Highland Road

I have been sojourning
In a barren wilderness,
In a state of restlessness
For much too long.
Long have I been yearning
For waterfalls and creaks,
For lofty mountain peaks,
Where I belong.

Highland Road, lead me home;
Guide my steps, lest I roam.
I will press on;
I'm not alone,
Highland Road.

I have been uncertain,
Seeking what I could not find.
Now I see that I've been blind;
I'm headed home.
I know you've been waiting
For this weary traveler's feet.
How I've hoped someday we'd meet,
Highland Road.

Highland Road, lead me home;
Guide my steps, lest I roam.
I will press on;
I'm not alone,
Highland Road.

Highland Road, lead me home;
Guide my steps, lest I roam.
I will press on;
I'm not alone,
Highland Road.


© 2012 David Acosta Perez


I don't know what's happening to me: song after song is pouring out of me. Not that I mind. I have experienced dry spells many a time, but this is the striking opposite. Not sure if I want to refer to it as a wet spell, however.

This one is brand new, and it's a song idea I have been flirting with for quite some time. I love, love, love mountains; the feeling I get when I travel down a woodland road is incomparable. It's the double portion of it which I treasure: there's the quiet remoteness and beauty, of course; but there's also, most definitely, an awareness of God in such places--for me, at any rate. And sure, God is everywhere, but the stillness, the solace, the sacredness of forests, streams, wild animals, and lofty peaks never ceases to overwhelm me and instill in me a deep yearning for my Creator.

And so, this song was birthed out of that yearning...

Adam in Exile

Who is this wild, wide-eyed creature,
Fashioned by hand from Eden's dust?
Exile in the realm of the temporal,
Where will he go? Who can he trust?
Spiraling into confusion;
Does he even know who he is?
Lost in a newfound delusion,
Seeking a realm that is higher than this.

A little lower than the angels,
In many ways like a god;
A nomad, a wayfaring stranger:
Splendid prince or lowly sod?
His best-laid plans are cursory, at best,
And rumors of everlasting unrest
Are keeping him up at at night.
Will he ever see the light?

Who is this wild, wide-eyed creature
Driven by new technology?
Twenty-first-century features
Conceal a primeval identity.
Caught in a web of illusions,
Stumbling through a fog of pretense,
Desperate for quick-fix solutions,
Answers to questions he can't comprehend.

A little lower than the angels,
In many ways like a god;
A nomad, a wayfaring stranger:
Splendid prince or lowly sod?
His best-laid plans are cursory, at best,
And rumors of everlasting unrest
Are keeping him up at at night.
Will he ever see the light?

(A little lower than the angels...)
Longing for paradise...
(A little lower than the angels...)
When will he realize?...
(A little lower than the angels...)
That he is glory-and-honor-crowned...
(A little lower than the angels...)
Will he lose it all or come around?

A little lower than the angels,
A little lower than the angels,
A little lower than the angels,
Godlike spirit or heathen?
Fugitive old of Eden...


© 2012 David Acosta Perez

God Is Your Refuge and Strength

This is a hymn I recently composed. Throughout the songwriting process, I decided I would come up with three stanzas and a chorus, then a melody, and finally a traditional hymn arrangement (four-part harmony: soprano, alto, tenor, bass)...


If shadowy thoughts take control, and you feel
A current of doubt overwhelming your mind;
If darkness surrounds you and tries to conceal
The truth you've believed, seek the Lord's help and find:

refrain
God is your refuge and strength; you can rest
Safe and secure in His faithful embrace.
He will defend you; your doubts He'll arrest.
Shelter and solace you'll find in His grace.

When worldly cares seize you, confound you and shake
The confidence you've been relying upon,
You need not give in; you can freely partake
Of grace which proclaims, "All is well! It is done!"

refrain
God is your refuge and strength; you can rest
Safe and secure in His faithful embrace.
He will defend you; your cares He'll arrest.
Shelter and solace you'll find in His grace.

So relinquish all fear; you are safe in the hands
Of One who from death's curse has ransomed your soul.
He sees every circumstance; He understands.
His love will sustain you; His peace will console.

refrain
God is your refuge and strength; you can rest
Safe and secure in His faithful embrace.
He will defend you; your fears He'll arrest.
Shelter and solace you'll find in His grace.


© 2012 David Acosta Perez

Yours

You hide while I seek
That which I have yet to understand.
I wait for you to speak;
You leave me something scribbled on the sand.
What do you see
When you look at me?
Will I ever be
All I long to be?

You say, "Come,"
Even when You know I'll run;
You say, "Love,
You will always be my love."
Is it because you have always known
That I am really not my own,
That I am and ever shall be...
Yours?

I say I will stay
And quietly sit at your feet this time,
But I walk away,
Knowing well how much I'll leave behind.

What do you see
When you look at me?
Will I ever be
All I need to be?

You say, "Come,"
Even when you know I'll run;
You say, "Love,
You will always be my love."
Is it because you have always known
That I am really not my own,
That I am and ever shall be...
Yours?


© 2012 David Acosta

A Living Song

Write a song with your life,
A melody sublime,
With cadences and rhyme.
You're a chord progression and
You're the score on a baby grand,
So let the world see
You're a living song

Play that song with your heart;
You need no staged event,
No flawless instrument.
Just play it everywhere you go;
Go on, let those heart-notes flow,
And let the world know
They can sing along

So be a living song,
A grace-imparting tune;
Let it soar above the world's cacophony.
Be a loving song,
And your song will soon
Be the prelude for a worldwide symphony,

Share the song and you'll find
There's a voice in every heart,
And it longs to sing a part
That will blend seamlessly,
Like a river flowing endlessly;
Yes, the world yearns
To sing it loud and strong!

So be a living song,
A grace-imparting tune;
Let it fill the world with hopeful harmony.
Be a loving song,
And your song will soon
Be the prelude for a worldwide symphony


© 2012 David Acosta Perez