LORD I NEED TO TALK TO YOU
THERE'S SO MUCH ON MY HEART
SO MANY BURDENS MAKES IT HARD
TO KNOW JUST WHERE TO START
THANK YOU FOR YOUR FAMILY
YOUR MERCY AND YOUR LOVE
NOW ON TO MORE IMPORTANT THINGS
I'LL GIVE MY MAGIC LAMP A RUB

(CHORUS)
GIVE ME THIS, I WANT THAT
BLESS ME LORD I PRAY
GRANT ME WHAT I THINK I NEED TO MAKE IT THROUGH THE DAY
MAKE ME WEALTHY, KEEP ME HEALTHY
FILL IN WHAT I MISSED
ON MY NEVER-ENDING SHOPPING LIST

LORD YOU'VE BEEN SO GOOD TO ME
HOW COULD I ASK FOR MORE
BUT SINCE TO SAID TO ASK, I WILL
CAUSE WHAT ELSE IS PRAYER FOR
THE CATTLE ON A THOUSAND HILLS
THEY ALL BELONG TO YOU
I DON'T NEED ANY COWS RIGHT NOW
BUT SOMETHING ELSE MIGHT DO

(BRIDGE)
I WANT A NICE WHITE SMILE ON A PERFECT FACE
AND PERFECT HAIR THAT WILL STAY IN PLACE
I WANT A SMALLER NOSE AND A SINGLE CHIN
AND A FIGURE LIKE A PERFECT TEN
AND A MOM THAT NEVER YELLS OR SCREAMS
AND HIPS THAT FIT IN DESIGNER JEANS
AND A TENNIS COURT AND A HEATED POOL
I COULD USE THEM, LORD, AS A WITNESSING TOOL
AND A COLOR TV AND A VCR
AND JESUS PLATES ON A BRAND NEW CAR
                              

(click to see the Lulu Roman Video)    (click for a printable lyric)     (click for sheet music)


 
 
****SONGWRITING AND STUDIO NOTES****

*This song was inspired by arranger Ronn Huff. We were closing our publisher's Christmas party one year with a prayer circle and he prayed "Lord, sometimes it seems like we just come before you with our shopping list of things we want". A little bell went off in my head and the basic chorus was written by the time the prayer circle was over.

*Recording the background vocals on my version of this song was the most fun I've ever had in the studio. There were only six of us and we kept trading parts and re-recording the vocals to make it sound like a big choir. We all got the giggles hearing the girls singing bass and the guys singing soprano on some of the passes and laughed our way through the whole session. The group included Nan and Wayne Gurley, Rich Mullins, Jackie Cusick, Bonnie Keen and yours truly.

*Hee-Haw TV show member Lulu Roman Smith did a version of the song and also a video. My wife Lesa (who co-wrote the song) and I got to be in the video---me as a game-show contestant and her in the audience. If you see the video, look closely and you can see her sitting next to Rich Mullins. This video was shown several times on MTV---as the "Dip Clip" of the week. Hahaha!!

*Babbi Mason also did a version of this song---evidently it is still played around Christmas every year but I have yet to hear it (!!!).

*If you listen closely right before the intro on my version, you can hear a voice yell "the red light's on!". When you start recording  in some studios, a light (usually red) goes on to let the participants and people outside the studio know that recording is about to begin. We caught the keyboardist on the session (Michael W. Smith) on tape informing everyone of the red light and decided to stick it on the front of the song just for fun.

*The "so many burdens makes it hard" line is a bit of a grammatical minefield---on Lulu's version the line was changed by a person unknown to "so many burdens MAKE it hard" (without my permission) (no hard feelings). I know this sounds like the correct wording, but I feel there is an understood "having" which makes it a gerund phrase and therefore "makes" is the correct tense of the verb---"(having) so many burdens makes it hard..."  Expert opinions on the matter would be appreciated.

                                                                Click here for the background track