Good lyrics can be trashed by poor melodic structure.

When a good idea becomes overbearingly boring. Great accompaniment or band arrangement couldn't save this song. The YouTube sample recording is good, (only with the nice pop band, highly dressed up accompaniment,) however, it can't save this worship song. When I first came to be forced to sing this song in a worship session, (They called singing as worship, as if they do not need anything else. If you listen to the "worship Team", whether you sing or not, it is worship) two weeks ago, while I was in the audience, I wanted to leave, suffering from nausea caused by the selected song. It was holy torture. The reason is noted on the sheet music below, which gives the basic structure and style of the song. On top of the nauseating song, the "Praise Team" (which means they praise, you watch) weren't praising at all. They stood there like 2x4s and sang the song like Buddhist monks, chanting the mind emptying Sanskrit mantras. And the poor accompanist (here it was just one very poor pianist) struggling to follow the "Song Leader" who almost nobody could follow, playing on different keys between right hand and left, who could not even play the rhythm and follow the flow. My soul was insulted and murdered by the song session. We Christians should do a lot better than this. They wanted me to advice them on the selection of songs. But it is too late. They ought to give them to me for an evaluation first before they put them to use in order to save the torture. But I guess the played the PC game game of paying respect to me, without real sincerity. Then why ask?

Here is the sheet music:

Let me explain:
1. The melody is static: dead, Ugly, lacking in melodic movement.
2. The whole song has a very limited range. That is why it sounds like Buddhist chanting.
e.g. the range of the A idea (or theme, from measure 1 to 8, first three lines, which is repeated a total of four times.) is only a 4th (perfect 4th) The B idea (or theme, measures 9 to 16) repeated a total of 6 times is only a 6th (major 6)
3. The whole song is suffering from absolute lack of contrast, not only in range but also in melodic and chord movement.
4. There is no climax in this song and the Cantonese tones was worse when it actually pronounce as #6 Cantonese tone instead of #4, replacing the word (used in the title) "God 4 神" with the word "Kidney 6 腎" and the word "King 4" 神 with the word "Prosperity 6 旺" . And then the nonsensical idea of "dropping your weaknesses" or "laying down your weaknesses." (放下軟弱) shows that the lyricist‘s ignorance. May I ask how do you "drop your weaknesses"? There must be some common sense in your lyrics! I guess the "composer" was too busy to fit the melody with words (填詞) than to think about what he/she was saying.

Songs for worship must have some sort of beautiful poetic structure. They must present melodic and harmonic movement and climax. This song has painfully boring musical ideas and poor structure where the dead musical themes were repeated way too many times: A1A2, B1B2, A1A2, B1B2, A1A2, B1B2, B1B2, B1B2, ending1, ending2. and the whole song has a range of only a major 6th!!!

Regarding the "professiinally peoduced" Youtube sample of this song, it is amazing how people, once they see a guitar, a bass, a synthesizer and great slides on the screen and nice graphics, they begin to swallow this kind of trash. And the "singer-song writer" could practically parade around as holy artists and even made money selling trash. It demonstrates to me the very common form of addiction when generally younger people brainlessly take in any trash with a pop feel. And the worship music industrialist, makes insane amount of money selling trash and laughing to the bank while the "worship teams" which very few people follows, worship at the altar of popularity.

Don't get me wrong, the lyrics are basically fine. But still there are, as usually the case, too much Christian jargon and buss words such as "liberate me", "Glorify You", "lay down my weaknesses", "offered as living sacrifice". Not only these jargon, but words of sexual romance, such as "my heart pressed tight to You", "forever stalking next to You", "for you I'd pour out my heart". Once there are such buss words, the young Christians go for it like the groupies of Rock and Roll singers. (餓狗搶屎) Some even raise their arms in fantasy and ecstasy. Most fans don‘t care to think about the lyrics. The pop combo is a switch the turns on their "holy switch".

When Christians love God they are reserved (sober) in public and expressive (beside themselves) in their inner rooms alone, toward God. (II Cor. 5:13 "For whether we be beside ourselves, it is to God: or whether we be sober, it is for your cause.") I guess most Christians can't be Christians until they publicly show off their Christianity in church. In private, they can't deal with themselves or God. When ISIS comes for them, most of them will immediately switch on their unbeliever mode.

In the old days, the organ and the piano was regarded as holy instruments. (not that they were holy. That is also wrong) Now, they are banished and replaced by guitars, basses, synthesizers, drum sets. A church guitarist only need to learn about five guitar chords to immediately become superstars in their own church. Churches would rather pay 10s of $1,000s to pay for a drum set, wireless mics, (Most of them don't know how to use one.) speakers, amplifiers, sound systems, projectors and screens, stage light systems, but abandon, throw away, expansive organs and grand pianos. In the old days, song leaders were usually good Christian singers, and they led music alone by their gestures, facial expressions and voice. And almost everybody sings enthusiastically. Now, non-singers forming the so called "praise teams" (most of them can't sing and can't lead) standing on the "holy" podium area like a bunch of 2x4s, (wooden studs) not smiling, not leading, singing like Buddhist monks and nuns without any expression on their faces. Sometimes they are forced to, (in order to gain acceptance) raise their hands in ecstasy toward God as an act of "Holiness". They dare to call that worship leading, while the congregation stood there just watching, much less talking about participating in worship, it is as if tolerating such poor music is the real form of worship, shame on us.

Matching melodic movement with lyrics and vice versa is difficult particularly in Cantonese. I understand that, because I speak Cantonese very fluently. This song is not salvageable. Cantonese worship songs are written with the perfect synchronization between lyricist and the melodic that the song writer writes. In this case, I am afraid both are the same person and in both areas, he is at best mediocre.

My friend Alice Chiu should take a look at this song and also offer her expert opinion. Christians should do much better than this. They should give them to me for an honest evaluation before they put them to use. But it is too late to save the torture.