Give me Jesus (2019)

music&text: Nina Åström
Won’t you pull up a chair / and join me now / We’ve got all
the time in the world / Won’t you forget your rush / And your
anxious thoughts / Let me share this time with you / On
this Thursday afternoon / This time it’s my treat / it’s on the
house / Let me smooth those lines on your face / I can see
who you are, there’s nothing to hide / Let this be a meeting, face to face / Just a simple cup of coffee / nothing else / But it’s you and me that make it a feast / You’ve got worries, so do I, there’s no escaping that / But to share the burden and the laughter is a bliss / You were hesitant and timid, a little suspicious, too: Is it possible to share this life / Could someone really care / Well, love is still around with us / I can see Him in this room / Won’t you sit right here and join me now / On this Thursday afternoon

music&text: Eeva Vaija
English translation: Betty Spackman, Nina Åström
arr: Markus Vainiomäki
No-one but Jesus will ever be enough / in Him my heart is calmed when times are rough / in stillness waiting at His cross brings rest / in Him alone I receive all that is best / Our life’s a breath, a swaying, flickering flame / if we have fortune, or if we have fame / our happy days, our moments end so fast / only in Jesus is joy that will last / No-one but Jesus can get me through the night / when my heart’s full of anguish, full of fright / through wilderness so deep, I’m lost, alone / no-one but Jesus will guide my way back home / No-one but Jesus will step into my boat / when waves are raging, He keeps me afloat / Oh help me Lord! I cry out in my fear / He calms the storm in me because He’s near / Jesus is with me when my eyes close at last / and heaven’s gates open inviting me to pass / He is with me when I leave this time and space / move to my Father’s house and see His face

music: Buddy Greene
text: Mark Lowry
Mary, did you know / that your baby boy would one day walk on water? / Mary, did you know / that your baby boy would save our sons and daughters? / Did you know / that your baby boy has come to make you new? / This Child that you delivered will soon deliver you / Mary, did you know /that your baby boy will give sight to a blind man? / Mary, did you know / that your baby boy will calm the storm with His hand? / Did you know / that your baby boy has walked where angels trod? / When you kiss your little baby you have kissed the face of God? / The blind will see / The deaf will hear / The dead will live again. / The lame will leap / The dumb will speak / The praises of The Lamb. / Mary, did you know / that your baby boy is Lord of all creation? / Mary, did you know / that your baby boy would one day rule the nations? / Did you know / that your baby boy is heaven’s perfect Lamb? / The sleeping Child you’re holding is the Great I AM.

music&text: Nina Åström
Butterfly – frantically fluttering her wings / on the wrong side of the window pane / she can see the light and the window is ajar / She’s so close but she cannot find her way out / she’s so close but she cannot find / She knows where she wants to be / it is where the light comes from / where freedom is / But it’s so out of her reach / frustrated, numb, dissatisfied / but eager too: would you still take me with you? / She knows where she needs to be / but her hands are tied, her head is empty / it’s a regular nightmare / Still she’s bursting with these images / full of visions, but no way to know / how to get there, she’s got just no way to know / Ooooh, I watch her struggle / in that straight-jacket so pretty, so pretty / She’s let the matrix of her chronology keep her down, keep her mouth shut / hold her rigid, oh so rigid

music&text: Nina Åström
arr: Dan Weeks, Nina Åström
Where are all the women, where are all the men? / looking for my daughters, for my long gone sons / You got rid of your King, you told me to leave / you told me to leave you alone / and now you’re so alone / We’ve been taken for a ride, somebody lied / and now it’s going faster and faster the speed is lulling us / The pilot’s voice confusing us / we’ve been betrayed / Still it’s possible to get out / (possible to get out) / This way! / Where’s a rock that’s solid in this spin / “Shall we dance?” he said and we gladly went along / afraid of being wallflowers / yet it’s a slippery floor / But like a child who’s longing for acceptance / we consented, unaware, of the Great Dance… elsewhere

music: Robert Lowry
text: Fanny Crosby
Arr: Markus Vainiomäki
All the way my Savior leads me / what have I to ask beside? Can I doubt His tender mercy / who through life has been my guide? / Heav’nly peace, divinest comfort / here by faith in Him to dwell / For I know, whate’er befall me / Jesus doeth all things well / All the way my Savior leads me / cheers each winding path I tread / Gives me grace for every trial / feeds me with the living bread / Though my weary steps may falter / and my soul athirst may be / Gushing from the Rock before me / Lo! a spring of joy I see / All the way my Savior leads me / oh, the fullness of His love! / Perfect rest to me is promised / in my Father’s house above / When my spirit, clothed immortal / wings its flight to realms of day /This my song through endless ages: Jesus led me all the way

music: trad.
text: Gerard Moultrie / divine liturgy of St.James
arr: Markus Vainiomäki
Let all mortal flesh keep silence, / And with fear and trembling stand / Ponder nothing earthly minded / For with blessing in His hand / Christ our God to earth descending / Comes our homage to demand. / King of kings, yet born of Mary / As of old on earth He stood / Lord of lords, in human vesture / In the body and the blood / He will give to all the faithful / His own self for heav’nly food / Rank on rank the host of heaven / Spreads its vanguard on the way / As the Light of light descendeth / From the realms of endless day / Comes the powers of hell to vanquish / As the darkness clears away / At His feet the six-winged seraph / Cherubim with sleepless eye / Veil their faces to the presence / As with ceaseless voice they cry: Alleluia, Alleluia / Alleluia, Lord Most High!

music&text: Nina Åström
Arr: Dan Weeks, Nina Åström
Vast plains of cornfield and sun, soldiers, tanks and people on the run / Girl at her homework, prime minister asleep / Lady looking for her husband cause they’re in debt so deep / Far off there’s a battle and the boys herd the cattle / and everywhere I turn my head I see images of God / Everywhere I turn my head, everywhere I go / in the middle of nowhere or downtown Monaco / There are eyes and faces, all kinds of places / there’s no way I can miss it though you try not to see it cause everywhere I turn my head / There’s a heart and a face so lovely and bruised / there’s a time and a space where He took the place of the accused / I just turn my head and see the image made perfect / love’s greatest risk, it was a heart broken to the core / debt charged no more, and I’m telling you now: all of these are hearts designed for a greater love / Everywhere I turn my head and everywhere I go / in the middle of nowhere or downtown Moscow / There are eyes and faces, all kinds of places / there’s no way I could miss it though you try not to see it / and everywhere I turn my head

music&text: Nina Åström
After the goodbyes, before the hellos / here I am, watching and waiting / Landscape of my soul, always in the between / here I am, watching and waiting / I adapt so well, like a chameleon / being this to her, that to him / a real cosmopolitan (yeah) / but which land is my land? / Still with every new day I am closer / to my final destination, my one true home / And when the evening sun shines / on the pine and spruce, soft and low, like a mellow fire / that’s when I get all funny inside / my body wants to run there / to be there, already there, oh yes I know / But the days before that (the years and the months and the weeks) / I will be in the business of loving You, Lord of my heart / and if I truly learn to love You / I will love my fellow and do what my heart desires

music&text: Nina Åström
I know a man, this man is sturdy and strong / he lives not far from where I do / he knows how to tame a horse and chop the wood of course / still he melts when someone is in need / He’s got solid ground under his feet / and eternity in his eyes / He doesn’t like to mingle where the rich and famous do / but he will stand up for the weak and poor / This man I know is trusting and true / he’s got persistence with an open view / He is meek and mild, tender and wild / He knows who he is, he is humble and strong / he knows he’s a man, no need to prove it / by beating up his woman, by pulling down his sister / no need to prove it / And when he says he’d give his life / it don’t mean just here and now / but the day after day, night after night / the friction through the years that we call “everyday life” / that’s when you give your life / I am messy and weak, I freak out and get scared / and more often than not he’s covering me / But what is so amazing is that this strong man needs me

music&text: Nina Åström
arr: Dan Weeks, Nina Åström
I get such a thrill, you can call me simple, I might be a sucker / but I get all warm inside of just common courtesy / Somebody opens the door, they do that little extra thing / doesn’t even cost them much and they just do it / You can call me simple but that’s just how I am / With the person in the mall, your man, your son, your daughter, your grandma / someone at their weakest, someone in a really awkward situation / Especially someone who’s small and cannot pay you back at all / everybody wants to be loved and respected / There’s a lot of joy and surprise in just common courtesy / I know it’s not the whole story / I know it’s not all to takes / it’s not about pulling yourself up by your boot straps / ‘cause that’s something you cannot do / but it’s still a great place to start / to start with common courtesy / Don’t wait until she’s perfect, don’t wait until she’s lovable / cause after all – are you? / Don’t wait until you feel like doing it / cause that day might never come / It’s really all common sense, everybody wants to be seen / it’ll work for you as you do it, and there’ll be changes / There’s a lot of joy and surprise in just…

music&text: Nina Åström
I set off at 9AM, my car duly packed / I’ve got 300 miles ahead, drive through the endless woods / counting the pines, stop for lunch at my favorite place / Lots of new faces but always on my own / A coffee to-go, then it’s back to the road again / music’s playing, my thoughts are straying, I’ve got so far to go / And when the work is done, there’s the road that’s waiting again / After sharing myself with so many I’monmyown/Ilovemyworkbutat1AMdrivingpasta house / with a cozy bedroom window / I wonder “what on earth I’m doing here?” / And just when I’m numb and hazy, there’s a phone call from a friend / a phone call from far away, keeping me company / I need a break and it’s caffeine at the truckers’ stop / and that dull sound of an idle one-armed bandit / reminding me of what a sad place this world can be / Spaced out for a minute or two, but I can’t stay too long / cause I’ve got so far to go / Finally, only 10 miles left and two more tracks / I say “thank You” for one more safe trip / and 2.30 I slip out of my traveling armor / Can I let go now? / Nobody knows my life, nobody knows what I do / Nobody knows what it feels like / Nobody…but You

music&text: trad.
arr: Fernando Ortega
In the morning when I rise – give me Jesus / Give me Jesus, you can have all this world / just give me Jesus / When I am alone – give me Jesus / Give me Jesus, you can have all this world / just give me Jesus / And when I come to die – give me Jesus / Give me Jesus, you can have all this world / just give me Jesus

music&text: John Thompson, Michael Card
El-Shaddai, El-Shaddai, El-Elyon na Adonai / Age to age You’re still the same / By the power of the name / El-Shaddai, El-Shaddai, Erkamka na Adonai / We will praise and lift You high, El-Shaddai / Through Your love and through the ram / You saved the son of Abraham / Through the power of Your hand / Turned the sea into dry land / To the outcast on her knees / You were the God who really sees / And by Your might / You set Your children free / Through the years You made it clear / That the time of Christ was near / Though the people couldn’t see / What Messiah ought to be / Though Your Word contained the plan / They just would not understand / Your most awesome work was done / Through the frailty of Your Son / El- Shaddai, El-Shaddai, El-Elyon na Adonai / Age to age You’re still the same / By the power of the name El- Shaddai, El-Shaddai, Erkamka na Adonai / I will praise You till I die, El-Shaddai

music: John Dykes
text: Reginald Heber
arr: Markus Vainiomäki
Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty! / Early in the morning our song shall rise to Thee / Holy, holy, holy, merciful and mighty! / God in three Persons, blessed Trinity! / Holy, holy, holy! All the saints adore Thee / Casting down their golden crowns around the glassy sea / Cherubim and seraphim falling down before Thee / who wert and art, and evermore shalt be / Holy, holy, holy! Though the darkness hide Thee / though the eye of sinful man Thy glory may not see / Only Thou art holy; there is none beside Thee / perfect in power, love and purity / Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty! / All Thy works shall praise Thy name in earth and sky and sea / Holy, holy, holy, merciful and mighty! / God in three Persons, blessed Trinity!

music: Nina Åström 
text: Heli Markkunen
string arr: Kaarle Mannila, Alexei Meidzof
Be a star in the sky, a tear in the eye / be a tree, be a flower, be a refreshing shower / A smile on the face, a light in the dark place / be the best of whoever you are – a treasure in God’s heart / Be a hill if you can’t be a mountain / be a clear water drop of the fountain / No matter how hard it is to see / be whoever you were meant to be / Be a path if you can’t be a highway / be the most beautiful jar of clay / No matter how hard it is to see / be whoever you were meant to be / Be a brook if you can be the ocean / be a shade of the deepest emotion / No matter how hard it is to see / be whoever you were meant to be

music&text: Nina Åström
We were playing at this prison / somewhere in St.Petersburg / and after the set a man came to us / and he said “I’m free cause these walls are just a temporary hindrance to me” / And later I heard that he had found freedom within prison walls / We were playing at this prison somewhere in Murmansk / As I was looking over the extremely short cut heads / I saw this man with a beaming face / Later I heard that he had found freedom within prison walls / And I said yeah, oh yeah/ Freedom within prison walls / We were playing at this prison somewhere in Russia / and the ladies in the cell were a little suspicious at first (can’t blame them) / But just our being women broke the walls and real sisterhood emerged / It was freedom within prison walls / We were playing at this venue somewhere in Europe / And as I was looking over the crowd for a friendly pair of eyes / And there I saw it, the same light, the same glow / it was the same thing, it was / Freedom within prison walls