Another Freebie: Woman on the Roof (2 Samuel)

I just posted another freebie download over on the Scripture to Music Collective site.  This song is from 2 Samuel, and I'm really excited about this one!  I can't remember writing a song in this story-telling style, using just one phrase to act as a chorus and give the song a cohesive feel.  Maybe there is an official name for this type of song but, if there is, I don't know it. :)

Please let me know what you think!  If you'd like to download it, just click the down arrow icon.  You can also embed any of these songs or the whole set on your blog or website if you're feeling so inclined and generous.

Woman on the Roof (2 Samuel) by Caroline Cobb

The story of King David and Bathsheba from 2 Samuel chapters 11 and 12.

"In this song, the story found in 2 Samuel 11-12 is told from King David's perspective.  Elsewhere in the Bible, King David is described as a 'man after God's own heart,' but here he falls far short of that description as his 'innocent' desire spirals into adultery, deceit, and finally murder.  But when the prophet opens David's eyes to his horrid sins, he repents.  Although this story is full of the ugliest sins and the terrible consequences of sin, God redeems it and makes it part of the greater Story (see Matthew 1:6 in the context of Matthew 1).  I love how He does that." - Caroline

Lyrics:

Free download: Nahum: Oh, Nineveh

I just posted a new song to the Scripture to Music Collective site here!  That's 10 songs posted for 7 books of the Bible.  Only 59 more books to go...


When I signed myself up to write a song for every book of the Bible in a year, I thought about books like Leviticus, Song of Solomon [*blush*], and pretty much all of the minor prophets (like Nahum) and thought to myself "those will be hard ones".  Although this song is definitely not a "feel-good" song, it sure feels good to check one of those tough books off the list.


Song Description:
Nahum was going to be one of those books for which it would be nearly impossible to write a song.  It is a book about God's wrath and judgement against an evil city called Nineveh, and Nahum really doesn't hold back in his vivid descriptions of what that judgement will look like. This book reminds us of the all-consuming heat of God's wrath which, according to Scripture, all sinners against a holy God deserve.  It should freak us out, to be honest.  And ultimately, it should make us thankful for Christ who absorbed God's wrath on our behalf.

Oh, Nineveh (Nahum) by Caroline Cobb

Full Lyrics:

The Missing Piece

The intro to The Jesus Storybook Bible (Ellie's Christmas present - shhh don't tell her) is worded in such a beautiful way, and it is making me very excited about and thankful for Christmas :)  Here is a short excerpt:    

There are lots of stories in the Bible, but all the stories are telling one big story.  The story of how God loves His children and comes to rescue them.

It takes the whole Bible to tell this story.  And at the center of the story, there is a baby.  Every story whispers his name.  He is like the missing piece of the puzzle- the piece that makes all the other pieces fit together, and suddenly you can see a beautiful picture.' 

Today, I am thankful that at Christmas we celebrate this great gift - the sending of that missing piece that brings out the beautiful picture.  In the Old Testament, things seems pretty hopeless for God's people, for they'll never get it right or obey the whole Law.  But their great Help arrives when a helpless baby is born in Bethlehem.  He is that missing piece that all of the prophets foretold, and the only one who could fulfill all that the laws required.  And, in love, He gave Himself up for us.

Here's a longer excerpt from the intro.  The whole thing is amazing!

Now, some people think the Bible is a book of rules, telling you what you should do and shouldn't do.  The Bible certainly does have some rules in it.  They show you how life works best.  But the Bible isn't mainly about you and what you should be doing.  It's about God and what He has done.

Other people think the Bible is a book of heroes, showing you people you should copy.  The Bible does have some heroes in it, but (as you'll soon find out) most of the people in the Bible aren't heroes at all.  They make some big mistakes (sometimes on purpose).  They get afraid and run away.  At times they are downright mean.

No, the Bible isn't a book of rules, or a book of heroes.  The Bible is most of all a story.  It's an adventure story about a young hero who comes from a far country to win back his lost treasure.  It's a love story about a brave prince who leaves his palace, his throne- everything-to rescue the one he loves.  It's like the most wonderful of fairy tales that has come true in real life.

You see, the best thing about the story is- it's true.

There are lots of stories in the Bible, but all the stories are telling one big story.  The story of how God loves His children and comes to rescue them.

It takes the whole Bible to tell this story.  And at the center of the story, there is a baby.  Every story whispers his name.  He is like the missing piece of the puzzle- the piece that makes all the other pieces fit together, and suddenly you can see a beautiful picture.'

Great Song: In the Night by Andrew Peterson

I was just listening to Andrew Peterson's newest album Counting Stars in my car yesterday, and this song stopped me and pulled at something deep inside of me.  The words are just awesome.  This is the type of song that I want to write!! And it tells the Story - God's Story - in such fullness!  My favorite line in the song may be this one...


I can see the crowd of men retreating
As he stands between the woman and their stones
And if mercy in his holy heart is beating
Then in the night my hope lives on

I am so thankful that mercy beats in His holy heart.

Here is the song with the lyrics below:


Full Lyrics:

I am weary with the pain of Jacob’s wrestling
In the darkness with the Fear, in the darkness with the Fear
But he met the morning wounded with a blessing
So in the night my hope lives on

When Elisha woke surrounded by the forces
Of the enemies of God, the enemies of God
He saw the hills aflame with angels on their horses
So in the night my hope lives on

I see the slave that toils beneath the yoke unyielding
And I can hear the captive groan, hear the captive groan
For some hand to stay the whip his foe is wielding
Still in the night my hope lives on

I see the armies of the enemy approaching
And the people driven, trembling, to the shore
But a doorway through the waters now is opening
So in the night my hope lives on

Like the son who thought he’d gone beyond forgiveness,
Too ashamed to life his head–but if he could lift his head
He would see his father running from a distance
In the night my hope lives on

I can see the crowd of men retreating
As he stands between the woman and their stones
And if mercy in his holy heart is beating
Then in the night my hope lives on

I remember how they scorned the son of Mary
He was gentle as a lamb, gentle as a lamb
He was beaten, he was crucified, and buried
And in the night, my hope was gone

But the rulers of the earth could not control Him
They did not take his life–he laid it down
All the chains of death could never hope to hold him
So in the night my hope lives on

I can see the Son of Man descending
And the sword He swings is brighter than the dawn
And the gates of Hell will never stand against him
So in the night my hope lives on

December Thanks

31. Nick's aunts babysitting for us!
32. Christmas toe socks
33. New stockings (and that we have three of them)!

34. Ellie and me laughing back and forth at each other

35. Friends and their brand new babies

36. Holding said brand new babies
37. Things slowing down after a way-too-busy Sep-Nov. (I know, weird for December, right?)
38. Driving around listening to Christmas carols
39. These rich and meaningful Christmas carol lines
40. That I can be my goofy self with my husband

5 Favorite Albums of 2010!

I posted a little something about our 5 Favorite Albums of 2010 over on the music blog. Just for fun!

By the way, sorry for always pushing you over to the other blogs I have going (Scripture to Music, Smither Stories, and Caroline Cobb). Sometimes, I want you to see what I posted over on the other blogs. I've thought about combining all the blogs, but I like having a separate family blog. Even though all the world can see it if they want to, it feels a little more private :)

Hope you are having a great Christmas season!

5 Favorite Albums of 2010

In no particular order, here are my favorite albums of 2010!  There are others that I love, but these I have listened to over and over (and over), and they never get old.  

Sandra McCracken - In Feast Or Fallow

I love the production on this by Derek Webb, and I love the richness and depth of the lyrics!  My favorite is "This is the Christ".  "Hidden Place" was especially meaningful for me as we had our first baby, Ellie, this March.

Patty Griffin - Downtown Church

Oh, Patty, I love you.  I actually wasn't sure if I was going to like this one, because my favorite thing about Patty is her songwriting and this is a CD of covers.  But it's amazing and so fun to listen to.  This CD made me decide that I will buy every Patty CD that comes out, even if I haven't listened to it yet.  She never fails to bring it and her voice is -without question - my favorite female voice out there (Sandra, you are #2). 

Mumford & Sons - Sigh No More

This CD is #1 on a ton of the "Best of 2010" lists out there, so I probably don't need to say why we like it.  :) My husband Nick is a big fan of this one!

Shane and Shane - Everything Is Different

Like Patty, I pretty much love everything Shane and Shane puts out.  I love their use of Scripture in their songs - every song is saturated with truths from the Bible.  In a world where the lyrics in Christian music is often over-simplified (how many times can you rhyme "grace" and "face" or "name" and "fame"?), their lyrics really stand out. Their harmonies and guitar skills are obviously great too! 

The National - High Violet

When we got their first album, I wasn't sure I liked the lead singer's voice.  But it grew on me, and now I love it.  I love the production and instrumentation on their albums.  This CD has stayed in my CD player all year (partly because of laziness), but I am almost always in the mood to listen to it.  

Background Music for You Today

Hey friends!  If you're at work today or relaxing at home, here is some music for you to stream in the background.  In case you missed it, there are three free downloads on here, a gift for you this Christmas!  This is all a part of the Scripture to Music project that I'm doing... trying to write a song based on every book of the Bible in one year!  So far, I have 30 songs for 25 books written, but I have a loooong way to go because many of those were written in years prior and many of those are not recorded.

So far, all of the songs below are posted to the Scripture to Music Collective site.  Hope you enjoy streaming them!  If you want to embed this HTML on your site or blog, you can too.

Scripture to Music Project by Caroline Cobb

Ellie's 9 months!

Uh oh... I haven't done a video yet.  But I plan to!  We are having a lot of fun with Ellie these days.  She's still as social as ever, but she's getting even and more interactive and "talkative" and smiley.

Our favorite thing lately has been laughing back and forth with her.  Here's how it usually goes... we'll start laughing at something she does, and then she'll start laughing because we're laughing, and then we're laughing harder at her because she's laughing... aaaand the cycle continues.  We are so thankful for her.

These days her favorite things are climbing around and exploring, jumping in the jumperoo, eating bananas and cheese, and playing in her room with her toys.  Her least favorite thing is probably sitting still for diaper changes or nap time.  Oh well!

Here are some fun pics from this past month...

 

Merry Christmas: 3 Free Downloads!

Merry Christmas from Caroline Cobb Music!

As a Christmas present from me to you, I want to make sure you get the three free downloads of songs I've recently posted to The Scripture to Music Collective: "All the Stars", "Habakkuk's Prayer", and "Philippians 2".  

These songs are part of my goal of writing a song for every book of the Bible by 11/11/11.  So far, I have written 28 songs from 21 books.  I've recorded 12 and posted 7 to Scripture to Music.  So far so good, but I have a long way to go!  

To get your free downloads, go here or just check out the embedded Scripture to Music playlist below.  You'll see all 7 songs I've uploaded to Scripture to Music so far, and you can stream all 7 for free right here. OR you can embed this player on your website or blog (it'll look just like it does below if you drop it in the HTML).

"All the Stars", "Habakkuk's Prayer", and "Philippians 2" are the three songs currently available for FREE download.  The other 4 can be downloaded from Amazon for just 89 cents each!

Scripture to Music Project by Caroline Cobb

PS - Order CD's by December 15!

If you are interested in buying one of my albums as a Christmas present this year, that would be A-OK with me!  You can buy them here for the very low price of $10 each, but make sure to order them by December 15 so that they'll make it to their destination by Christmas.  If you'd like for me to personalize your order in any way, just shoot me an e-mail.

Free Download of a New Song from Philippians 2!

I just posted a new song over on The Scripture to Music Collective!  It's from Philippians 2, and I'm really excited about this one.  I tried to take the passage from Philippians 2:6-11 and keep as much of the content and wording as I possibly could.  This passage is taken from an old hymn sung by the early church, I believe, and I just love the words.  

It's about Jesus coming in human form, so it's very fitting for the Christmas season.  Since it's a free download, please consider it a gift from me to you!  I hope it encourages you.  Remember, it's just a demo, so the recording is a little rough... keep that in mind!  

Go here to download it for free (just click the little arrow icon).

Lyrics:

"Though He was in the form of God

He did not count Himself equal

But made Himself as nothing

A servant for the people

And in our likeness He was born

A king inside a manger

And being found in human form

He was treated like a stranger

Obedient to the point of death

And humble in every breath

To the glory of the Father God

Jesus the Son went to the cross

Jesus the Son went to the cross

And so God has exalted Him

Given name above all names

That heav'n and earth should worship Him

Raised to the highest place

Every knee bow, every tongue confess

That He is Lord o'er all the rest

To the glory of the Father God

Jesus the Son went to the cross

Jesus the Son went to the cross

Hallelujah"

Free Christmas Download: "Philippians 2"

I just posted a new song over on The Scripture to Music Collective!  It's from Philippians 2, and I'm really excited about this one.  I tried to take the passage from Philippians 2:6-11 and keep as much of the content and wording as I possibly could.  This passage is taken from an old hymn sung by the early church, I believe, and I just love the words.  

It's about Jesus coming in human form, so it's very fitting for the Christmas season.  Since it's a free download, please consider it a gift from me to you!  I hope it encourages you.  Remember, it's just a demo, so the recording is a little rough... keep that in mind!  

Go here to download it for free (just click the little arrow icon).

Lyrics:

"Though He was in the form of God

He did not count Himself equal

But made Himself as nothing

A servant for the people

And in our likeness He was born

A king inside a manger

And being found in human form

He was treated like a stranger

Obedient to the point of death

And humble in every breath

To the glory of the Father God

Jesus the Son went to the cross

Jesus the Son went to the cross

And so God has exalted Him

Given name above all names

That heav'n and earth should worship Him

Raised to the highest place

Every knee bow, every tongue confess

That He is Lord o'er all the rest

To the glory of the Father God

Jesus the Son went to the cross

Jesus the Son went to the cross

Hallelujah"

Amazing Christmas Carol Lines

I love the rich, beautiful lines found in familiar Christmas carols.  We hear these songs everywhere during the holiday season - in elevators, in department stores, on TV, on the radio - but do we really hear the words?  Usually, I don't!  But when you sit back and meditate on them, they are pretty amazing.  Oh to write some words like these!


What are your favorite carols or your favorite lines?  Here are some of mine....

"No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as, the curse is found."


He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders, wonders, of His love.


- "Joy to the World"


Long lay the world in sin and error pining,
Till He appeared and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope, the weary soul rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.


- "O Holy Night"


So bring Him incense, gold and myrrh,
Come peasant, king to own Him;
The King of kings salvation brings,
Let loving hearts enthrone Him.


- "What Child is This"

Stay-at-Home Mom/Songwriter

I read this article by Keirsten Casella just now as I was feeding Ellie her bottle.  It made me laugh out loud, it made me cry, and it is beautifully written.

As a stay-at-home mom and a songwriter, I am constantly struggling with how these two identities fit together.  What is my purpose?  Where is the creativity and beauty in piles of laundry and poopy diapers and spit up?  Why do I feel so selfish whenever I put Ellie in Mother's Day Out so I can work on writing and recording?

This article helped me see that I'm not alone in this struggle and tension.  It reminded me of the beauty of motherhood - even in the midst of monotonous things like diaper changes and picking up soggy cheerios off the floor.  At the same time, it reminded me of the importance of carving out time to be creative.

Here are some key paragraphs from the article:
  
"My children, with all their enthusiasm to play and explore the world, provide an endless fountain of imagination from which to drink. But they also produce a mountain of laundry the size of California, and it isn’t going to wash itself. My kids, like most, necessitate a certain rhythm to their daily lives, and it doesn’t usually leave room to dash over to the local museum for a Renoir fix whenever I need one. Quite frankly, I’ve discovered that motherhood can feel isolating at times, especially for a free-spirited person like me who doesn’t thrive on structure.

Making art, whether in the form of a painting, a photograph, or an essay, is a way for me to break out of that rhythm for a while. It is so gratifying to accomplish something that cannot be undone or that doesn’t need repeating day-in and day-out. Scraping syrupy bits of waffle off my kitchen floor, for example, can feel like I’m living in a scene from Groundhog Day for as often as I repeat the task. With art, there’s no déjà vu. A stark white canvas comes alive with color and abstractness, and I can keep layering the paint until something emerges that never will be replicated in quite the same way.

For me, pressing my brush against a canvas shakes the snow globe of monotony. It’s how I process this season of life and refill my cup. More than that, it’s the way I etch toward beauty, contemplate truth, and lasso the wayward bits of myself so I have more to give to the people I love."

"I study my children and never cease to be amazed by the complexity and uniqueness of their delicate faces. They are small, priceless masterpieces. I know, without a doubt, that their existence makes me want to escape to my upstairs studio to make art, and not just because it gives me time alone."

Things That Make Us Laugh: Elf

"Bye Buddy! Hope you find your dad!"
"Thanks, Mr. Narwhal."

We are watching this tonight.  I cannot WAIT!



"I love you, I love you, I LOOOVE you!"



"You DID it!"

Another Song from Genesis: "Garden"

This is Genesis week apparently for me!  I just posted another song from Genesis, "Garden", over on the Scripture to Music Collective site.  "Garden" is off of my latest album, Sing, and it's one of my favorites off of that album.  Go listen to it for free, and see my brief description of why I wrote the song.

I especially love the production on this song and I think the strings really add to the meaning and feel of the song - a big thank you to my friends Amanda, Becca, and Jonathan from Boston who made those awesome strings happen!

This one is available for download off Amazon for just 89 cents!  And iTunes too!

Playing for Just a Few People

I just posted on the music blog about a concert that I did the other week!  I really want to play in Houston in February.  Any thoughts on where I should play?!

Playing for Just a Few People

I played a concert at KE Cellars in Tyler, TX just the other day.  The last time I played at KE Cellars, a pretty big group of folks came out...  I was actually surprised by it, because we hadn't been in Tyler long and we really didn't know too many people well yet.  It was such a fun concert, with some good crowd participation, and people had a great time together, which made me happy.

But this time, there were only a few people there - some strangers, and 3 friends.  It was a weird sensation, because I'm not used to having this small of a crowd. I love looking out into a big crowd of people talking and having fun, or listening to me sing these songs.  

But, this concert - even with so few people - was still really satisfying for me.  I was tempted not to post about this concert because - in some people's eyes - it might be deemed a "failure". But it wasn't a failure.  It was me getting up there, doing what I enjoy doing.  You know you're doing things for mostly right reasons when you don't care if anyone really hears you.  When you enjoy it almost as much in front of a small crowd as you do in front of a big one.  

I'd take a big crowd of intent listeners anyday over a small one, don't get me wrong!  But I love this music thing so much that I'll do it even when no one is listening.  And that makes me feel good about pursuing this thing.

Here are some pictures from the night:

Carolyn, David, and one of Ellie's suitors, Hutch!

New friend Josh

I have TOMS and skinny jeans on!  Aren't I a hippy-cool rock star?!