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Johnny With His Hot and Blue Guitar Verse 1 A sound like a prophecy, a voice like a scar A freight train of mercy on a six-string guitar A God-haunted man who could never quite rest A sinner and saint in the same beating chest Chorus He came to believe what the broken man knows That grace finds you low and it lifts as it goes Just a sinner with a song and a truth like a scar Johnny with his hot and blue guitar And souls came to believe what he already knew That Jesus keeps reaching for me and for you so let’s Sing with Johnny to the skies and the Stars We’re Singing with Johnny Johnny with his hot and blue guitar Verse 2 Every fall had a melody, every rise had a verse The stage his confessional, his best and his worst His whole life a story of redemption once more Saved by Jesus, forgiven, restored Chorus He came to believe what the broken man knows That grace finds you low and it lifts as it goes Just a sinner with a song and a truth like a scar Johnny with his hot and blue guitar And souls came to believe what he already knew That Jesus keeps reaching for me and for you so let’s Sing with Johnny to the skies and the Stars We’re Singing with Johnny Johnny with his hot and blue guitar Bridge Black on his back for our broken mankind For the prisoner, the pilgrim, the lost and the blind The man in black found grace when the Man came around And that hot ’n blue guitar carried His mercy sound Final Chorus He came to believe what the broken man knows That grace finds you low and it lifts as it goes Just a sinner with a song and a truth like a scar Johnny with his hot and blue guitar And souls came to believe what he already knew That Jesus keeps reaching for me and for you so let’s Sing with Johnny to the skies and the Stars We’re Singing with Johnny Johnny with his hot and blue guitar Johnny with his hot and blue guitar Johnny with his hot and blue guitar
Eternity’s Degree
Verse 1 They asked me for a word today Said stand up if you can I told them you’ve mistaken me For some much better man My life was crooked timber Full of knots and splintered past But mercy picked that lumber up And carried it to class Verse 2 I thought the day He saved me Was the day the work was done Like caps thrown in the sunshine When the long race had been won But heaven ain’t a courthouse Where the verdict’s read and passed It’s more like God’s own workshop And we’re students in His class Chorus Salvation is commencement day The bell rings soft and clear God burned the scrap pile down for good And cleared the sins that brought me here Now I’m standing in the Lord’s shop class He’s shaping what He sees And heaven handed me today Eternity’s degree Verse 3 He sands away my arrogance Squares the lines I drew Planes the boards of bitterness Till the grain comes shining through A saint ain’t some perfection With a halo polished bright It’s just a soul God’s working on A little every night Verse 4 Some days the hammer echoes Some days the silence stays Some days He tears apart the walls Where fear and pride had stayed But slowly in the sawdust A better shape appears A life that looks a little more Like love across the years Chorus Salvation is commencement day The bell rings soft and clear God burned the scrap pile down for good And cleared the sins that brought me here Now I’m standing in the Lord’s shop class He’s shaping what He sees And heaven handed me today Eternity’s degree Bridge The saint ain’t carved in marble Or shining safe and still It’s rough-cut grace and patient hands Bending stubborn will And the Carpenter who saved me Knew wood and nails by trade Before He built my life again He built the cross He made Final Chorus Salvation is commencement day The lesson just begun The Master keeps on working Till the final bell is rung And every year I’m learning What His mercy meant to be The day that heaven handed me Eternity’s degree
Bad Case Of Sinnerism
Verse 1 He says the Good Book’s just a fairy tale Written by some guys with stories to regale Says he’s way too smart for Sunday morning Saw through the whole thing without a warning He’s got a page of reasons why it’s wrong Been adding to that list his whole life long Verse 2 He says Jesus was a decent man But a savior, no not part of his plan He’ll say everything don’t make sense And hold it up as his best defense Ask him ‘bout grace and watch him grin He’s got a way, ain’t worryin’ ‘bout no sin Chorus Skepticism, cynicism, and criticism He’s got a bad case of sinnerism The doctors all agree It’s a bad case of sinnerism Got it bad as a man can be He argues with the preacher He debates the golden rule Got a PhD in knowing better And a minor in playing it cool Bad case of sinnerism Stubborn as a mule Verse 3 His mama prays for him every single day Gets down on her knees tells God her say His wife just sighs and shakes her head The dog just listens to every word he said Ask him to talk and he’ll say sure Long’s ya ain’t talkin’ the Lord no more Then slams his mind shut like an ol’ screen door Chorus Skepticism, cynicism, and criticism He’s got a bad case of sinnerism The doctors all agree It’s a bad case of sinnerism Got it bad as a man can be He argues with the preacher He debates the golden rule Got a PhD in knowing better And a minor in playing it cool Bad case of sinnerism Stubborn as a mule Bad case of sinnerism Bad case of sinnerism Bad case of sinnerism Stubborn as a mule
God's Assembly Line
Verse 1 Well I asked the Lord, “Am I late or early?” He said, “Right on time and you wear it purty,” I said, “I feel patched up, pieced-together, misaligned,” He said, “That’s how I work, ain’t no straight line” Got a left-lean heart and a right-tilt mind, Little off-center by grand design, If you’re lookin’ standard, you’re hard to find Ain’t no standards on this line Chorus On God’s assembly line, Where every soul comes out one of a kind, He takes His time, one soul at a time, You’re one of one and that’s by design Verse 2 Got a squeaky hinge where my pride should be, And a missing screw labeled “certainty,” But He smiled and said, “That uncertainty Keeps you leanin’ back on Me”
Some come polished, some come rough,
Some think they’re broken, some think they’re tough,
But He said, “Fearfully and wonderfully made, that’s My design,”
Crafted careful, right on time
Chorus
On God’s assembly line,
Where every soul comes out one of a kind,
He takes His time, one soul at a time,
You’re one of one and that’s by design
Bridge 1
The world stamps numbers, tags and frames,
Calls you a type and gives you a name,
But He who shaped you knew your make
No two the same. No two the same.
Bridge 2
If I were perfect, smooth and straight,
I’d probably come out second-rate,
‘Cause grace don’t move in factory lines
It likes a quirk it can call divine
Final Chorus
On God’s assembly line,
Where every soul comes out one of a kind,
He takes His time, one soul at a time,
You’re one of one and that’s by design
Outro
So if you feel a little out of square,
Like you don’t quite fit anywhere,
Take it as truth, not a warning sign
You’re one of on, by His design
Golden Repair
Verse 1
There was a bowl upon the table,
Stable, still, and so clean.
Free of scratch, an easy match,
For the best thing ever seen.
No shivers in the surface,
No cracks inside the glaze
It was a perfect little Eden,
In those un-broken days.
Verse 2
Then it stumbled on the threshold,
Of a wanting human hand.
And the gravity of vanity,
Was more than clay could stand.
It’s a lonesome kind of shatter,
When the matter hits the floor
You’re left sweeping up the pieces,
Of a bowl, that’s no more.
Chorus
But it’s a Golden Repair, a holy affair,
Where the scars are dignified.
A luminous seam in a broken dream,
Where the shame has no place to hide.
He’s filling the faults with the finest gold,
A mercy that’s steady and fair
Turning ruin into something new,
Through the art of Golden Repair.
The cracks tell the tale
Of the mercy we share,
God’s light shining through
In the gold of Golden Repair!
Verse 3
See, a fracture’s just a feature,
If you’ve got a Teacher with the time.
To take the shatter and the matter,
And make the rhythm, rhyme.
Now the scars look rather fancy,
Like a rich man’s kind of wealth
The imperfection’s a reflection,
Of a soul, that’s found itself.
Bridge
We were born already broken,
Dust and breath and mortal wear,
But the cross rewrote the ending
With a mercy bright and rare.
What we lost in human nature
Grace restored beyond compare,
Turns a fall into a flourish
Through the art of golden repair!
Final Chorus
Golden repair, something broken made rare,
Every scar gets a halo to wear,
What once broke in a moment’s despair
Now gleams with a heavenly flair.
The cracks tell the tale
Of the mercy we share,
God’s light shining through
In the gold of Golden Repair!
Golden repair,
Golden repair.
Give Me One More Day
Verse 1
I woke beneath a pale gray sky
The dark pulled back, I can’t say why
A prayer rose up from cupped, cold hands
Lord, one more day, no other plans
I walk the road You lay before
Through every mile and every door
No deal I make can buy Your grace
I just keep moving, seek Your face
Chorus
Lord, give me one more day, I pray
Just one more chance to walk Your way
I’ll hold Your mercy, come what may
And thank You for just one more day
Verse 2
I won’t make deals, I won’t pretend
Your love’s not mine to twist or bend
If I held back or spoke too late
Lord, help me now to set it straight
Your word’s the road that leads me through
A steady light, a compass true
I take each step the way You say
Just grateful for one more day
Chorus
Lord, give me one more day, I pray
Just one more chance to walk Your way
I’ll hold Your mercy, come what may
And thank You for just one more day
Bridge
If morning waits beyond this hill
I’ll rise in faith and trust You still
And if it doesn’t, I will say
You gave me all I need today
Chorus
Lord, give me one more day, I pray
Just one more chance to walk Your way
I’ll hold Your mercy, come what may
And thank You for just one more day
Outro
Thank You, Lord, for one more day
You, Me, and Thee
Verse 1
We started out on fire and a couple of vows,
Two young fools with a “forever starts now,”
We danced through the sparks and the slow-drifting debris,
Just you and me, Lord, mostly you and me.
Years rolled in like a Midwest cold front,
Some nights cut deep, some not worth the affront,
We said “I’m right” more than “I see,”
Yeah, love got thin, ground down ’tween you and me.
Pre-Chorus
We built a house, but we missed the frame,
Two people dead-sure they weren’t the one to blame
Chorus (Fire)
We had the fire, we had the plea,
Then grace smiled and sang “fi-i-i-nally,”
Turned “mine” into “ours,” set the cracks free,
Now it’s stronger than the fire, it’s You, Me, and Thee.
Verse 2
Decades full of “remember when,”
And “don’t go dragging up all that again,”
We wore out words like old blue jeans,
Patched ’em back with the long silences between.
We tried forgiveness on our own terms,
But pride’s a king who never lives and learns,
Took a long road through the friction to see,
We needed something more than just you and me.
Pre-Chorus
We knew about Him all along,
Just couldn’t figure out where He belonged
Chorus (Friction)
Through all the friction, through the debris,
Grace showed up loud where we thought there’d be peace,
Turned “mine” into “ours,” healed what we couldn’t see,
Now it’s stronger than the friction, it’s You, Me, and Thee.
Bridge
We weren’t fighting over small things, no,
It was pride and silence and who wouldn’t let go,
It was years of righteous and wrong,
Two people each convinced they were strong.
Then something broke that couldn’t be ignored,
And we both got tired of fighting the Lord.
Verse 3
Now our love’s loud and it sure runs deep,
It’s the kind you earn, the kind you keep,
Less “who wins” and more “we agree,”
That the center holds when it ain’t only we.
There’s a worn Bible on the nightstand now,
No chapter and verse, just an open vow,
We read it like we never had before,
Till faith moved in and lit what we’d ignored.
Final Chorus (Faith)
Yeah, faith moved in, set our hearts free,
Put a third strand clean through our history,
What we couldn’t fix, He made it be,
Now it’s forever and always, it’s You, Me, and Thee.
Outro
So here’s to the fire, the friction, the mystery,
And the love that finally learned its harmony,
We found the faith we couldn’t see
Till it was You, and Me, and Thee.
Nothing To Repay
Verse 1
There’s a pattern in families, runs quiet and deep
In the stories you hide and the secrets you keep
It lives in the pause and the look and the chair
In the weight of a love that ain’t fully there
Don’t need a name and it don’t need a plan
It just finds a way through a woman, a man
It settles in low where the old wounds stay
And it works in the dark in a quiet way
Chorus
So don’t you repay what was broken in you
Don’t carry it on like it’s yours to do
Step out of the deal, let the old ties fray
You don’t owe the pattern, nothing to repay
Verse 2
Now love turns to numbers ‘fore you even see
Becomes what you give and what’s given to me
You hold something back, you give just enough
Keep score in your head when the road gets rough
And it don’t make a sound when the change is made
When a heart turns a need into a kind of trade
Til what should be free, what should just be grace
Gets measured and rationed and locked in place
Chorus
So don’t you repay what was broken in you
Don’t carry it on like it’s yours to do
Step out of the deal, let the old ties fray
You don’t owe the pattern, nothing to repay
Bridge
Now, forgiveness ain’t trust, and it don’t mean you stay
It just means the debt don’t carry your name
You stand just outside it, steady and slow
And you let what you can’t fix finally go
Final Chorus
No, don’t you repay what was broken in you
Let it stop right there, that’s all you can do
When the past calls your name and it’s got plenty to say
Just tell it you’re gone
With nothing to repay
Outro
Nothing to repay
Step out of the deal
Let it fall away
I’m Needin’ You
Verse 1
I don't call it prayin', that word sounds too clean,
For a man who's been dressin' up his needin' like a dream.
Got a tongue full of scripture and a soul full of want,
Been callin' it a callin’, but it’s just the hunger’s haunt.
Chorus
So I pray like a man who's got nowhere else to go,
Not pretty, not clean, just the truest thing I know.
Stripped it down to nothin', found it still was true,
I'm a needin' kinda man, Lord, and I'm needin' You.
Verse 2
I iron my prayers like I'm dressin' for church,
Fold the wrinkles out of wantin' so the askin' don't hurt.
Make it sound like poetry, keep the grammar polite,
Like a man who writes love letters that he won't send at night.
Bridge
Ain't no choir in my voice,
Ain't no halo I can claim.
Just a cracked-up kind of quiet
where I finally speak plain.
I ain't movin' any mountains,
Ain't no miracle in me
I'm just hopin' that He hears
the parts I can’t find words to free.
Final Chorus
So I pray like a man who's got nowhere else to go,
Not pretty, not clean, just the truest thing I know.
Stripped it down to nothin', found it still was true,
I'm a needin' kinda man, Lord
So I pray like a man who's got nowhere else to go,
Not pretty, not clean, just the truest thing I know.
Stripped it down to nothin', found it still was true,
I'm a needin' kinda man, Lord, and I'm needin' You.
Yeah Lord, I’m needin’ you.
I’m needin’ you.
Oh Lord, I’m needin’ you.
Kingdom Café
The neon stutters in a rhythmic fit, The midnight sky don't mind a bit. The cornfields wave as the trucks roll by, Beneath the gaze of a wide-open eye. The coffee hums a low-voltage psalm, I’m over here tradin' my soul for calm. Just wiping the dust from a Formica tray, On the graveyard shift at the Kingdom Café. Chorus I’m just a witness in a stained-glass apron, In a roadside stop that’s a weary man’s haven. I’m pouring out mercy in a heavy mug, That porcelain-coated, caffeine drug. Some folks are leaving, some folks stay, Most are just looking for a place to pray. But I keep the light on anyway, At the Kingdom Café. Verse 2 Old Johnson’s got the Ledger spread out on the wood, Deciphering the headlines like he understood. He’s mapping the fires and the planetary cracks, Waiting for the Lord to come skidding on the tracks. And the girl in the corner is a masterpiece of ruin, Sipping on the trouble that her restless life’s been brewing. I slide her a slice of a cherry-sweet distraction, It’s the only way I know to get a divine reaction. Bridge: The Boss man told me in a cloud of steam, "Son, don't get lost in a restless dream. Grace is a stowaway on a midnight bus, It’s the only thing left for the likes of us." He said the world’s got a crack in the design, But we’re the ones who make the windows shine. Final Chorus I’m just a witness in a stained-glass apron, In a roadside stop that’s a weary man’s haven. I’m pouring out mercy in a heavy mug, That porcelain-coated, caffeine drug. Every soul that stumbles through the door, Might be the One I’ve been waiting for. So I keep the light on anyway, At the Kingdom Café. Outro Yeah, the sign stays glowing in the gray Down at the Kingdom Café. Down at the Kingdom Café.
Lyrics © 2026 Scott D. Radtke. All rights reserved.
No claim is made to AI-generated instrumental music.