All I Need, Citizens

Citizens is back with new music for the church on their upcoming release, The Joy Of Being. The first single from the record, All I Need, is a reflection on God’s sufficiency for our joy in every season of life. (The Hymnody podcast doesn’t claim any rights to the music in this episode. All rights are reserved to their respective owners.)

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Episode introduction

All I Need, Citizens

From 2020 release, The Joy Of Being

Song credits to Brian Eichelberger and Zach Bolen (Seattle music scene: Citizens, Kings Kaleidoscope, The Sing Team, Ghost Ship, etc.)

Chill, melancholy indie rock with ambient qualities, yet also with clear structure

Incredibly poetic writing: figurative language, more meaning beneath the surface

All about God's sufficiency for our joy in all of life: our formative years, our highs/lows, eternity future

Our need for Jesus' substitutionary/sacrificial death, symbolized in the communion elements
Love how this song moves us to a posture of reliance upon God, where we find rest, peace, and all of our needs and desires met

Takes us through suffering and sanctification, these various stations of life, continually pointing us to the cross 

God's grace ("God's goodness toward those who deserve only punishment")

God's omnipresence (there is nowhere God isn't); time and space

Why this song?

Lyrics are 10/10: well-crafted, creative, unique; has a simple chorus that cuts through all the imagery

Genre isn't mainstream; worth exploring this because everyone resonates with different styles of music

Good time to follow along with Citizens' music as they roll out this project and return to music made specifically for the church

Basic info

Key of A
4/4 time
~67 bpm

Instrumentation

Keyboards
Electric guitar
Acoustic guitar
Strings (nonessential)
Bass + drums
Minimal backing vocals

Song intro

Unstructured string parts establish tone and texture

Keys join in with a part that we'll soon see is the melody of the verse

Simple drum beat is muffled/reverby, as if being heard through a wall

Chord changes from D to E (IV to V), pushing offbeat; continues through verse

Verse 1

Keys continue to follow melody in unison with vocals 

Simple, repetitive melody

Walks up in whole, even steps 

Then traces the F#m (iv) chord, arpeggiating down 

Upon repeating, shifts to E (V) chord; melody follows

Like the intro, chord changes from D to E (IV to V) occur asymmetrically on beat 1 and "2-and"

Main drum beat (plus bass) comes in halfway through verse 1

From the voiceless dark
I could hear You call my name
To a world apart
To a life of love awake

The first lines of the song open with language that reminds me of Genesis 1:1-3

"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth... the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. God said, "Let there be light," and there was light."

So there God existed in formless, empty darkness - and he spoke light and life into being

The lyrics seem to allude to the creation account in Genesis 1 as a metaphor for our coming to know God at his invitation; "from the voiceless dark" he calls our name

And what are we called to? As the song says, "a world apart; a life of love awake"

We're called to be set apart, to live a life marked by love, as those purchased by the one who first loved us

I hear echoes of the Apostle Peter's words here from 1 Peter 2:9, "You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light."

And what of the word, "awake" at the end of this line?

I'm sure it's a nod to Ephesians 5:14, where Paul writes, "Wake up sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you."

There's more light/dark imagery in this passage of scripture, particularly in verse 8, "For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord..."

With a beating heart
And a simple-sighted faith
Safe within Your arms
Quiet by the light of grace

So now we have been made spiritually alive, given a beating heart

And the lyrics recognize that we are at this point young in our faith—"infants in Christ," as Paul said

Our faith is simple; perhaps we haven't yet learned to live by faith, not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7)

But still we're kept safe in our father's arms

And I love this image: "Quiet by the light of grace"

Still, resting, at ease… near the warm glow… of God's goodness, extended to us though could have done nothing to earn it

Let's now listen to the prechorus

Prechorus 1

Start with Bm (ii) chord; always works well for a alt section like prechorus/bridge

For the second time in this song, we hear a strong link between the sung melody and the instrumental accompaniment

First it was the keys following the melody in verse 1

Now it's on the words, "bread I find" in the prechorus

Listen for the walk-up in the bass (or lowest) notes of the chords: E   D/F#   E/G#

Interesting that we still haven't heard the tonic chord in the entire song; but it's coming soon at the beginning of the chorus
There in the cradle of life You held my breath
And here at the table of wine and broken bread I find (all I need)

Prechorus refers back to our initial formation into God's children in "the cradle of life"

More language from Genesis 2:7, "Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life…"

As "dust of the ground" we were fully reliant on God for our existence; as "infants in Christ" we were fully reliant on God for our nourishment; and as sinners still we are fully reliant on God for mercy and forgiveness, freely offered to us at the cross

That's why we sing in this second line, "Here at the table of wine and broken bread I find (all I need)"

"All I need" actually belongs to the chorus, but including here for context

"The table of wine and broken bread" of course refers to communion or the Lord's Supper

This is the sacrament instituted by Jesus himself, recorded in all four gospels, expounded upon in the epistles, and maintained by millennia of church tradition… its significance can't be overstated!

It signifies Jesus' crucifixion—his brutal and unjust death—and all of its benefits for us

There's so much more to say about "the table", but as we move on to the chorus and the rest of the song, we'll see how the lyrics continue to highlight the sufficiency of what the table represents for sinners in need of grace

Chorus 1

Tonic chord (A) finally lands here in the chorus, giving us a clear point of reference, some sense of resolution

Chord changes are more straight here in the chorus, falling on beats 1 and 3 in every measure

Except in the second line, where we hang on the D (IV) chord for an extra beat and change to E (V) on beat 4 to emphasize this lyric, "joy of being"

The end of the chorus is interesting too: Ends on Bm (ii), creating suspense/anticipation

In the second instance of the chorus, we'll hang on the Bm chord for a measure and a half before heading straight into the instrumental

In the first instance though, there is a brief resolution to A (I) on beat 4 before moving on to verse 2

The chorus also shows us the full range of the melody

As low as E2 on the word "I"; as high as E3  on the words "hidden" and "until"

Only one octave, which lends very well to congregational singing

There's some fun interplay between the melody and the electric guitar part, but otherwise the chorus is straightforward musically

All I need, You are all I need
In the air I breathe, in the joy of being
Hidden in Your time, until the life ahead
You are all I need, You are all I need

God being "All we need" is certainly the theme of the chorus, as we'll sing that line "All I need" four times

So how is that God is "all we need"?

In this chorus, he's "in the air I breathe;" his will was sufficient to bring us into existence, and his power sustains us

He's also sufficient for our joy, we sing in this line, "the joy of being" (which if you remember is the title for this album)

The scriptures have so much to say about joy and its centrality to the Christian life

I think Jesus says it all in John 15: While teaching his disciples, Jesus says, "I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete."

We are meant to find our complete joy in relationship to God through Christ—nothing else is required, nothing else could add to our joy

That's because God himself is unequivocally happy! Do you think of him as stoic or brooding or just mild-mannered? He's not—he's brimming with exuberant joy in being God

We know only so much of this joy now, though what we do know is enough to keep us satisfied

There's more to know, so much more—and I believe that's what this next lyric is referring to: "Hidden in your time until the life ahead"

We've hardly begun to know the glories of who God is, but in the life ahead we'll enjoy him more deeply every day into eternity

As we sing, I'd also encourage us to consider each chorus in the context of each verse that precedes it

Following verse 1, "You are all I need" centers on God's sufficiency as our maker and as the one who called us into light

Following verse 2, we'll see how "You are all I need" takes on distinct meaning in life's varying seasons

And the final verse, verse 3, looks ahead to eternity when our faith is "full and finished"; even then God will remain all that we need

Verse 2

Ambient, textural, oscillating electric guitar or keys part becomes more prominent here

Chord changes accelerate in verse 2

No longer changing only between D (IV) and E (V) but frequently adding A (I) on beat 4 to add momentum, keep driving forward

I also really like how additional chords are worked into some lines (not every line) of this verse, and they play well with the melody

But this isn't perpetuated throughout the entire verse, which is important because that's how things like this become tired: overplaying

When I'm lost in joy
In a timeless song of praise
You're the sacred voice
Singing purpose into place

We'll look at verse 2 in two parts as well, and these two parts are in contrast to one another

The first part looks at seasons of our lives that are characterized by joy and purpose

When we're content

When worshipping God comes naturally to us

When life has clear meaning and significance established by God himself

In these seasons, it remains true that God is all we need

And what about when life doesn't look like this?

Even in the void
In the sudden wake of pain
When the shadows join
Still I'm in the light of grace

The second part of the verse considers seasons of suffering and shadow

It talks about the "void", a state of emptiness

Pain or loss that we didn't see coming

"Shadow" could be a metaphor for any number of things: doubt, confusion, temptation, malice against us

What then? :Still I'm in the light of grace"

Think back to the last line of verse 1, "Quiet by the light of grace"

When all we know in life is pain or emptiness and we're looking for answers, the underlying reality is that still we're kept safe in our father's arms

He is keeping us close to the warm glow of his goodness

From here we return to the prechorus—but with a slight twist

Prechorus 2

Musical identical; slightly different lyrics
There in the waves of this life You hold my breath
And here at the table of wine and broken bread I find

So before we sang, "There in the cradle of life You held my breath"

Now it's "There in the waves of this life You hold my breath"

This lyric acknowledges: first, the "waves of life" as they were described in verse 2; and second, God still holds our breath—sustains our very lives

And we return to the table, to reflect on the sufficiency of the cross in all of life

Chorus 2

Much the same as chorus 1, except:

Backing vocals added for the first time

Transition into instrumental

Instrumental

Electric guitar solo over chorus chords

Borrows elements from the sung melody, but not an exact copy at all

The War On Drugs vibes!

Verse 3

Stripped down musically; back to basics with chord changes

Until line 5: "To a risen son"

Bass and acoustic guitar come back, accompaniment picks up to underline the significance of this lyric

Skip the prechorus this time; straight into the final chorus

When my time has come
And I hear You call my name
To a world beyond
To a life of love awake
In the final verse, we look ahead to eternity when our "time has come"

Notice the repetition and continuity with verse 1:
"I could hear You call my name" (our invitation into relationship with God) > "I hear You call my name" (now he's calling us home to eternal life)
"A world apart" (formation into a holy, set apart people) > "A world beyond" (the new heaven and new earth, the consummate kingdom of God)
"To a life of love awake" (same)

To a risen Son
To a full and finished faith
Safe within Your arms
Glowing in the light of grace

What else are we called into? Into the presence of the risen Son, Jesus, ruling over all creation

Borrowing more language from verse 1
"A simple-sighted faith" (infants in Christ) > "A full and finished faith" (now saying with Paul in 2 Tim 4:7, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.")
"Safe within Your arms" (same; it's God's shepherding hand that has kept us safe to this point)
"Quiet by the light of grace" > "Glowing in the light of grace" (no longer quiet but glowing in glory with Christ)
And now it's more fitting than ever to sing this refrain, "All I need…"
Final chorus

Actually two choruses combined, which is accomplished by merging the last line of the first chorus and the first line of the second chorus—because the lyrics are the same: "You are all I need"

Opens low energy, reflective, lyric-focused; builds on "joy of being"

Another walk-up on these words in this final chorus: D   E   D/F#   E/G#   A

Treated to some nondiatonic harmony in the second-to-last line

"Hidden in your time until the life ahead" A   E   G   D

G = b7 (flat seven) in the key of A major; always a fun one to throw in

Song ends upon transition from Bm to D; IV chord is a nice, slightly unexpected place to land
Practical considerations

Trust your congregation

Don't assume that these lyrics are too poetic or abstract to be understood or appreciated

People are creative; lean into that

I wouldn't make the same recommendation when it come to fuzzy theology; there's much more at stake there

Listen to the phone demo!

Join Citizens in this project by doing something truly personal that belongs to you and your community

Depending on your liturgy or service order, consider singing this song near to when you take the communion elements

These lyrics may add new depth and dimension to the sacrament