Gungor - You Lyrics + Chords
Lyrics
When I was born you were my breath
You warmed my skin against your breast
You were my food you were my light
You were my morning and my night
It's always only ever been
It's always only ever been you
And then I met you on the wall
You were seventeen inches tall
A painted smile across your face
I prayed for heaven, prayed for grace
I gave my life when I was ten
I prayed in tongues was born again
It's always only ever been you
You were there
As the world unfolded harsher fare
As the spiral pared the seams
And the brand new colors gleamed
I could only think of you
You were there
Every broken heart and tangled care
Jesus, Savior, Lord, and King
Oh my friend and everything
It was always only you
I saw the writing on the wall
You were a man and that was all
There was no God in heaven above
There was no perfect saving love
It was always only ever me
It was always only me
And then my world was torn apart
I felt a ground, I felt a heart
And all the universe was one
Just like a Father, Spirit, Son
My heart is open once again
A distant love, a forlorn friend
Maybe it's always ever been
You
If you are there
As the world unfolds its harsher fare
As the spiral pairs the seams
As the holy haunts my dreams
I will stay right here with you
You were there
Every broken heart and tangled care
Jesus, Teacher, Brahman Light
Son of God and Source of Life
And it's always only you
Video
Gungor - "You" (Live at RELEVANT)
Meaning & Inspiration
Gungor's "You," released on July 11, 2015, presents an profoundly moving and intricate spiritual autobiography, inviting listeners into a raw, honest journey of faith's evolution. This track is less a song in the conventional sense and more a living testament, unfolding a lifelong relationship with the divine that navigates certainty, doubt, and ultimately, a more expansive understanding. It immediately immerses the hearer in a deeply personal narrative, tracing the contour of a soul's encounter with the sacred.
The song begins by articulating an innate, pre-cognitive connection to "You," describing it as the very source of existence from birth: "When I was born you were my breath, You warmed my skin against your breast. You were my food you were my light, You were my morning and my night." This initial declaration speaks to a fundamental, life-giving presence, an almost primal dependency that resonates with the biblical truth of God as Creator and Sustainer. Scripture reminds us, as in Acts 17:28, that "in Him we live and move and have our being," and Psalm 139 beautifully details God's intimate involvement in our very formation. This foundational "You" is an unquestioned given, woven into the fabric of being. The narrative then shifts to a more explicit religious experience: meeting "You on the wall," a seventeen-inch image that inspired a youthful, fervent conversion. "I prayed for heaven, prayed for grace, I gave my life when I was ten, I prayed in tongues was born again." This imagery powerfully depicts an evangelical upbringing, a clear moment of accepting Jesus as personal Savior, marked by an earnest commitment and spiritual renewal often associated with a "born again" experience, a concept central to passages like John 3:3-7.
Through life's subsequent trials, the early conviction of "You's" presence remained steadfast. The song acknowledges the "world unfolded harsher fare" and the "spiral pared the seams," yet during these difficult seasons, "You were there." This unwavering presence is then explicitly identified: "Jesus, Savior, Lord, and King, Oh my friend and everything." This chorus captures the heart of a mature, devotional Christian faith, where Jesus is not merely a theological concept but a trusted companion and the ultimate authority, a friend who "sticks closer than a brother" (Proverbs 18:24) and who promises never to leave or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). This phase of the journey paints a picture of reliance on Christ through every "broken heart and tangled care."
However, the journey takes a dramatic, soul-shaking turn. "I saw the writing on the wall," a potent biblical allusion to a moment of stark revelation, signifies a profound deconstruction of previous beliefs. The once divine "You" is suddenly perceived as "a man and that was all," leading to the stark realization, "There was no God in heaven above, There was no perfect saving love." This is the painful crucible of doubt, where cherished theological constructs crumble, leaving an intellectual and spiritual void. The shift from "always only ever been you" to "It was always only ever me" marks a profound and isolating departure from faith, a grappling with human limitation and the perceived absence of the divine, echoing the cry of Job or the skepticism of Ecclesiastes. This period represents the courage to confront deeply held convictions, even if it leads to a desolate landscape of self-reliance.
Yet, this desolation is not the final chapter. A subsequent re-integration occurs: "And then my world was torn apart, I felt a ground, I felt a heart." This describes a spiritual re-awakening, a sensing of an underlying reality that provides stability and emotion. The universe suddenly resonates as "one, Just like a Father, Spirit, Son," hinting at a re-discovery of unity and perhaps a re-conceptualization of the Trinitarian divine, not necessarily as a dogmatic assertion but as an experiential truth. This re-opening of the heart, however, is cautious, describing "A distant love, a forlorn friend," with the hopeful but tentative reflection, "Maybe it's always ever been You." This "maybe" signifies humility and a new vulnerability in seeking, a recognition that perhaps the divine was present all along, even in absence, as Romans 8:28 reminds us that God works all things for good for those who love Him.
The concluding sections embrace this renewed, yet broadened, perspective. The question, "If you are there, As the world unfolds its harsher fare," transforms into a commitment: "I will stay right here with you," suggesting a resolve to journey onward with the holy, even amidst uncertainty. The most striking and profound shift comes in the final declaration: "You were there, Every broken heart and tangled care, Jesus, Teacher, Brahman Light, Son of God and Source of Life." This culmination synthesizes the Christian understanding of Jesus as Savior and Teacher with a wider, more inclusive spiritual framework, referencing "Brahman Light," a central concept in Hinduism representing the ultimate reality. This is not a rejection of Christ, but an expansion of His identity, recognizing Him as the "Son of God and Source of Life" within a universal context. It speaks to the truth that Christ, as the "Word" through whom all things were made (John 1:3), can be understood as the ultimate light illuminating all spiritual paths, the very essence of life manifesting in myriad forms. The song concludes with a powerful, all-encompassing affirmation: "And it's always only you." This final statement asserts that despite the changing forms and names we give the divine, the fundamental, sustaining, loving "You" remains, deeply embedded in all existence and experience, inviting us to see God's handiwork and presence in every corner of creation and every expression of truth, as Colossians 1:17 proclaims that "in him all things hold together." "You" is a challenging, inspiring anthem for those on a dynamic spiritual pilgrimage, a testament to the enduring presence of the Divine even when our understanding of it evolves dramatically.