songwriting Archives - Music | Speaking

November 24, 2023November 24, 2023

Tears of the Past | Story Behind the Song

This song is born from a painful memory in my childhood. When I was very young I lost my first pet and experienced death for the first time. All these years later Tears of the Past bubbled up and provides the assurance and hope that one day death and pain will be no more.

Tears of the Past | Story Behind The Song

When I was at the innocent age of five- years-old my first pet, “Terry” a small cuddly terrier was hit by a car. I was inconsolable and found myself face-to-face with my first death. To this day I remember all the emotions I felt, betrayal confusion, bewilderment, and anger. To me this was not a natural event. The things we love shouldn’t die. It did not compute in my little brain that animals and people will all die, however this was my new reality.

The Word of God

My Mom tried everything she could to console me, she played my favorite songs on the piano, took me out to eat, took me to visit my Grandparents all to no avail. I was devastated. For some reason, I am not even sure why other than divine providence she introduced me to Revelation 21:4 where it says:

“And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.” (King James Version)

Healing my Tears of the Past

For me that verse was healing. Somehow at such a young age I got it – this world is flawed, thanks to choices my ancestors made and circumstances long beyond my control. Yet, in spite of it all, it gave me hope that one day God would make it all right and death would be no more. Oh how that motivated me to serve God way back then so I could live in a world where death is no more.

In “Tears of the Past,” You will also hear snippets of:

- Psalm 56:8, “You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book.” (New Living Translation); and
- Revelation 5:12, “Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.” (King James Version)

Tears of the Past | Production Notes

So how did Tears of the Past emerge musically? For you creatives out there it started with a snippet of a sample I found while I was working on my album “Roar.” I really liked it and saved the sample to circle back to when the timing was right.

As I was tinkering and being the creative I am, I created the Jam Mix first. The song reminded me so much of the tunes from the early 1990’s produced by “Jimmy Jam.” I decided to go with it instead of fight the direction the production was moving. After my producer and creative daughter “Zoey the White Lioness,” listened to it she said it reminded her of Miami Vice mashed up with Janet Jackson’s “If.” It was her idea to add the guitar and make a more rockier mix.

From there I couldn’t decide which of the two I wanted to release. Then a third mix the extended “Vice Rock Mix,” emerged. This mix is my favorite. It is just a bit longer and has the guitar solo close out the song. So I released these three mixes and included the instrumental versions which really stand on their own with a completely different vibe. Amazingly, one song turned into a five song EP and my 6th project. What a blessing!

Click on an icon to hear “Tears of The Past” on these streaming services or visit your favorite streaming platform not listed here.

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Tears of the Past (Jam Mix) Judith Baker Buy 3:28
Tears of the Past (Vice Rock Mix) Judith Baker Buy 3:28
Tears of the Past (Jam Mix) Instrumental Judith Baker Buy 3:28
Tears of the Past (Vice Rock Mix) Instrumental Judith Baker Buy 3:28
Tears of the Past (Vice Rock Mix) Extended Judith Baker Buy 4:25

Lyrics

Verse 1

You keep every tear I cry
Every drop
That’s ever left my eyes
Stored in Your bottle
You wrote them down
When I cross over
I will wear a crown

Chorus:

I know there’ll be
No tears in heaven
For God will wipe them all away
They are tears of the past

Verse 2

I trust the words You say
One day
You will wipe
Every tear away
No more death
Mourning, pain or crying
The former things
Have all passed away

Chorus:

I know there’ll be
No tears in heaven
(I know there’ll be no tears)
For God will wipe them all away
(for God will wipe them all away)
(repeat)
They are tears of the past

Bridge:

Going to the land
Far beyond the horizon
Pain and sorrow gone
We shall live forever
Sing a song of praise
With the angel chorus
Worthy is the Lamb
Who was slain to save us
To receive power,
Riches, wisdom, strength,
Honor, glory
and blessing!

Chorus:

I know there’ll be
No tears in heaven
(I know there’ll be no tears)
For God will wipe them all away
(for God will wipe them all away)
(repeat)

Outro:

They are tears of the past

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July 15, 2022May 11, 2022

Story Behind the Album Roar

Introducing a compilation of rock music, spoken word, and classic hymns. We are excited to share the story behind the album “Roar“

One Big Inspiration

Up until now, the music I have released has been a compilation of songs from the stories of others written at different times. Before I was blessed to learn the art of production I really amassed a wish list of songs to release. As you are aware, I generally share the story behind each song in an individual blog. For this project it was all inspired, unexpectedly, and at the same time. Here is my story behind the album Roar.

How it All Started

I was watching Prophet Robin Bullock’s program the 11th hour when he made the statement “we are soldiers living on the edge of life and death.” Hence just a few days later, I was deeply inspired by the October 2021, Fresh Fire Prophetic Conference at my home church Regeneration Nashville. Pastor Gene Bailey started it with a fresh commission as a soldier in the Army of the Lord. I was born a warrior for the Lord and this has always been in the fiber of my DNA. The Lord began speaking to me about creating a new project.

I remember thinking, but I just released “Bigger Than Me” and you want me to do another album this soon Lord? I didn’t question, I just listened. Shortly after the conference my husband and I headed to West Virginia to meet our new Nephew and spend time with family. In that down time divine inspiration came. Furthermore, it was the clearest instruction I have received by the Holy Spirit to date. Here is a brief back story for each song.

Download Roar Here

1. Roar

Roar (Title Track) – A strong rock song inspired by Apostle Jane Hamon instructing us from God’s word to stand in the Authority we have as believers in Christ and declare a war cry. To Roar! I literally hung onto every word she said in her message and took three pages of notes! The lyrics to this song came from those notes.

2. No Quarter

No Quarter – I already had in my que to create a song based on the 3rd Amendment of the Constitution of the United States of America. Additionally, I fully intended to use the Revolutionary war cry “Don’t Tread on Me,” in the song. When I heard Brother Robin say “we are soldiers living on the edge of life and death,” I knew this was it. This song is a rock-blues song with a killer drum solo. The raspy edge in the lead vocal was a fun surprise and a different sound from me. It really added a bluesy dimension to the song.

3. Secret Place

Secret Place was the first song I started working on during that wonderful trip to the majestic state of West Virginia. Inspired by the beauty and the joy of new life I started tinkering around in Logic Pro. Surprisingly, I created this grungy guitar sound that really resonated with me. Recently, I had just read Psalm 91 and at the same time it kept coming up in the messages of the ministries I follow. As a result of being out there, isolated, with people I love dearly being in a secret place was really resonating with me. Therefore, this is the inspiration behind the song.

4. Psalm 91

Psalm 91 is simply me reading the New Kings James version from the Bible to a whimsical and mysterious cinematic musical ensemble. I feel like everyone needs to read Psalm 91, memorize it, and believe it! Since the lyrics of Secret Place were inspired by this chapter in the Bible, logically adding it as spoken word would help people discover the beautiful and encouraging chapter of the Word.

The Last 3 Tracks (5, 6 & 7)

Near The Cross (track 5) and Nearer My God To Thee (track 6) were first the background music for the last track The Little Almond Tree (track 7). First let me talk about The Little Almond Tree which is inspired by a podcast from Pastor Kent Christmas. The Lord led me to create this narrative into a beautiful story with Near The Cross and Nearer My God To Thee as instrumental background music. Appropriate for any one who loves a good story, children really enjoy The Little Almond Tree.

Sometimes Less is More

Incidentally, as we know the music in our world today is all over the place. So much variety and so many choices. I love and do create a lot of different genres and styles of music. My only limitation is I have a commission from God to create music that is Christian or family friendly. So, it should come as no surprise to you to learn that I love Hymns. With all the fantastic worship music out there today, I strongly felt that many will not know the songs behind the narrative of The Little Almond Tree. Finally, I took Near The Cross and Nearer My God To Thee and produced two songs that simply stunned me when they were completed. Near The Cross has a very traditional feel and Nearer My God To Thee has a beautiful Celtic feel to it. You don’t have to be a Christian to appreciate that sometimes less is more and these two Hymns are profoundly amazing in and of themselves. Producing a rendition of these classics is humbling to me.

In Conclusion

Interesting story to share about what happened while mixing and mastering one of the songs. As you can imagine, I have long loved the Fanny Crosby Hymn Near The Cross. Notably the song is part of many of my Resurrection Sunday celebrations. While I was putting the finishing touches on Near The Cross, our neighbor had an emergency. As you can presume, EMS and the Fire Department were present. While I was listening to the final mix of “Near the Cross,” which said…

“Near the cross, I’ll watch and wait hoping, trusting ever
‘Til I reach the golden strand just beyond the river…”

Our dear sweet neighbor, suffering from debilitating dementia and declining rapidly went home to be with the Lord. Unquestionably, I believe God gave this precious dear woman her own soundtrack to go home to Glory.

Download Roar Here

Listen on your favorite streaming platform

Would you like your own custom original song?

Contact Judith to schedule a free consultation