How We’ve Fallen [Storytellers]

“How We’ve Fallen” was written to describe the Fall of Mankind based on Genesis 3.  It is a song on “The Word” project.

“The Word” is a project by North Side Worship telling the grand narrative of the Bible.  It is available at North Side (May 3, 2015) and iTunes (May 5, 2015).

We began to write this song back in September 2014 when our team went on a songwriting retreat.  The majority of this song was crafted in a living room as we studied through the passage.

Song Info

  1. We wanted the feel and instrumentation of the song to contrast dramatically from the prior song on Creation.
  2. Instead of a full band with joyful, symphonic music, we desired to have one instrument and a male and female voice cover it (Adam and Eve, make sense?).
  3. Since I thought it to be awkward and probably unhelpful for any other guy and girl to work on this song having to work closely on nuances together, I reasoned that the only married couple on the vocal team should attempt this – so it fell to Amanda and myself.
  4. When I asked Amanda to help, she said, “So, you are saying my voice makes you think of the Fall of Mankind?”  😉
  5. We start on the tonic note with the relative minor chord.  The melody descends (or falls you might say) through the scale.  What should be a beautiful major sounding moment is dark and desperate.
  6. The verse basically stays on the relative minor chord as if nothing is going anywhere – we are just stuck after sin.
  7. We tried to cover all major elements from Genesis 3 in this song (God’s creation is good, desire to be God, the tempter twisting God’s Word, temptation that is pleasing to the eye, God’s covering our shame through a substitute, the shame and blame game apparent, running and hiding from God, wrath of God, consequences, the promised Coming One, etc.).
  8. Since we only had three microphone lines to fill in this song, we were intentional about filling in gaps and making sure the moments sounded like being cast out of the Garden of Eden.
  9. My wife’s voice doesn’t sound like the Fall of Mankind, but she brought the perfect feel to this song.  The texture of her voice fits it beautifully.  She added so much creativity to the song with her moving and swelling parts.  I just wanted to sit back and listen to her.

Adam and Eve’s fig leaves were not designed well enough to cover their shame, the death of another could be the only appropriate covering.  Oh, what glimpses of Jesus we see throughout the pages of Scripture!

Chord Chart: How We’ve Fallen – C

Lyrics

VERSE 1
All things that you made were good, yet they were not good enough
Might my suspicions be confirmed, are you keeping something from us?
The tempter twists your very words, I have chosen to believe his lie
Trading what I know is true for what’s pleasing to the eye
CHORUS
Oh, how we’ve fallen, oh, how we’ve wandered astray
Only you can cover our shame

VERSE 2
As soon as the taste of sin subsides, the pow’r of guilt holds sway
Meager attempts to displace the blame, I’m unable to run away

BRIDGE
We can try to hide, we can justify
We can point the blame, but the guilt’s the same
We cannot escape, from the wrath we face
O, God don’t turn away

02 - HOW WEVE FALLEN BOX

Track Listing

  1. Let There Be (Creation)
  2. How We’ve Fallen (The Fall)
  3. No One Like Our God (Exodus)
  4. The Ten Commandments (Law)
  5. Our God Is With Us (Covenant)
  6. Enter His Gates (Psalms)
  7. Return to Me (Prophets)
  8. How Long O LORD (Exile)
  9. Fear Not (Incarnation)
  10. Amazed (Jesus’ Ministry)
  11. What a Savior (Passion Week)
  12. Come Holy Spirit (Pentecost)
  13. Day By Day (Church)
  14. You Alone Are God (Trinity)
  15. Your Word (Epistles)
  16. Faithful and True (Revelation)

“The Word” is a project by North Side Worship telling the grand narrative of the Bible.  It is available at North Side (May 3, 2015) and iTunes (May 5, 2015).