Defining Beauty
THE LYRICS OF
A collection of songs inspired by the discovery of falling in love with God. Danielle Rose’s debut album (2001) is a collection of songs describing the entry into the mystery of God, the journey of faith, and the beauty of intimacy in relationship with Christ. Inspired by the experience of falling in love with God, the songs on this album are Danielle’s first musical reflections of faith written from the age of 17 to 20.
1. God Is
Exodus 3:14
A meditation on the infinite nature of God, who cannot be summarized with mortal words,
yet whose presence is revealed through truth and beauty in the the Body of Christ.
You want to know me?
You want to see my face?
I do not age with time
I do not fit into a space
I transcend the capacity of your eye
So who am I?
It is the question of the moment
It is the question for all time
I am you, and you are mine
I am the beginning in the end
I am the faith in your believing
I am the color of truth
I am the dreamer of your dreams
I am the falling in your love
I am the words of a prayer
I am the silence in the music
I am the music in the silence
I am your father
I am your mother
I am the man who cannot cry
I am the story in your eyes
I am the orphan of war
I am the leper begging on the corner
I am the black slave in chains
I am the Muslim bride
Who cannot show her face
I'm the cross you carry again
I'm all you have forgotten
I am all that you have not been
I am in you
All of this is within you
Let the journey begin, Amen
I am in you, Amen
2. Defining Beauty
Wisdom of Solomon 8:2
This song is about falling in love with God, for in that love
we begin to understand the truth that defines what is beautiful.
Kiss me with truth
I'll follow you
Till the sun stops shining
I've fallen in love
We'll dance on the clouds
And you'll clothe me in rainbows
Kiss me with truth
With you in my life, Lord
There is a different light
It shines upon everything
I see the world through different eyes
And it is all because I believe
I have undressed my soul for you
Revealing my weakness
I dress myself in silence
This is all I am
Will you still love me?
Though I cannot see your face
You define what is beautiful
I want to stay forever in your arms
3. Shine Through Me
Matthew 5:4-16
We are called to be messengers of Christ’s light, to open ourselves fully to God so that His light shines through us. Lord, let my soul become so radiant with your love that others see no longer me, O Lord, but you!
You stand before the mirror in my soul
Let the whole world look up and see
The reflection of your love
Shining through me
Let your presence within me
Bring a brightness to the day
Like the light that’s reflected
When sunlight hits the rain
For those who need to see to believe
I will shine your light
I will blind the world with brightness
The Spirit’s eyes grant perfect sight
Your radiant, glowing starlight
Now is seeping from my skin
Shining from the deepest part of me
Your brilliant light comes from within
4. Black Hole of Truth
I humbly ask your forgiveness regarding the theological errors contained in the lyrics of this song, ‘Black Hole of Truth,’ which I wrote in 1997 at age 17 after a painful debate with a friend who sought to convert me to Islam. Since that time, Jesus has brought a deeper conversion in my soul to allow for a fuller understanding of the Church’s teaching regarding inter-religious dialogue. I deeply regret that the lyrics of this song do not fully reflect the truth of our Catholic Christian faith. But I pray that even my imperfection may glorify God by giving witness to the possibility of conversion in the ongoing journey of faith. Come, Holy Spirit!
Well, you think
You've got it all straight
That you're heading
In the right direction?
By the time you figure out
That you're holding
The map upside down
You're more lost
Than you've ever been
What if truth to you
Isn't truth to me?
Is God on your side?
Am I just naïve?
Can you squish religion
Into your black hole of truth
Sucking spirituality,
Rationality, humanity
Into a single point of view?
My faith is getting tossed around
Like a paper bag
Blowing across the road
You cruise along
Your unquestionable highway of truth
But let me tell you
There are no roads without bumps
I can see a mountain up ahead
It's either crash or climb
Neither's easy, but you've
Got to make up your mind
Well, there's not an answer
To every question
Unless, of course
You're on line with God's mind
Just take a bite of this apple, dear
And you'll have blue prints to the universe
Is that what you're trying to find?
5. Shelter Your Name
2 Corinthians 5:16-20
Although Jesus has taught us that we must forgive our neighbors, it is often much more difficult to accept the loving mercy of God, and to forgive ourselves. I wrote this song for the Jubilee Year of reconciliation and renewal in order to address the need for self-forgiveness. For how can we fully love God when we do not love ourselves?
You are all I am not
You are all that I am
Break down these walls
Take all my brokenness
Rebuild me to shelter your name
Help me forgive myself
Help me to lift the cross
I've laid upon my soul
Help me to look at myself
Through your eyes
To see all I am
And still be satisfied
Help me forgive myself
Within my secrets, Jesus,
There you reside
And I need you to reconcile
To renew all that's inside
For if I want to love you
Then with your love, Jesus,
I must love myself humbly too
6. Sonrise
John 14:7
Through the image of the sunrise, God revealed the importance of Jesus in my faith journey. All along, it was Christ who allowed me to see God’s presence in my life. Without the Son’s light, I would not know the Father; I would have no faith in God without Christ.
If I am the ocean
And you are the sky
Must I reach like waves
To see you touch my life?
The waves I make
Upon myself are crashing down
In my struggle to reach you
I need not drown
The sun slips over the horizon
Making you and I one
Dark becomes light
With the coming of your Son
I look up to the sky
And now I finally can see
What I'm reaching for
Already touches me
The sun rises above
My salty tears become dry
And all around me
I see reflections of your light
The glittering of truth
Of your presence I can see
The Son takes upon himself
All the pain that's in me
I need not see the air
Nor take the sun from the sky
Heaven melts into earth
In the sunrise
Close my eyes
Feel the sky within me
As I breathe
Though the Son seems so far away
He shines on me
Touching this unsettled
Ocean of me
You are always there
Oh endless sky
Your hand lifts the sun
In silent beauty
The dawning of my faith
Within me
7. Lullaby For My Savior
Psalm 104:33-34
My relationship with Jesus was transformed as I began to contemplate the mystery of Christ as a newborn baby. As I am learning to entrust myself to God, Baby Jesus entrusts Himself to me, that I might hold Him. He depends on me to care for Him! I want to sing a lullaby to Baby Jesus at all times, so that He might always hear of my love for Him.
I don't know what to say to you, Baby
As I hold you in my arms
I have not the voice of heaven
Worthy to sing for my Savior
But the words don't matter to you, Baby
So here's the story of my life.
These are the secrets of my heart
This is your lullaby
How beautiful it is
To be trusted by you
So weak you are
But so much weaker am I
I will never leave you alone
I will not let you fall down
Now I know, Baby
That you need me by your side
And when I tell you that I love you
Baby, just close your eyes and sleep
I am rocking you
In my soul's embrace
Sweet dreams, Baby Jesus
I will hold you forever by my side
I will sing to you a lullaby
Your eyes look at me
Each time for the first time
Gazing at me with an innocence
That takes away my pain
If I could only love you more
If I could only give back to you
If I could only love you more
And give back all that you gave to me
8. One Day Love Came To Me
Luke 1:36-48
Like Mary, we are called to be faithful disciples in order to give birth to Christ in the world. Here I am, Lord. ‘Let it be done to me according to your word.’
One day love came to ask me
If I would carry a song.
She said, "Do not be afraid
I will be your voice.
The time has come:
The Lord has chosen you
To carry a song of truth
Within your womb."
So I closed my eyes
And gave myself away
To the Spirit who carried me
On her wings
To receive your grace
Your will, not my own
I embrace the changes
I unravel your joy
Your will is my dream
A thousand-fold
Your will, not my own
"The melody will grow within you
Nurture it with your love.
But though it comes from within you
It is a gift from above.
Sing a song of love
So the world may believe.
It has been planted within you
Because you were willing to receive."
I am humbled by the gift
I cannot do this alone
Why did you choose me?
This grace is not my own
The song is our child
Hold her in your arms
The song is our child
Let us do her no harm
Accept the gift of life
And share it with others
To let the child inside
Be discovered
9. No Greater Love
John 15:12-13
We say to ourselves, “I need peace, I need strength,” but has it not already been given to us? When Jesus gave His life for us, He gave us God, and in God there is everything! In this song, Jesus speaks to us, calling us to receive His love with open arms just as He surrendered Himself in love on the cross.
Jesus says,
There is nothing I can give you
To show more love
For with arms outstretched
I embrace you
In giving my life to you
I have given God
My gift of life
Is a buried treasure in your soul
Open yourself and discover
What is hidden deep within
Endless gifts, boundless blessings
You will find all that you need
I have given you
All there is to give
You shall never die
If you believe in me
You will live
There is no greater gift
Than my life
There is no greater love
All I ask of you
Is that you believe in me
Oh, the glorious wonders
You will see
I will remove the shroud
That covers your eyes
And reveal the greatness
Of my glory!
10. Let Me Be Your Bethlehem
Luke 2:6-7
When Jesus is born into the manger of our heart, we are to become like His Mother. This song is a prayer that Christ might always find in us a loving place to dwell.
Is there no room
In this world for you?
Oh, let me be your Bethlehem
It's cold outside
See, I've opened up my door
Let my life be your Bethlehem
Unto my life may you be born
Is there no place for you
To lay your head?
Oh, let me be your manger
Rest in me and I will rest in you
Rest in me, oh child my Savior
Rest in me, Lord my Savior
Born in a stable
With the angels close at hand
Strength became weakness
That we might understand
A God who is hungry
A king without a throne
Emmanuel, a child is born
Is there no one
Who will hold you, Lord?
Oh, let me be your mother
Heaven cannot hold your glory, Lord
Yet I hold you in my arms!
11. Bleed to Heal
Romans 12:4-5; 1 Corinthians 12:25-26
There is so much suffering that seems to separate us from Christ and from one another. But Christ heals us through His wounds. Through His Body and Blood in the Eucharist, we are made whole again. We, in turn, become vessels of healing through our love for the suffering members of the Body of Christ. In this song, Christ speaks to us about how He knows our suffering, for it became His suffering when He entered into our humanity.
A thousand steps
A thousand stones
A thousand secrets between us
A thousand tears
Two thousand years
A thousand fears to separate us
One body, one offering
One cross to prove
So that thousands upon thousands
Can find endless love
This blood from my hands
And this wound from my side
I am bleeding to heal
The wounds in your life
All the broken hope
And broken homes
And dreams torn apart
The blood that I shed
Is straight from the beat
Of your broken heart
Love with each step
Love with each breath
Love with each moment
Love the despairing
Love the pain that comes
Love the persecution
Love and be loved
One body, one offering
One cross to prove
So that thousands upon thousands
Will find
Love and be loved
12. Give and Take
Romans 8:38-39
This song follows the journey of discovering the incomprehensible generosity of Christ’s love. In surrendering our entire lives to Jesus, we discover that nothing can separate us from the love of God.
If you had to take away my voice
And I could no longer sing
If I no longer had the words
To say anything
And if you had to take away
All music from my ears
And I could no longer hear
The sounds of the earth
If this is what you had to do
So that I could be close to you
I would praise you
For the silence
I'd give everything up
For I want nothing
To stand between our love
And if you had
To take away my sight
And I no longer could see
The beauty of the sunrise
Nor the eyes of a child
Nor the brightness of the night
Nor the color of the sky
In the morning light
If this is what you had to do
So that I could be close to you
I would praise you
For the darkness
I'd give everything up
For I want nothing
To stand between our love
And if you had to take away my name
And I no longer knew who I was
Or how I had changed
If you took away my breath
Or the beating of my heart
If you took away my destiny
If you took my world apart
If this is what you had to do
So that I could be close to you
I would praise you
For the brokenness
I'd give everything up
For I want nothing
To stand between our love
But you, Jesus
You take me as I am
I have nothing to give
Yet you kiss my empty hands
You took it all upon yourself
Taking nothing from me
You gave up your life
That's what it took
To set me free
And this is what you chose to do
So that I could be close to you
And I praise you for your love
You gave everything up
So that nothing could stand
Oh, nothing
Not even death
Can stand between our love