EVERLASTING DAY Lyrics

Saturday, May 24, 2025
Huntington Beach, CA
1:06 AM PDT

Hi Folks … I’m stashing the lyrics to my new album EVERLASTING DAY here. Unadorned, cut-and-pasted, and subject to a nicer presentation later. But they’re all here. This is primarily related to a SoundCloud posting of the album tracks on a Private Playlist. In case you found your easy here first, the link for listening follows. [You may even be able to listen here through this SoundCloud “window”, scrolling through all twelve tracks.] Thanks for listening. Let me know what you think if you have the time/desire to do so. Take care, Bob.

bob@bobbennett.com

BOB BENNETT
“EVERLASTING DAY”

01 EVERLASTING DAY
W/M: Bob Bennett
© 2018 Bright Avenue Songs (ASCAP)

CH:
Through no goodness of my own
Someday my buried bones
Will rise to an everlasting day
In the company of all
Redeemed from the fall
I will rise to an everlasting day

Vs 1:
Though the charms of the night
Are beautiful alright
The moon and the stars up above
There will come a blessed day
That will never pass away
When god will light creation with his love (CH)

Vs 2:
I don’t know if I can see
Myself chosen to be
Marching with the saints to my reward
I expect I will bow down
Low upon the ground
Till I hear different from the Lord (CH)

Vs 3:
Whether absent from the body
Seeing God Face to face
Or resting till the resurrection day
All I know is that Jesus
Is preparing a place
Where I will come home to stay (BR)

BR:
And the four living creatures
Cry out night and day
Around the throne of God
They always say
Holy Holy Holy is
The Lord God almighty
Who was,
Who is,
And is to come (CH)

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02 THE WHOLE LIFE OF MY HEART
W/M: Bob Bennett
© 2016 Bright Avenue Songs (ASCAP)

She’s out there in the world somewhere
Still alive and well
She’s happy, from a distance, now
As far as I can tell
Nobody ever taught me
My parents or my teachers
How to behave or what to say
To these alien creatures

At the start of one summer
It was all pigtails and cooties
But when the fall was new, they turned into
A classroom full of beauties
Chased across the schoolyard
Laughing as they scattered
I lost my mind when I came to find
That only one girl mattered

Back before
The heartaches and sorrows
And all my mistakes
Spilled into my tomorrows
I know I can never go
Back to where [who] I used to be
When the whole life of my heart
Was in front of me

A heart-shaped box of candy
Mom drove me to the store
Bought with my allowance
To deliver to her door
Her Mother smiled and took it
“Come in awhile and stay”
With nothing said, I shook my head
And turned to run away

Hidden under my pillow
A transistor radio
Teaching me a language
I did not know
Songs painting pictures
I thought only I could see
When the whole life of my heart
Was in front of me

The woman who sleeps next to me
She’s vowed to be my Wife
And she says she’ll stay every night and day
For the rest of my natural life
But she only knows this wounded soul
If only she could see
That kid with my name
When we were one and the same
And the whole life of my heart
Was in front of me
The whole life of my heart
Was still in front of me

The whole life of my heart

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03 THE GREAT OUTDOORS
(For Paul with Love from Dad)
© 2023 Bright Avenue Songs (ASCAP)

Camp stove fire / Lantern moon
Cold December / Or sultry June
It’s the getaway / We’re hoping for
A soon return / To the great outdoors

Sleeping bags / Versus dark and damp
Under tent or sky / We set up camp
We’ll park the car / And we’ll explore
God’s masterworks / In the great outdoors

Cities hum / Floodlights burn
It’ll all be there / When we return
But the heart is glad / The spirit soars
Here together / In the great outdoors

Woodsmoke scotch / From a silver flask
Passed around / No need to ask
A story circle / Fresh s’mores
Come feed your soul / In the great outdoors

At the break of dawn / Strong coffee pours
Alive and awake / In the great outdoors
So here’s to friends / Long life and health
May the outside / Help you see Inside yourself
Traveling mercies / To you and yours
Till next we meet / On retreat
And together greet / The great outdoors

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04 CLEAR
W/M: Bob Bennett
© 2015 Bright Avenue Songs (ASCAP)

At the end of myself
It didn’t take too long
To run out of answers
And into Your arms
Proud to a fault
Even now I can’t hide it
Does my free will betray me?
Or the other way around?

I don’t really know
If random circumstances
Are just Your faithful servants
Who yield and obey
Much more than I’m willing to
This boy disguised as man
The only one who cannot see
His mask has come undone

Kicking and screaming
Map in my back pocket
Wandering around
With a memory of the road
My traveling mercies
Now in rear view mirror
The only thing that’s clear to me
Is nothing’s clear at all

Oh me of little Faith
I guess that’s who I am
Good in name only
Like a stolen identity
Sheep and goats together
Someday separated
I’d like to think I hear You
But I’ve been wrong before

The only thing that’s clear to me
Is nothing’s clear at all

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05 WORSHIP FROM THE WILDERNESS
(W/M: Bob Bennett)
© 2020 Bright Avenue Songs (ASCAP)

No loaves and fishes to multiply
No seeds to sow on fertile ground
Fire by night [rest] cloud(s) in the sky
But still I am wandering ‘round

In the middle of this certain crowd
Yet somehow all alone
In the desert places of my heart
So far away from home

Maybe there’s no going back again
To a safer time, at an old address
Oh God, can you hear my still, small voice
My worship from the wilderness

I hope somehow You will understand
Man of Sorrows, acquainted with grief
Lord, have mercy, I believe
But oh, can you help my unbelief?

Can you hear what I cannot say?
From this heart that I cannot know?
Prayers that I cannot pray
Places I cannot or-will-not … go

Maybe there’s no going back again
To a simpler time, at an old address
Oh Lord, can you hear my still, small voice
My worship from the wilderness

For all this time, I wish I had gained
Wisdom and lessons learned
I curse and bless the trouble and pain
That lead to this ignoble return

From these troubles deliver me
I ask, in kind, as your son
Knowing the end of a faithful prayer
Is Your kingdom come, Your will be done

Will I wander endlessly
Playing hide and seek
In the fallen garden of my life
Afraid to hear You speak

Maybe there’s no going back again
To a surer time, at an old address
Oh Father, can you hear my still, small voice
My worship from the wilderness
My worship from this wilderness
My worship from the wilderness

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06 LITTLE KATE
W/M: Bob Bennett
© 2018 Bright Avenue Songs (ASCAP)

I’m an old man
Well past my prime
It’s clear that I
Can never outrun time
But sometimes I worry
Too little or too late
Do you know I adore you …
… Little Kate
Little Kate, Little Kate

Your two older brothers
My two beloved sons
I thought I knew well
What needed to be done
But you came along
So I could see
God’s perfect way
Of surprising me
With Little Kate
Little Kate, Little Kate

You think and you feel
So deep down inside
And guard the heart
You sometimes hide
But I’ve seen glimpses
Of your shining sun
Little Kate, Little Kate
Little Kate
Blessed One

You were just a young thing
When I bought that bouquet
And I told you Little Kate
To remember that day
For many would follow
With lines well-rehearsed
Flowers in their hands
But I was first
Little Kate, Little Kate

Oh Little Kate, Little Kate
An ocean of tears
Can never drown the love
Across these years
I love who you are
And who you may yet be
And I hope you don’t mind
If sometimes I still see
Little Kate
Little Kate
Oh Little Kate, Little Kate
My Little Kate

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07 LIVING PLAN B
W/M: Bob Bennett
© 2024 Bright Avenue Songs (ASCAP)

No grand jete for the ballerina
Working the night shift in sensible shoes
Eggs over easy, the long-haul poet
Hides his notebook, chases his muse
Silent armies of wanna-bes
Casting parts in factories
Nothing to lose
Having to choose
Willingly
Living Plan B

Chasing dreams as they were taught
Trophy speeches to the bathroom mirror
Tried so hard but still could not
Make that shining future appear
Now too busy with lives too full
To care if they seem unexceptional
Too little sleep
Vows to keep
Faithfully
Living Plan B

Some live in their fantasy
And rise to the occasion
But when grand plans never come to be
No powers of persuasion
Are strong enough to set you free
To go where you thought you’d always be
Eventually … you’re …
Living Plan B

You never dream that your dream will end
It’s so very hard to face that truth
You find yourself on a different road
You never saw in the fever of youth
But sometimes the best lesson learned
Waits around the unexpected turn
Doing your best
Alongside the rest
Of humanity
Living Plan B

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08 I’M STILL AFRAID TO DIE
W/M: Bob Bennett
© 2024 Bright Avenue Songs (ASCAP)

I know Who promises
I will have a place
Forever with Him
To finally see His Face
I want to be comforted
But no matter how I try
I worry and I wonder
Why I’m still afraid to die

I stand among believers
Who better seem to know
Their time is in God’s keeping
And they’re ready to go
Eager to pass over
To a sweet by-and-by
I wish I knew their secret
‘Cause I’m still afraid to die

I could dress it up in virtue
Oh if only I could
I could use more time to love
More time to be good
More time to be faithful
But in truth, I cannot lie
No one escapes it
But I’m still afraid to die

At the end of my days
If I am not alone
And Jesus leads the Way
To carry me home
If He knows my soul by name
And someday I will fly
I hope He can forgive me
‘Cause I’m still afraid to die

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

One alternating weekend
So very long ago
I was still a young Dad
He was only six or so

With his brother and his sister
We shopped for groceries
“Can we have cereal for dinner,
And stay up late and watch TV?”

In a cracker-box apartment
In an uptown neighborhood
I made the best of the worst
And I did the best I could

My life was in a free fall
It was plain to everyone
But somehow I still mattered
To my daughter and my sons

From his visitation backpack
Colin pulled a small surprise
He handed me a gift he wrapped
With kindness in his eyes

I tore off the paper
It was a toy he’d brought from home
He said,”I want you to have it Dad,
‘Cause I know you have to be alone.”

Now I’d like to think there’s a chance
Such kindness came from me
I thank God for that little boy
And the man he’s grown to be

His precious wife and children
Are in his tender care
And he still has that same heart
And I still have that teddy bear

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At close of day when shadows fade
To stillness and a sigh
May blessings yet still come to me
May troubles pass me by
For I’m weary now of my earthbound place
And I long for the promise of rest
To live in a house of saving grace
No more to be a guest

I trust my heart to lie to me
I always know too late
My own misdeeds and mischief done
Oh the sorrows I create
So I wonder if it is a vain conceit
To harbor a hope so strong
For a place where faith
And doubt can meet
A place where I belong

Surely I see in the heavenlies
A blanket of stars for my bed
On the midnight breeze
The curtains tease
As if angels overhead
This dying day bids me recline
Till morning’s crowing song
Shines a light on me
Will I ever be
In a place where I belong

For I’m weary now of my earthbound place
Yet I harbor a hope so strong
To live forever
In the warm embrace
In a house of saving grace
A place where I belong

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11 GLORIA IN EXCELSIS
Musical Setting: Healey Willan
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Healey_Willan)

GLORY be to God on high,
And on earth peace, good will towards men.
We praise Thee,
We bless Thee,
We worship Thee,
We glorify Thee,
We give thanks to Thee for Thy great Glory,
O Lord God, Heavenly King,
God the Father Almighty.

O Lord, the Only-Begotten Son,
Jesus Christ;
O Lord God, Lamb of God,
Son of the Father,
That takest away the sins of the world,
Have mercy upon us.
Thou that takest away
The sins of the world,
Receive our prayer.
Thou that sittest at the right hand of God the Father,
Have mercy upon us.

For Thou only art holy;
Thou only art the Lord;
Thou only, O Christ,
With the Holy Ghost,
Art Most High in the Glory of God the Father.
Amen.

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12 THE LORICA
W/M:Gayle Salmond
(Based on St. Patrick’s Breastplate)
No CCLI Number

I bind unto myself today
The gift to call on the Trinity
The saving faith where I can say
Come Three in One, oh One in Three

Be above me
As high as the noonday sun
Be below me
The Rock I set my feet upon
Be beside me
The wind on my left and right
Be behind me
Oh circle me with Your truth and light

I bind unto myself today
The love of Angels and Seraphim
The prayers and prophesies of Saints
The words and deeds of righteous men

God’s ear to hear me
God’s hand to guide me
God’s might to uphold me
God’s shield to hide me
Against all powers deceiving
Against my own unbelieving
Whether near or far

I bind unto myself today
The hope to rise from the dust of earth
The songs of nature giving praise
To Father, Spirit, Living Word

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