"I'll Be A Child"
"I'll be a Child" was written in July of 2002 while living in central Virginia. We were touring quite a bit with our friends Lou and Tab that year. During a break in our travels I received a book from my brother Jon called "Dangerous Wonder" by Mike Yaconelli. Which, by the way is an AMAZING book. It is about being childlike again, remembering how to laugh, to play, and to have faith like a child...
For quite a while I had felt a new song stirring deep inside me. I tried to force it, to release it, express it - nothing. Then, I sat down to read "Dangerous Wonder" and something happened. It happened to be exactly what I needed at that moment, and I couldn't hold it back! By the end of the second chapter I had written 2 new songs! One of which was "I'll be a Child."
I wanted to capture the innocence of childhood, the images burned in memories of vivid colored days, summer days of freedom and times when you couldn't help but dream and laugh and play. And then relate to God as that child again.
Click image to hear a sample of the song. May take a few moments to load...
*Cover: Judah Justine. Photographer: Jennie Justine.
"I'll be a Child" by Peter Justine copyright 2003
"Like the northern lights, and like fireflies on a summer's night. Like the morning sun, chasing shadows on the lawn. I'm like a child running barefoot, looking for shapes in the clouds - and You are the artist, You are the dancer, You are the dreamer!
I'll be a child and I'll dance in Your arms and I'll spin like the world where You made me. I'll be amazed with each breath that I take, singing, Jesus, am I only dreaming?
Like the fallen snow, perfect silence, watching my breath in the cold. Like the fallen leaves in the autumn, shining like mountains of gold. I'm like a child, every moment, seeing the world for the very first time - like a song, and You are the singer!
I'll be a child and I'll dance in Your arms and I'll spin like the world where You made me. I'll be amazed with each breath that I take, singing, Jesus, am I only dreaming? I'll sing a song of how lovely You are and how longing I am to be near You. And I'll draw You pictures on bright colored paper, whispering, Jesus I love You."
