I'm tired I'm worn My heart is heavy From the work it takes to keep on breathing
I've made mistakes I've let my hope fail My soul feels crushed By the weight of this world And I know that you can give me rest So I cry out with all that I have left
Let me see redemption win Let me know the struggle ends That you can mend a heart that's frail and torn
I want to know a song can rise From the ashes of a broken life And all that's dead inside can be reborn Cause I'm worn
I know I need To lift my eyes up But I'm too weak Life just won't let up And I know that You can give me rest So I cry out with all that I have left
Let me see redemption win Let me know the struggle ends That you can mend a heart that's frail and torn
I want to know a song can rise From the ashes of a broken life And all that's dead inside can be reborn Cause I'm worn
And my prayers are wearing thin I'm worn even before the day begins I'm worn I've lost my will to fight I'm worn so heaven come and flood my eyes
Let me see redemption win Let me know the struggle ends That you can mend a heart that's frail and torn
I want to know a song can rise From the ashes of a broken life And all that's dead inside can be reborn Yes all that's dead inside will be reborn Though I'm worn Yeah I'm worn
In my opinion, this song is so moving! It is special to me because I struggled with depression in high school and it truly makes you feel so worn and heavy. This song is so powerful to me and the lyrics speak for themselves: "I'm tired, I'm worn, My heart is heavy from the work it takes to keep on breathing. I've made mistakes, I've let my hope fail, My soul feels crushed by the weight of this world. And I know that you can give me rest so I cry out with all that I have left." I can infer that the "you" the author is talking about is God. The author goes on in the chorus: "Let me see redemption win, Let me know the struggle ends, That you can mend a heart that's frail and torn. I want to know a song can rise, From the ashes of a broken life, And all that's dead inside can be reborn. Cause I'm worn" There is a tension between how tired and damaged we can be to how reborn and renewed we can be if we allow "heaven come flood [our] eyes" (stanza 8, line 4).
The craft I find in these lyrics is a strong and genuine voice of the writer. Fletcher states, "Writing with voice sounds honest and authentic," so the artist opening his heart and soul to his audience is meaningful to the craft of voice (p.33). The simple, "I'm worn" feels so weighted when you listen to this song. Even just reading the song you feel the author's despair, "And my prayers are wearing thin I'm worn even before the day begins." Then the song turns and shines a light of hope that Christians believe only can be obtained by God. "I'm worn I've lost my will to fight I'm worn so heaven come and flood my eyes." When we fix our eyes on God, all the burdens of this life seem less significant. I can use this lyric to teach rhyming, repetition, the golden line, and internal conflict. I know that I'm biased about this song, however, I think every line could be a "Golden Line."