If You’re There – Song Description
“I’ve never asked for miracles, or proof beyond all doubt.” This song asks for almost nothing, and I think that’s exactly what makes the asking feel so exposed. A small, quiet sign is, in a way, a much harder thing to request than a miracle would be, because a miracle can always be argued away afterward as coincidence, or explained by someone determined not to believe it happened. A small sign has no such protection. It has to actually be noticed, in the moment, by someone willing to notice it, and that noticing is itself a kind of faith, separate from and maybe harder than believing in the possibility of the sign at all. I didn’t want this song to resolve its own doubt by the final verse, and I still don’t think it should. Some questions, I’ve come to believe, stay more honest left open than tidied into a neat answer for the sake of a satisfying ending — and this felt like exactly that kind of question.
Verse 1
Some people speak as though they know,
They never seem to doubt.
I listen more than I ever speak,
Still trying to work it out.
The older that I seem to get,
The less I’m sure I know.
Yet one old question stays with me,
I just can’t let it go.
Chorus
Just one more glimpse is all I’d need,
One quiet sign to help me see.
I’ve never asked for more than that,
Or every mystery.
All these years have led me here,
One moment to make it clear.
That’s all I’d ever need from You…
If You’re there.
Verse 2
I’ve watched my child take their first breath,
I’ve watched old friends grow frail.
I’ve known the joy that lifts the soul,
I’ve watched whole worlds grow pale.
Some found a peace I couldn’t name,
Some lost what they’d held true.
I only know the question stayed,
And deepened as I grew.
Chorus
Just one more glimpse is all I’d need,
One quiet sign to help me see.
I’ve never asked for more than that,
Or every mystery.
All these years have led me here,
One moment to make it clear.
That’s all I’d ever need from You…
If You’re there.
Verse 3
I’ve listened to the words of men,
And those who said they knew.
I carried home a thousand thoughts,
Still wondering what was true.
Some gave comfort for a while,
Some quietly disappeared.
Yet none could quiet one old question,
Through every passing year.
Verse 4
I’ve filled my days with ordinary things,
The sort we all go through.
I’ve loved, I’ve lost, I’ve laughed, I’ve cried,
Like me, perhaps, have you.
I’ve never asked for miracles,
Or proof beyond all doubt.
Just one small glimpse to guide my way,
Would see me safely through.
Verse 5
There were times I laid it all aside,
And tried to let it be.
But quiet moments found me out,
And brought it back to me.
I’ve carried one old question,
Through every joy and pain.
The older that my footsteps grow,
The more it comes again.
Verse 6
The years have passed more quickly now,
Than I once thought they would.
I’ve walked this road with open eyes,
And done the best I could.
If time is shorter than before,
Before my days are through,
Just one more glimpse…
That’s all I’d need from You.
Final Chorus
Just one more glimpse is all I’d need,
One quiet sign to help me see.
I’ve never asked for more than that,
Or every mystery.
All these years have led me here,
One moment to make it clear.
That’s all I’d ever need from You…
If You’re there.
Lyrics Michael Forty
Voice Michael Forty