A core city (中核市, Chūkakushi?) is a class of Japanese city created by the first clause of Article 252, Section 22 of the Local Autonomy Law of Japan. Core cities are delegated many functions normally carried out by prefectural governments, but not as many as designated cities. To become a candidate for core city status, a city must satisfy the following condition:
Application for designation is made by a city with the approval of both the city and prefectural assemblies.
As of 2009, 41 cities have been designated core cities:
The following cities have populations greater than 300,000 but have not yet been nominated. (Cities planning to apply for core city status are not shown. ※Special Cities)
Core may refer to:
A city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.
For example, in the U.S. state of Massachusetts an article of incorporation approved by the local state legislature distinguishes a city government from a town. In the United Kingdom and parts of the Commonwealth of Nations, a city is traditionally a settlement with a royal charter. Historically, in Europe, a city was understood to be an urban settlement with a cathedral.
Cities generally have complex systems for sanitation, utilities, land usage, housing, and transportation. The concentration of development greatly facilitates interaction between people and businesses, benefiting both parties in the process. A big city or metropolis usually has associated suburbs and exurbs. Such cities are usually associated with metropolitan areas and urban areas, creating numerous business commuters traveling to urban centers for employment. Once a city expands far enough to reach another city, this region can be deemed a conurbation or megalopolis.
Takeharu Ishimoto (石元 丈晴, Ishimoto Takeharu?) is a Japanese video game composer, synthesizer programmer, and musician currently working at Square Enix. He joined Square Enix in 1999 as a synthesizer programmer on Legend of Mana, and worked for them on several games. In 2002 he moved to become a composer, beginning with World Fantastista. He has since composed for several large-budget games, such as The World Ends with You and Dissidia: Final Fantasy. In addition to his work for Square Enix he is a composer and guitar player for the band SAWA, which he formed with Sawa Koto in 2008, and with which he has released the album 333.
Takeharu Ishimoto first got into music as, according to him, he lived in the country and there was nothing else to do. He first worked as a synthesizer programmer before becoming a composer; he began working as such in 1999 with Legend of Mana. Several games later, he began to also work as a composer with the PlayStation 2 soccer game World Fantasista. In 2004 he began to compose for games in the Final Fantasy series, which he had previously worked with as a synthesizer programmer on Final Fantasy X. His last work as a synthesizer programmer was for Kingdom Hearts II in 2005; since then he has worked exclusively for Square Enix as a composer. He is currently working on two Final Fantasy games, Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy and Final Fantasy Type-0.
C.O.N.T.R.O.L., feed you young on the fear of hell. And when you reach down to pull the plug, turn you white with the fear of god. One day I looked down and saw the man feeding rosaries down our throats was holding hands with the businessman who was wringing the blood from all these stones. They said "Do you believe in life after death"? I said I believed in life after birth, and the holy church swallowed hard for the body of Christ. So when they say It's A Sin, they mean it's high treason to kill the mule before his back gives out. This is company time. And we never close, we never close. We'll sink you with crosses and bury you in rows. When they say Every Day is a Gift they mean Blessed Are the Working Poor, whose high hopes pay for all these golden crosses. Never catching up but never stopping, taxed to death and still repenting when they say that you'll burn up in hell if you die with this mark on your soul. But there can't be any worse things below than Pascal's sainted bureaucrats got in mind for the hopeful masses. The scheme is hatched and the priest dispatched. And when they say Amen they mean I Hope You Live Forever Hand To Mouth. I've got plans - both my hands on the plug of your god's wasted love. Both hands on the plug of your god's wasted love. Kill the bosses, kill the priests, kill the shepherds - save the sheep.
Dear victim. I'm a long time listener but a first time caller. Dear victim I just wanted to say how I'm sorry about your loss (and my place in it). A better world? What would you do with a better world?
But here I go again, making one more enemy. Oh here it comes again. I said the wrong thing. I did the wrong thing. Tore through your safe space. A slap in the victim's face.
An unauthorized opinion in this house of persecution, and you know it does us more harm than good but we feed it anyway. Attack. Defend. Attack again. One of them I'm one of them. Attack. Defend. Attack again - One of them.
So you've got a system down. How to keep them all running around. Dishing out apologies so they never stop to say "I don't owe you anything. You don't know me and never did".
hand over mouth. whites of the eyes. these scars will heal just in time for summer. for killing season. when your old man gets home to criminal disarray you tell him icarus was here today. whatever gets you through the night. i never said that this was right. for everything you never said, for everything you never did. no roses on an unmade bed. i never said that any of this was safe and clean. when your old man gets home tell him sisyphus was right. the myth is real. you get to the top. the rock falls down the other side. again and again. and its all for naught. these scars will heal but we never will...so what separates us from animals again? whites of the eyes. its in the whites of the eyes. hand over mouth. whites of the eyes. these scars will heal and your just in time. just in time. just in time for killing season.
five times in the mirror and there you are. staring dead ahead with the virgins eyes. its tearing me apart. i cant control my actions. and i cant control my thoughts. and when i see the things you've done. it makes me fucking hot. all in crimson. bathed in blood. your secrets burning a hole through my heart. liberties with the flesh. a statue never bled like this. crimes. crimes against the skin. and im both feet in. i know its wrong. i know its wrong now bring it on.
whispered your name in a busy room and everyone stopped talking.
brought you up in a confessional and all the grown men within earshot
lost their faith and walked away, walked away and walked away.
lost their faith and walked away.
so what is it you're not telling me?
oh yeah, this time around, i'm not asking.
and oh, how small this town gets when you start asking for too many names.
so where you've come from and where you're going,
i don't care and i'm not asking.
i'd hit the lights, touch your lips.
Crash course in burning out
I said I'd never be the kind
So stuck in glory days
They forget to let dead bury their own.
So what is this that's trying to slow me down?
Feels like the dead weight of all our broken promises
And every stillborn declaration carried too far too long.
I remember the songs the saved me.
And the words that came so easy.
And the pulpits that sprang up beneath our feet.
And it never even crossed our minds the words could ever be wrong.
All that confidence wasted on the young.
We tapped that vein and bled it dry.
Now nothing fits (yeah but what ever did?)
We always thought that we had time.
To let the dead bury their own.
"Who killed the time? What's left that's mine?" Face down in a nation of thieves. What do you do when you're not on your knees drawing out nine to five disease?
(You kill the time. Get back in line) Last of the great team players, just payments away from freedom. Swinging from his neck in a two car garage.
They've got words I never heard. All seeing eyes staring me down through the centuries. And all with thirty-three degrees of separation in between the indoctrinated and the paraoid.
Someone turn the lights on. Got an old and sinking feeling that the wolves are at my doorstep. In the concrete. In the context.
Blindness of the ages passed on to the children. Built the courthouse, built the schools and built the circles they live and die in. And the wolves can wait it out while they live and die in doubt. The lies that fall from the books we trusted. The skull and bones that rise again. The Devil's in the details, in the walls.
Someone turn the lights on. Got an old and sinking feeling that the wolves are at my doorstep. And always have been.
He's passed out for the night.
Lived in one house all his life.
You can count the decades in his eyes.
Fifty year old fistfights and the scars they leave.
All the aweful liars, all the perfect thieves.
But he trusts in the rule of law and hates the current scapegoats.
Never asked for more.
And what will he have to show for the years of faithful service
hard work, faithful service
and standardized routines.
And when he dies alone with nothing in hand, burned out shell of a working man, when he dies alone with empty hands.
How long will the body lie before someone walking by notices the smell, calls the cops and they come and put him in a box marked with a number.
Somewhere past the city limits somebody pulls his file, stamps it void and throws it on a pile.
We take care of our own.
At least on paper.
We take care of our own.
When the lights went out you were shoved to the ground. Power station exploded. They're all watching it go down.
This is a heatwave. This is a heatwave. This is a heatwave. Someone's gonna get burned.
And all your trust boils down to this: the neighbour's hands that hold your wrists tight. Tight. Tight around your property rights.
Hands on you. Eyes on you. Teeth in you in the dark
Good night, hard right. Sleep tight Father. It's lights out for you, lights out at the altar. And all the lights in TV Land. Where'd you get those pearly gates? How'd you get them here? Face that launched a thousand cheques. Convincing zealot, who's up next? You better pray. They want what you want, they want it all. They want insurance for their godforsaken souls. They want an alibi, protection from all-seeing eyes. Expensive superstition but it keeps them warm at night. You're preaching to the retarded, what are they gonna do? Who are these half-dead faithful gonna send their paycheques to? Oh God, send me a sign - 'cause there's dead air at the pulpit. Struck down. Struck down on it. Taken, children, taken. So off you go to God. A real live human being need this bed. Real live human beings gonna need these respirators when all the TV holy men are dead. Congregation, eyes skyward to Heaven while holy old white hands reach deep into their pockets for a taste of the Old Time Gospel Hour.
coming on in full salute with conquest in their eyes.
with burning torches cast against the empty skies.
they cut our losses with sharpest knives, where villains thrive and heroes die.
line 'em up and point the blame, us and them one and the same.
line 'em up and point the blame, and you'll be gone when the lights come on.
face down in the mud, your hands filthy with blood, your world still the same, taste the pain of nothing changed.
here among the dead and dying, the troops are either mute or trying,
and it's all that stands between a medal and a crime.
final frontier falls to decay. last of hope rotting away.
disillusioned. the perfect citizen.
still trying to add it up as the black rain falls, and we all fall with it.
god and country sold you out and fed you scapegoats for your doubts.
the body's been dead not seven days, you've already fucked it a hundred ways.
stiffer than some but more willing than most,
"if this is your idea of some kind of joke..."
you can teach your razorblade a thing or two about suicide.
now cross your heart and wash these sheets,
you're going to wake the whole fucking street.
let's get this thing off the nearest bridge.
and i know you didn't mean to,
sweetheart you never mean to,
i know you never meant to,
you bought their lines and you staked their trail, followed their moves to the last detail.
and all that they sold you was death, on the five year plan,
and left you to rot in their promised land.
and what made you think that the life on the screen could be you?
no returns for your broken dreams when you get it home and it's not what it seems.
It's too late.
It's too late.
I talked.
I told them everything.
I confessed my long list of crimes to all the subway suicides.
Not absolved but laid bare.
And the secret double lives of all the rat race patriarchs go on and on - and let them die there.
I've looked through all the windows.
I've gone through all the drawers.
More empty now than ever before.
We're going down to hell together or not at all.
And the dead hollow shells of consumer investments
That promised completion but just left more holes to fill -
Let 'em kill.
I've got one for the fatalists that like to fuck the mannequins.
So who's the deviant in this success story?
It's too late.
It's too late.
It's too late.
Welcome home in a bodybag from the front lines of defeat. Discharged "to a normal life" in a room that's two feet wide and six feet deep.
And the flag on your coffin, it might as well be the nails. When all else fails, you are the wind that sets their sails to a war played out before you were born. Business as usual. It's business as usual. Your business as usual is killing us all. So bring out your dead. Chalk up the score and we'll go through the motions once more.
Buried on a Sunday in a military grave with a six gun salute from the master to the slave. For the life that you gave. The promises that they broke. And the bribes that you paid.
Back in the land of the dead you're buried where you fall. No glorious deeds etched into a wall. The monument is the blood in the sand. Blood in the oil. Blood on your hands.
Prosthetic heroes, didn't die before they got old. Happy days are here again if you missed it the first time around. Golden Ages on our doorstep, Golden Ages at our door again. These days you can live forever. Prosthetic hearts, infinite lives. Reset. Reset, continue. Reach back, raise your dead, never say goodbye. 459 in progress at the Fool's Hall of Fame. Some artifacts have gone missing, reanimated all the same. Lived long enough to see the day that we could melt their years away. These days you can live forever. Prosthetic hearts, infinite lives. Reset. Reset, continue. Reach back, raise your dead, never say goodbye. All my antiheroes are dead, gone to far-off beds. And I got orders - Do Not Resuscitate. Leave them in the ground, we've got our own frustrations. These days you can live forever.
punch the clock and assume the position and never ask for any more. live and die going through there motions and never knowing what the fuck for. turn the dollar. dig the hole deeper. regret as you get another year older. a foot in the grave, a cogin a wheel. bred to be slaves to there ideals. here among the lifeless. the worthless. the hopeless. keep me to tired to think. keep me to fucked to care. but tomorrows another day, thats what the hopeless say.
I longed and I waited for something with teeth and it came in the form of this prosthetic face. All wrapped up in paper like fire trucks for orphans. The eyes were the holes where they burned out the maps that we made. You don't find your way back from this place. So onwards and upwards, the skies were erected. We fell from great heights but now we try to make the best of our time down here. Half an hour after the devil knows you're dead, you've got keys to the city, striking Faustian bargains. Saying "Did we agree on a nominal fee for the sins of the fathers to be struck from the records? Burn up and blown away. And take every last trace of the telltale corpses and indiscretions we wish would lay low. Lay low. Close your eyes and think of Christmas 'cause we're not getting out of here intact. They burn out the eyes, you don't find your way back from this place. You got keys to the city but it's nowhere and you're guilty of everything. But I know a town where you can buy absolution for a song.
Here's to the end of another day. Another dream you can't relate. Another stiff that owns your time, with six more ways to split your mind into the dissociated states that pass for survival. Night Terrors, Sum of all the parts. Cold Sweat, Alone in the Dark. Night Terrors. Enemy of Sleep. Cold Sweat. Freedom to Weep. The death toll pornography they feed you all day comes back at night and it comes back in spades. Dead twin in the room staring back at you, with a message from all your tomorrows: "You Never Get Out". Are you hopeless enough? Got problems, now you got problems. And we worked hard to lay them in your path. To keep you just hopeless enough. This sleepwalk on broken legs, modern man's Dance of Death. Here comes the sun, the Trauma King says "Smile and keep moving, you won't feel a thing". Night Terrors, Sum of all the parts. Cold Sweat, Alone in the Dark. Night Terrors. Enemy of Sleep. Cold Sweat.
What I got, you need in.
This is the future, son.
Stake your claim, it's almost gone.
It's gonna be beautiful, gonna reach the sky and more.
There's gold in them there walls.
We're tearing down all the neighborhoods,
making room for designer skylines,
so the lives in the underpass can be left in the dust by a whole new crowd.
Units still available, primed for success.
Your life in 500 square feet or less.
And it's self-contained. And it's all the same.
And only steps away from a city that you'll never see,
And every ugly abomination that the billboard never mentioned
but whose problem, whose life, whose city is that?
Show me a man with that much faith in concrete
and I'll show you every self-starter that ever put torch to building.
Every towering inferno lying in wait.
Show me your city plans,
I'll show you angry hands
Selling the urban dream one locked door at a time.
And this is what Air Conditioned Nightmares are made of,
The architecture of isolation.
What I got, you need in.
This is the future, son.
Stake your claim, it's almost gone.
It's gonna be beautiful, gonna reach the sky and more.
There's gold in them there walls.
Compartmentalized.
Headlong into the hive.
got cut, along the line. got cut, and opened wide. and opened wide. and opened wide.
got cut, right where the people come out. took a scalpel to my doubts.
i found the glitch and pulled it out.
diffused the timebomb.
they cut the right wire when they cut the white wire.
with no apologies to hypothetical tragedies.
got cut, one less heart to break. one less mind to rape.
one less victim, one less grave.
you'll never have my eyes. you'll never blame my hands.
1974, you got what you came for.
a suicide and a bottle of gin and you're in. and you're in. got you in. and you're in.
1974, and they've been telling me it's so much more, but this just looks like skin on skin from here.
so what is it i'm supposed to find so sacred in this?
'cause i'm not seeing anything too sacred in this. no nothing sacred here.
"father?" what are you? and what am i?
son of the glint in your eye. bastard son of all your impure thoughts.
she never forgot the value of trust. when all our restraint turns to dust.
but there's this old familiar glint in my eyes. old faithful tells me otherwise.
(Paul Bowles just before his death recounts his father's disgust with his life's work, and defends the artistic and philosophical preference for ugliness, negativity and failure as useful and valid subject matter)
This is the one baptist. I can feel it in the air. The late night infomercial that's going to save your life.. The warden's call in the eleventh hour. And it's easy to say but it's hard to remember that praose is for suckers and death is forever. Under your nose but just over your head. Martyr meets maker in ten shades of red.
These are your twelve steps. Take them on your knees. Show them at the door and they'll let you in free. These are your twelve steps. Take them on your knees. Show them the blood and you get in for free. Under your nose but just over your head. Martyr meets maker in ten shades of red.
And I've got a one track mind. And you know it's gonna get me tried. I've got a one track mind (and you know...)
Line twenty-six admits to martyr envy. And it's true - I wanted it to be my head staring up at you. Seeing what the eyes still see for ten seconds more. Hot from the floor. And ready to serve. This is your head on a canvas looking my way. And the kitchen's gonna need the plate back.
Yellow turns orange as orange turns to red. There's someone in the TV and they're fucking with my head. Strings to pull, world to win, where's it going to crack? It's chaos by numbers with no turning back. Controlled crisis, imagined and real. Hegel's bastards taking the wheel. Staged chaos, imagined and real. Yellow turns orange as orange turns to red. Up in the control room fucking with your head. Strings to pull, world to win, where's it going to crack? It's chaos by numbers with no turning back. Live on location, dead on arrival. Head-on collision, no chance of survival. Hegel's bastards, Orwell's child. Unchecked headfuck running wild. Give me false hopes and false conclusions, falsely immune from the human condition. Give me leaders with strength and conviction and feed me six o'clock executions every day till the end of time. Controlled crisis, imagined and real. Hegel's bastards taking the wheel. Staged chaos, imagined and real.Give me the vaguest possible enemy and I'll fight him to the death.
two thousand years and you've got me convinced it was me that nailed you to that cross. and your friends down here below. they'd like to make me think that it was me who threw the first stone. the fuckup who can never atone. no i wont carry your cross. its not mine to bear. the wholes in your hands are your own. the ones in my head are mine to repair. assualt me with your guilt parade. drag me down with your guilt parade. drag your misery through the streets. make it mine. and tell me when my guilt is enough. sufficient enough to cover the cost (the rising cost) of my salvation in your eyes. your salvation. my damnation. spit blood in the face of your tradition. whos the martyr and whos the roman here in your sick fantasy? who goes first in your guilt parade? whos on first in your guilt parade? be the hero, be the martyr - i'll throw the first stone all over again. bury you. bury you. history will bury you alive. (absolve me)
Hit Record 'cause it's all fucking pearls. A bridge-burner to end them all. Don't want to bite the hand that feeds - I want to fucking break it off. When they say "You'll never work in this town again", is that a promise or a threat? Businessmen dressed up like friends, they want to talk about business or friendship. The more confused the better the guilt trip. After all I did for you, don't you owe me this? Sign the paper, sign the paper, This Document Is Legally Blinding. We the undersigned do solemnly swear by The Plan. To break down on every highway from here to Creation. To play the game and sit still for pictures. How's your draw? Does it look good on paper? You'd better be someone? Oh aren't you anyone? Gonna be somebody. We got friends in the music business. They're gonna take care of all the details. So is it business or pleasure? The more confused the better. Don't call me and I won't call you.
The child that should have been, but never came to be,
The child that took to it's grave the innocence in me,
I hear a voice crying in a haunting plea for help,
And though I reach out toward the voice, I'm left all by myself,
They say I have no legal rights, they say I have no choice,
So if she chooses "end it", all I have is the voice,
So if you note my restless nights my torment is because
Bless me, Father, for I have sinned
I've come to pay my dues
Pay my penance beneath the robes
I know not what I do
Holy water rain on me and wash my sins away
Bless me, Father, on my knees
Is this how I pray?
Tie your chain around my neck and cast me to the sea
A little one is led astray, the innocence in me
INTO THE WOMB OF THE DAUGHTER
WHERE THE DECEIVERS PLAY
STRAIGHT FROM THE HAND OF A "FATHER"
INTO THE MOUTHS, INTO THE MOUTHS OF BABES
Daddy what are you doing here?
Why did you lock the door?
Confusion floods her trusting eyes as he pins her to the floor
Guilt and depression overcome while silently she cries
Then one night when she's all alone, the young girl takes her life
Tie your chain around my neck and cast me to the sea
A little one has died today, the innocence in me
INTO THE WOMB OF THE DAUGHTER
WHERE THE DECEIVERS PLAY
STRAIGHT FROM THE HAND OF A "FATHER"
INTO THE MOUTHS, INTO THE MOUTHS OF BABES
Tie your chain around my neck and cast me to the sea
A little one has died today, the innocence in me
INTO THE WOMB OF THE DAUGHTER
WHERE THE DECEIVERS PLAY
RIPPED FROM THE HEART OF A MOTHER
A LIFE IS THROWN AWAY
SEE HIM INJECT HIS POISON
TOO YOUNG THEY SEE THEIR GRAVES
STRAIGHT FROM THE HAND OF A "FATHER"
INTO THE MOUTHS, INTO THE MOUTHS OF BABES
There is healing in Jesus, There's forgiveness in Jesus, There is healing in Jesus
INTO THE MOUTHS OF BABES
Jesus was a man who walked upon the water then He turned it into wine
He caused the deaf to hear and made the blind to see
And then His eyes met mine
I was sitting there all crumpled on the shore beside the sea of Galilee
And I will not forget on that day we met the words that Jesus said to me
And He said
DO YOU WANT TO WALK AND DO YOU WANT TO RUN
DO YOU WANT TO FOLLOW ME
THEN GET UP ON YOUR FEET AND DANCE INTO THE STREET
YOUR FAITH HAS SET YOU FREE
Now I know I'm healed because this love I feel has made me a brand new man
So I will run thru town and tell it all around to every single soul I can
Now I love to run and shout to everyone that Jesus is a friend of mine
They see me running by
And swear that I am high or drunk on some cheap-o wine
But I am proud to say that I am saved today and Jesus He has set me free
And I've got groovy news that you can havit too
And you can be free like me
Praise Jesus
NOW THAT I CAN WALK
AND NOW THAT I CAN RUN MY OLD LIFE IS HISTORY
THERE IS JUST ONE THING
I FEEL THAT I MUST DO TO MAKE MY LIFE COMPLETE
I will follow Him and turn my back on sin and go wherever He may lead
Oh what a day when Jesus comes to say
"I've ceme to take my children to the sky"
Oh what a sight when I see His light
When He comes like a thief in the night
OH WHAT A DAY
WILL YOU BE READY WHEN HE COMES?
OH WHAT A DAY
Oh what a night when the trumpet sounds
The lost are swallowed in their cries
Oh what a fright when they realize
Too late when they open their eyes
OH WHAT A DAY
WILL YOU BE READY WHEN HE COMES?
OH WHAT A DAY
This may be your last chance to meet the LORD
Time is a wasting, so get aboard
Get aboard
Ready or not, here Jesus comes
Ready or not, here comes the Son
Ready or not, here Jesus comes
Ready or not, here comes the Son
Once there was a man and Jesus was His name
He made the blind to see and He healed the poor and lame
He walked upon the earth He lived and died like any other man
But on the third day He did something no other man can
You see Jesus was the Son of God He never knew a sin
He came down from the Heavens so that we could make it in
He taught us how to love and then we hung Him on a rugged tree
But death it could not claim Him and the Savior won the victory
Well once there was a woman who was drawing from a well
Her evil deeds were many and her soul was bound for Hell
But Jesus had compassion and He told her she could find The Way
He forgave her sins and He took her blues away
And then there was another who was dragged into the street
The people shoved her down and they kicked her with their feet
The lady was a hooker and the people said she had to die
But Jesus grabbed a rock and He looked the people in the eye
He said...
HE WHO IS AMONG YOU WHO HAS NEVER DONE A CRIME
YOU CAN CAST THE VERY FIRST STONE
HE WHO IS AMONG YOU WHO HAS NEVER KNOWN A SIN
THIS RIGHT IS YOURS AND YOURS ALONE
THIS WOMAN IS A SINNER BUT SHE GETS A SECOND CHANCE
I'LL DIE IN HER PLACE AND FOR ANY OTHER MAN
DRINK OF MY SALVATION AND YOU'LL NEVER HAVE TO DIE
THERE'S NO MORE SINNER'S BLUES 'CAUSE I PAID THE SACRIFICE
Well I am just a human and I know that I've done wrong
My evil deeds are many and my list of sins is long
But I believe in Jesus and that He can take my sins away
That's why I'm in His temple and I'm singing this song today
Well, Your'e a sinner too, no matter what you say
You're guilty of something, God can make it go away
Just give your live to Jesus and repent from your deepest heart
No, it won't make you perfect, but it sure is a darn good start
HE WHO IS AMONG YOU WHO HAS NEVER DONE A CRIME
YOU CAN CAST THE VERY FIRST STONE
HE WHO IS AMONG YOU WHO HAS NEVER KNOWN A SIN
THIS RIGHT IS YOURS AND YOURS ALONE
WE PEOPLE ARE ALL SINNERS BUT WE GET A SECOND CHANCE
'CAUSE JESUS PAID THE PRICE FOR EVERY SINGLE MAN
DRINK OF HIS SALVATION AND YOU'LL NEVER HAVE TO DIE
THERE'S NO MORE SINNER'S BLUES 'CAUSE HE PAID THE SACRIFICE
Superstar, performer on a stage
Entertainer, poet, master of the page
Applause, autographs, top of the charts
Power, fame, a million fans' hearts
I don't want the burden
I don't want the beast
DON'T LIFT ME HIGH UPON A PEDESTAL
I'M ONLY HUMAN AND I MAY FALL
AND ONLY GOD DESERVES OUR HIGHEST PRAISE
AND THAT IS WHY TO HIM MY VOICE I RAISE
IF I SHOULD FALL OR LOSE MY FAITH
I PRAY THAT YOU WILL GO THE OTHER WAY
AND LEAVE ME NOT AT THE GATES OF HELL
BUT LIFT ME FROM MY FALLEN PEDESTAL
Preacher, teacher, man of God
It's okay if he gives you the nod
Prophet, scholar, voice for the youth
Perfect, holy, seeker of Truth
You know that I don't deserve the honor
And I am unworthy of His Holy Name
REPEAT CHORUS
To Jesus be the honor, to Jesus be the praise
To Jesus be the honor, to Jesus be the praise
To Jesus be the honor, to Jesus be the praise
To Jesus be the honor, to Jesus be the praise
I wonder why it is I feel so good
Feel better than I thought I ever could
The sun is shining and the sky is clear
I feel like laughing I'm so full of cheer
I know the reason why I'm feeling great
There is no cause for any great debate
God's up in Heaven and I'm here on earth
I need to thank Him for my new rebirth
HOW DO I CALL HIM
IS HE IN THE BOOK?
HE'S GOT A PHONE THAT'S NEVER OFF THE HOOK
YOU WON'T BE GREETED BY A TAPE MACHINE
HE ALWAYS ANSWERS ON THE FIRST RING
HEY GOD IT'S ME
HOW YA DOING?
WHO ME? I'M DOING JUST FINE
JUST CALLED TO TELL YOU I LOVE YOU
AND TO THANK YOU FOR A WONDERFUL LIFE
THANKS FOR TODAY AND WHAT TOMORROW BRINGS
I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING
THANK YOU FOR GIVING ME A SONG TO SING
AND THAT'S MY PHONE CALL TO GOD
I wonder why it is I'm feeling down
I want to smile but all I do is frown
The sky is cloudy and it looks like rain
I feel like crying and the world's insane
I know the reason why I'm feeling blue
There is one thing that I forgot to do
God's up in Heaven and He feels my pain
April rain blocks the sunshine on a cloudy afternoon
And the dew before the sunrise glistens brightly on the avenue
Cheering sounds above the thunder as the lightning streaks the sky
And the sound of hammers crashing enhance the pain of the Crucified
OH I WONDER WHEN THE SETTING SUN
WILL RISE AGAIN INTO THE SKY
OH I PRAY THESE APRIL SHOWERS
THE EVIL RAIN WILL FINALLY DRY
Friday night the streets are silent
All are mourning for the King
And every eye upon the mountain is filled with cold April Rain
The second day is filled with darkness and the air is very cold
And a traitor hangs in a garden for thirty pieces of dirty gold
OH I WONDER IF THIS FALLEN SON
WILL RISE AGAIN INTO THE SKY
OH I PRAY THESE APRIL SHOWERS
THE EVIL RAIN WILL FINALLY DRY
The only sound you hear is crying
All are mourning for the King
And every eye on old Golgotha is filled with cold April Rain
BUT SUNDAY MORNING THERE'S A SPARK OF LIGHT
ACROSS THE DARKENED AVENUE
AND ALL THE WOMEN IN THE GARDEN
ARE SINGING OUT THE JOYFUL NEWS
That there's an empty shroud lying where the buried King had lain
And once more the sun is shining
IT DON'T MATTER MUCH
WHO YOU WERE
IT DON'T MATTER MUCH
WHERE YOU'VE BEEN
YEAH, YEAH
IT DON'T MATTER MUCH
WHAT YOU'VE DONE
ALL THAT MATTERS IS WHO YOU ARE TODAY
He was born a beggar in the ghetto
With no clothes to wear
He never went to Yale or Harvard
He grew up on welfare
He never marred a doctor or a lawyer
He never even owned a house
But he knew Jesus as his Lord & Savior
That's how I know he's in Heaven now
She was born an orphan in an alley
She never knew her mother's love
She never knew her earthly father
But she knew of the one above
He was born a baby in a manger
With no clothes to wear
He was sacrificed and sent to Heaven
My feet are on the rock
My name is on the roll
That's the way I like my Rock 'n Roll
Rock 'n Roll
Rock 'n Roll
That's the way I like my Rock 'n Roll
My feet are on the rock
My name is on the roll
That's the way I like my Rock 'n Roll
Once I was lost but now I'm found
Now my feet are planted on solid ground
Rock 'n Roll
Rock 'n Roll
That's the way I like my Rock 'n Roll
My feet are on the rock
My name is on the roll
That's the way I like my Rock 'n Roll
Some like country and some like soul
We like to praise the LORD with Rock 'n Roll
Rock 'n Roll
Rock 'n Roll
That's the way I like my Rock 'n Roll
My feet are on the rock
My name is on the roll
That's the way I like my Rock 'n Roll
My feet are on the rock
My name is on the roll
That's the way I like my Rock 'n Roll
Rock 'n Roll
Rock 'n Roll
That's the way I like my Rock 'n Roll
My feet are on the rock
My name is on the roll
JESUS HE LOVES YOU
JESUS HE CARES FOR YOU
JESUS HE DIED FOR YOU
HE WANTS TO BE YOUR FRIEND
HE WANTS TO BE YOUR FRIEND
You can tell by the look in their eyes
Jesus is the one that can make them all smile
Cast out your fears and He'll show you today
Jesus is the one that can make them all say
WE'RE LIVING BY HIS WORD LIVING DAY TO DAY
JESUS IS THE ONE CAN'T YOU HEAR THEM SAY
You can tell by the red in the sky
Christ is coming back and you cannot deny
Don't be afraid to walk in the Light
Father, I don't know why I've done You wrong
You've done nothing but given me a chance to carry on
Forgive me for the sin that I have tasted
I need Your love to heal me of the time that I have wasted
YOU ARE ALL I NEED, FATHER
I DO BELIEVE, YEAH, THAT
YOU ARE ALL I NEED
Like a river flowing through the deepest valley
You have shaped me into more than I could ever wish to be
I need direction to follow in Your footsteps
Dear Jesus, give me the words in song to proclaim You
YOU ARE ALL I NEED, FATHER
I DO BELIEVE, YEAH, THAT
YOU ARE ALL I NEED
Father You are all I need
You're all I need
You're everything
I'll never ask for more than Your love
'Cause I know You'll give me everything
YOU ARE ALL I NEED, YEAH
Kingdoms come and kingdoms go
One man dead you may know
To the witch they inquire
Punished by death and fire
The craft black or white
Won't save you from the strife
That you're feeling, feeling inside
ONLY JESUS CHRIST WITH A TONGUE LIKE A KNIFE
UNDERSTANDING TRUTH AND LOVE
BY HIS GRACE BY HIS BLOOD
JESUS CHRIST THE ONLY SON
ALL ARE SAVED BECAUSE OF THE ONE
How many lies to conceive
Manipulating lines they weave
How many sins passed around
When His mighty love comes down
REPEAT CHORUS
God is the image of things unseen
For by Him all things are made
Only by Him can we be saved
He is the first, and by Him we prayed
REPEAT CHORUS
Take me for a fool
You practice witchcraft in our schools
Who will be fooling around
JESUS, JESUS, HE IS THE WAY
HE'S THE ONE THAT TURNS YOUR NIGHT INTO DAY
He didn't die on that cross for nothing
He died to pay the price to take your sins away
He sent down His Spirit to dwell among us
So we could tell the world that He is the Way
JESUS, JESUS, HE IS THE WAY
HE'S THE ONE THAT TURNS YOUR NIGHT INTO DAY
If you wanna know what I'm singing for
I'll tell you right now that it's for the LORD
'Cause He is the Way, the Truth, the Life
And His light will guide you through the night
JESUS, JESUS, HE IS THE WAY
HE'S THE ONE THAT TURNS YOUR NIGHT INTO DAY
Drip, drip, drip was the sound of the blood
That cleansed us from sin because of His love
But on the third day He rolled the stone away
So let's shout on high that Jesus saves
His love is higher than the mountain
Deeper than the valley
Wider than the river
And stronger than the Devil
JESUS, JESUS, HE IS THE WAY
HE'S THE ONE THAT TURNS YOUR NIGHT INTO DAY
I have drifted once again, LORD God
I thought I could do it alone
Without You I am nothing
Without You where would I go?
I PRAY FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART
FROM MY INNERMOST BEING I PLEA
SAVE ME FROM THE DEVIL'S WRATH
AND GIVE ME PEACE WITH THEE
Your love is so great and strong
Why do You forgive me?
For I have done You nothing but wrong
Yet You're there to love me
Save me from these wicked ways
Help me stand on my feet
Guide me through this wicked world
From this prison set me free
I PRAY FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART
FROM MY INNERMOST BEING I PLEA
SAVE ME FROM THE DEVIL'S WRATH
AND GIVE ME PEACE WITH THEE
I lift my voice for mercy, LORD
I give my heart to You, oh
Fill me with Your love and strength
So I may live through You, oh
Birdie birdie in the sky
Do you ever wonder why
Tears are falling from my eye
I know to you it's not explained
Deep inside my heart's aflame
Jesus Christ He takes away my pain
GOD'S ALREADY WON THE WAR
NOW I CAN SPREAD MY WINGS AND SOAR
THE WAVES ARE CRASHING ON THE SHORE
BUT GOD'S ALREADY WON THE WAR
Flowers blowing in the wind
Say the clouds are moving in
Will I stand or will I fall
But take my hand and lead me on
Let your Spirit fill my soul
Take my heart and make me whole
GOD'S ALREADY WON THE WAR
NOW I CAN SPREAD MY WINGS AND SOAR
THE WAVES ARE CRASHING ON THE SHORE
BUT GOD'S ALREADY WON THE WAR
Why do I feel the way that I feel
If God's already won the war?
If I'll trust in God alone
He can give me so much more
GOD'S ALREADY WON THE WAR
NOW I CAN SPREAD MY WINGS AND SOAR
THE WAVES ARE CRASHING ON THE SHORE
BUT GOD'S ALREADY WON THE WAR
They say bad news travels quickly
By now you've probably heard
There's a red moon a'rising
Just like it says in the Word
This is a sign of the End-times
But, child of God, do not fear
There is hope for tomorrow
'Cause Jesus soon will be here.
Stand strong for what is true
Stand strong for the crucified Son
In your darkest hour He'll stand for you
Stand strong for the Holy One
WHEN IT'S TIME TO GO HOME
ONLY ONE WILL STAND FOR YOU
AND WHEN IT'S TIME TO LEAVE THIS RACE
ONLY ONE WILL STAND IN YOUR PLACE
Jesus Christ took your sin
Made it plain not to do it again
So stand strong for the cross
Without Him all are lost
WHEN IT'S TIME TO GO HOME
JESUS CHRIST WILL STAND FOR YOU
AND WHEN IT'S TIME TO LEAVE THIS RACE
JESUS CHRIST WILL STAND IN YOUR PLACE
By the blood you can be saved
So sacrifice your living today
Come to Him, He'll free your sin
With Him you will win
REPEAT CHORUS1
REPEAT CHORUS2
1,2,3,
WHEN IT'S TIME TO GO HOME
ONLY ONE WILL STAND FOR YOU
AND WHEN IT'S TIME TO LEAVE THIS RACE
You had it all but took God's love for granted
The truth was there but you did not understand it
God wanted in your heart
But you didn't know where to start
He gave you His Son but you just ran away
GONNA DIE TRYING CAN'T LIVE ON THE RUN
GONNA DIE TRYING CAN'T LIVE ON THE RUN
GONNA DIE TRYING CAN'T LIVE ON THE RUN
PRODIGAL
God can lift you up and make you whole again
Surrender your heart and He can wash away your sin
He knows your every need
He sees your every deed
He can heal your heart if you just pray to Him
REPEAT CHORUS
Then I woke
God's love was shining down on me
He whispered my name and wrapped His arms around me
It was like I'd not been gone
He had loved me all along
And now I know I'll never leave again
NOW I'M HOME NO NEED TO RUN
NOW I'M HOME NO NEED TO RUN
NOW I'M HOME NO NEED TO RUN
PRODIGAL
I WANNA FIGHT, I WANNA FIGHT, FOR WHAT IS RIGHT
I WANNA FIGHT FOR THE RIGHT TO she'd HIS LIGHT
There I was out on the road today and the people were passing me by
Faced with a choice that was not my own
Whether I would live or die
But I stood up for what I believe and all they did was put me down
They called me names and caused me pain
Condemned me for who I was
I WANNA FIGHT, I WANNA FIGHT, FOR WHAT IS RIGHT
I WANNA FIGHT FOR THE RIGHT TO she'd HIS LIGHT
I'm not afraid to take a stand for what I know is right
You better believe whatever they can do
I'm not afraid to fight
I'll serve my Lord until the day I die
Nobody can hold me back
I'm not ashamed to praise His Name and serve the One I love
I WANNA FIGHT, I WANNA FIGHT, FOR WHAT IS RIGHT
She don't cry anymore
She can't feel anything
The poor don't make her sad anymore
Sometimes she can't see a reason
TO BE HERE DYING WITH A PASSION-FILLED HEART
SO FAR GONE
DON'T KNOW WHERE TO START
I DON'T CARE
THERE'S A REASON
AND I KNOW A MAN WHO CAN SAVE US ALL
HE'S NOT BLIND AND HE CAN SEE
THERE'S A REASON FOR IT ALL
She don't know where to start (Nowhere to start)
Lost child running on a star-filled night
Trying to show her the way (Jesus is the Way)
Know you're gonna fall
Just can't tell which way
TO BE HERE DYING WITH A PASSION-FILLED HEART
SO FAR GONE
DON'T KNOW WHERE TO START
I DON'T CARE
THERE'S A REASON
AND I KNOW A MAN WHO CAN SAVE US ALL
HE'S NOT BLIND AND HE CAN SEE
THERE'S A REASON FOR IT ALL
I DON'T CARE
THERE'S A REASON
AND I KNOW A MAN WHO CAN SAVE US ALL
HE'S NOT BLIND AND HE CAN SEE
THERE'S A REASON
JESUS IS THE REASON
AND HE'S THE MAN WHO CAN SAVE US ALL
HE'S NOT BLIND
HE CAN SEE
RIP VAN WINKLE GONNA SLEEP FOREVER
GONNA SLEEP HIS LIFE AWAY
RIP VAN WINKLE DON'T KNOW THE SAVIOR
GONNA SLEEP THROUGH JUDGMENT DAY
Open up your eyes, wake up and smell the napalm
The sky is filled with smoke and you're covered up in ash
The dead are all around you and the saints have gone to Glory
But you fell asleep and now you're all alone
You wander through the rubble looking for a sign of life
You're hoping that just maybe you will run across your wife
Your children or your neighbors, but they're either dead or gone
Then you come across some pages that are scattered 'cross the lawn
You start to read one of them thinking maybe it's a clue
But it's just from a Bible that had once belonged to you
One time you'd been a Christian, or maybe so you thought
But later in your life you decided you were not
You were nice to your neighbor, you were good to your wife
But a God you could not see or hear was sure not worth your life
You thought He was a legend, Jesus Christ was just a fake
But now you look around and wonder why you weren't awake
REPEAT CHORUS
So many people think that Jesus Christ is make-believe
They only trust the things that they can touch or hear or see
But just because you don't believe don't mean that it's not there
And when your life and soul's at stake, you'd better just beware
So if you're Rip Van Winkle, thinking that you've got it made
Just give your heart to Jesus and WAKE UP!!! before it's too late