been more than a few of my songs that the Lord has resurrected, so to speak. I think it is Him assuring me of His continuing presence in my life.
When I wrote City Lights, I didn't know that voice was the Holy Spirit's voice because I didn't know Jesus. Being as transparent as I feel appropriate, I'll say that my life has been extremely difficult in these past four of five years. It has been an emotional rollercoaster. So, look at Jesus, putting this particular song up front and personal, throughout the lyric He gives me clips of my past, my childhood, my ancestry, hopes and dreams. He knows what I've been through, He knows it all.
Most poignant to me is the line where He says, “do you know your eyes are beautiful when I'm watching them through My eyes? And I that can see everything, and I want to see! When you close them and feel a tear behind them, I hope you know that you can come to Me”. This breaks me, so intimate. Clearly, in 1993 He was wooing me to Him with the song City Lights. Today He brings it back to minister to me in His amazing supernatural way, and to you :).
I think in some Christian circle's “feelings” are marginalized for the sake of teaching to not be led by our emotions but by the Word of God and this is good. God knows that being thrown off track by emotion is familiar to me and He is teaching me that my emotions are a gift so I CAN feel. Like He says here in this song, things will be hard, and things will be easy. Feel these things, take 'em and feel them and make room for more.
Love ya, L
City Lights ~ LGS
City lights are pretty watching them through this window
I don't like the city much, except for the people
who walk around the streets and such
they're the ones who teach me, as long as I want to hear.
Do you know your eyes are beautiful as I'm watching them through My eyes
and that I can see anything that I want to see
and when you close them and feel a tear behind them,
I hope you know that you can come to Me
Everything is easy, if that's the way you want it
and things can be really hard too
whatever you are feeling, take and you feel it
cause the feeling will be over real soon, making room for more feelings
Once I saw a mother somewhere caressing her sweet baby
something deep inside got touched, I knew something that I missed
I yearned for soft arms around me, holding me, caressing me,
telling me whatever I do, it's gonna be alright
Once I saw the sunrise, I pretended I was an Indian, I took dirt, and I smelled it
I was sitting on wet dew. I felt a Power deep within me,
one I wanted to capture, and I looked toward the Son and then I knew
Everything is easy, if that's the way you want it
and things can be really hard too
whatever you are feeling, take and you feel it
cause the feeling will be over real soon, making room for more feelings
Once I saw the sunrise, I pretended I was an Indian, ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh