Back in Your Life (recording)

Alrighty umm I finally got one song recorded, this is a very rough draft before I add funky stuff so.. yup lol leave comments/suggestions/anything, ppl can download it if you go to www.purevolume.com/jonathanchen, as well as the updated lyrics cuz you know, I tend to make up stuff during recording and tweak stuff, so yup go give it a listen:P

Edit: Ok I just listened to it and there's this one part that's unbearable so I'm gonna take off this version and put up a better rough version or better yet, a near-finished version ASAP, I promise;)

Edit: Ok I promised I was going to try to finish it ASAP, so I finally finished recording and mixing it just now, still need some finishing touches and needa listen to it more to see what to change and stuff, but you guys can listen to it now:P this is the near-finished version;) Please leave comments and suggestions and stuff

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year for people I hadn't said that to yet, and for the people I have said it to then simply.. God bless and umm.. have a good life;)

Yet another edit: Ok I just realized the orchestra part in the middle's very off beat, will try to fix that soon

Merry Christmas!

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No I did not make that, I found that on:
http://www.geocities.com/joan_stark/textchristmas1.htm
It's made by joan stark:P you can see his little signature in the thing lol

Merry Christmas!

Edit: I did make this one though

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lol yup merry christmas again

Another Edit: Just for you dan, I'll make this one easier to read

Currently Listening Nothing Left to Lose By Mat Kearney Nothing Left to Lose see related

Back in Your Life

Ok here's my semi-emo post for all you emo posters out there:P

This song kinda captures my heart at the moment, everytime I look at xanga pics or facebook pictures I'm always reminded of how things will be like the next time I go and visit my friends back in SH, will I be able to jump right back in like I never left, or will I be like an outsider, having to reattach the relationships that used to be so close, only to grow distant again the next time I leave.. Since I left so many relationships have sprung up that I have no part in, friends that I used to know are now friends with other friends I used to know that did not know eachother before, minor conflicts I was never aware of have started, just thinking of you guys having youth makes me happy, but sad at the same time thinking that I may have been replaced already, that I'm no longer needed in some way.  I guess I need to start quoting myself that "things will be so different, but different isn't wrong", and keep trusting myself that what I wrote was true, but it'll be a whole different world when I go back, and I won't be going back anytime soon.  I dunno how many other new college students think this way, but I know that I'd been feeling like this before I even left, and that Moving On is as much of a consolation for me as it is to you guys.. I can't imagine me making any friends here that will ever last as long or be as strong as any friends I had in SH.. and I miss you all, when I say that in a chatting convo it usually sounds weak, but I really mean that, I miss every single person that had ever been my friend in SH, even the college people that I just saw like 2 days ago I miss already haha.  This song's called "Back in your life", once again I'm not satisfied with this title at all, I just kinda made it up just so I can post it:P

Back In Your Life

I could stay frozen in time, looking at pictures of you

Thinking of a lifetime spent together

Smile at your glowing eyes, beautiful grin across your face

Wishing you'd stay that way forever

But I'm not in these photographs, I'm not the ones around to make you smile

I feel like you're slipping away, further every time

Can't we go back in time, I wanna be back in your life

I can't keep guessing that you'd forgotten me, possibly

I'd rather be there with you than trying to make it through

This life, hanging on by the thought of you, until the moment I'm with you again

I could stay up all night, trying to get you off my mind

Convincing myself that you'd remember

All of the marks we'd made, on our portions of the nonstop time

Wishing with all my heart for another

But you may not feel the same, I'm not around to remind you that I care

I feel like you're slipping away, further every time

Can't we just press rewind, I need to be back in your life

I can't stand guessing that you'd forgotten me, probably

I'd rather be there with you than trying to pull myself right through

This life, hanging on by the thought of you, until the moment I'm with you again

For forever, and forever doesn't seem long enough

To make up for the times we were apart, like rocks inside my heart

Hide the tears, fake a smile, tell the world that everything's alright

When every part of me keeps screaming that I need you back, I can't take it anymore

Can't we just press rewind, I need to be back in your life

I can't stand guessing that you'd forgotten me, probably

I'd rather be there with you than trying to pull myself right through

This life, hanging on by the thought of you, until the moment I'm with you again

On a slightly different note, I think this song also metaphorically captures how God feels, He created us and we were so close at one point, then after we were separated we just slowly started slipping away, and I'm sure that God wants so much to just turn back time and have that same relationship He had with us before we chose to disobey Him, and even though the ones who love Him will be with Him for eternity, and eternity's like nothing to Him, I'm sure that He'll still regret the tiny little portions of our lives when we weren't with Him.  That's kinda detailed in the song that's playing right now, Hello, one of my favorite "jonathan" songs lyrically.  I realize how boring it is to read lyrics without any music.. I apologize for that, I promise I will try to record some stuff soon enough;)

As some of you may know, I'd always wanted to write songs that were more emotional, but I'm not a very emotional person, Moving On songs were kinda emotional for me, but this song's the first song that really captures exactly what my heart is feeling.  Btw my parents just arrived from SH, kinda random time to suddenly come, but I guess they missed us since both kids were suddenly gone, anyway at first I was kinda scared that maybe there was something (anything) that they were going to criticize about that would put my mom in a bad mood and then my sister in a bad mood, and then I would be cannonfodder lol but so far it's been good, and call me a momma's boy, but it's really nice to have them around:P

Lets make another paragraph just to make it a little longer:P Nothing left to lose is a great song, heard it on the radio and it was just.. great lol.. Thanksgiving was pretty cool, getting to meet gehos and a bunch of other college groupies, I'm totally not a camera person, so I dun have any pics, but check alithia's/tia's/cindy's/jessy's xanga and there might be some on there;)

P.S I'm too lazy to change the font to anything so just enjoy times new roman for now;)

btw just realized my entries are actually insanely long cuz I cheat with the lyrics:P

Currently Listening Broken & Beautiful By Mark Schultz Walking her home see related

Hollow World

Ok here's another one, I had been thinking about the title of this one for quite a while, and then I rushed the end and tweaked the middle and came up with "Hollow World" which I don't really like that much, but I can't think of a better title..:P

Hollow World

Another sunrise

Another day, another lie

Somebody's big raise, another's disgrace

Another salesman

Another deal, another chance lost for someone else

It's every man for himself

The world is empty, what a lonely place to stay

We've got money on display

When all else is useless, materialist's great god of gold

Only friend that one should know

Another cold war

Another fight, another scar

Another life born

Another man torn

Another soldier

Another battle, another life and death encounter

We live when others suffer

The world is empty, what a lonely place to stay

All start wielding guns and blades

We're born to conquer, survival of the fittest one

The competition's just begun,

For this hollow world

Another lost race

Somebody's shame, another's gain

Another mistake, another heart break

Another actor

Another show, a chance to fake a perfect gladness

While the world inside collapses

The world is empty, what a lonely place to stay

Let us all participate

In our fancy shell parade

Heres our pleasant masquerade

Where to begin, how do we win

Against all the emptiness that lies within

Our hearts and our souls, are covered with holes

And it takes more than earthly things to fill them up again

Something out of this world, and out of our minds,

Its out of sight, out of time.

Look inside, recognize the shape of what you need to satisfy

The hunger of life, that grows in time, its like a void within you cannot hide

Take some time, look to the sky, you will find what you are looking for

Look in the eyes of the One who made you

And realize there is so much more

Than this hollow world

P.S I will try to get some recordings done sometime in the future so you guys can actually hear them:P but I would rly like feedback on the lyrics themselves without the music, like are there awkward phrases and stuff like that, or lines you rly liked, etc.  I like doing this cuz there's no other way for me to hear comments/suggestions about individual songs, instead of specific songs that stood out the most.:P

P.SS (or however you write it lol) walking her home by mark schultz is an amazing song, reminds me a lot of "they danced alone" by matthew west, very touchy, that's the kinda love I want:P ok lol plz also comment on the other ones

God bless,

Jonathan Chen

Currently Listening The Art of Breaking By Thousand Foot Krutch Hurt see related

Photographs and Memories

Here's another song I just finished that I'd been working on for some time, it's basically about Eden and how it was just like heaven, and we chose to give it up for all the hatred and sin we have now, but that God offers us a chance to return to Him, and the human descriptions of eden that we have now are not anywhere close enough to portray the real perfect heaven that we are offered now.  Please post comments/suggestions:P btw plz also still post comments/suggestions on sand castle too;) thanks all.  Alithia suggested that I call this "missing eden", but I kinda like photographs and memories too, what do you guys think?

Photographs and memories:

Taking pictures of this world I know

Before it starts to spin out of control

And leave me wondering

Where time has gone

The photographs and memories

Are all I have left to believe

In a time when I was seeing green,

The scenery of life and love and liberty

Photographs and memories

Of time before life came to be

A settlement of disbelief

The establishment of ordinary ways

Contentment in the subhumane

The wishing well of endless hate

The playing ground of the insane and their insanity

Battlefield of hurtful words

Light the flame and watch it burn

"Give them love someday they'll learn"

Photographs and memories

Vivid yet are soon to leave,

Faded into but a dream,

Stripping them of their reality

A rare beautiful fantasy

A paradise beyond our dreams

Faith in what we cannot see that's what we need

We've got a lot, but not it all

And everything becomes what we can't live without

Manipulated through our pride

The devil said we could be God if we tried

This barren land, still greedy eyes

The heart of man our own demise

What's inside our disguise

Hungry beasts, with vast desires

Photographs and memories

Veiled by our humanity

Cutting-edge simplicity,

Mechanical cold-blooded entities

Proud but always incomplete

Ruined by our audacity

Missing love, the only thing separating

Us from heartless animals, turning into cannibals

Man-eat-man society, that is our one philosophy

We used to see God face to face

And revere His every trace

Forbidden fruit, bought in a lie

Our lack of faith, caused us to die

But still He came, now we're alive

This act of grace, He saved our lives

A photograph, a memory

A glimpse of love, a prophecy

Of perfect heaven for the free

A glance at what we had that now is

Offered as a second chance

Redeeming grace, God's sweet romance

Gives us life for our defense, put down our fences now

Surrender our humanity

Trade in our mortality

Photographs and memories

A silhouette of what will be

P.S century gothic.. kinda weird font but looks cool i guess

God bless,
Jonathan Chen