RICH MULLINS 1955 - 1998



I discovered Rich Mullins songs in the late 80s when someone came from the United States and taught the chorus of the song Awesome God to us. I later found out that we were only singing the chorus and there were two more verses . Here in Malaysia, Rich Mullins cassettes and CD were not easily available and they often came long after they were released in the United States.

When I finally got hold of some of Rich Mullins CDs, I was astounded by his songs. He was a singer, songwriter, poet, social worker and philosopher, all in one person. I marveled at his poetic brilliance in song writing. I found some of his lyrical phrases so interesting and wondered how he managed to conceive such ideas. He was a song writing genius. He could transform the normal things in life like the color green, a shaking leaf, a screen door or the Prairies into a fanciful song.

Here are some of my favorite Rich Mullin's lyrics:-

1. Jacob and 2 women
   Jacob, He loved Rachel, and she loved him too and Leah was there just for dramatic effect
   Well it's right there in the Bible, so it must not be a sin, But it does seem like an awful dirty trick
   And her sky is just a petal pressed in the book of the memory of the time he thought he loved her
   And they kissed and her friends say, "Ah, he's a devil, But she says' " No, He'a dream"
   This is the world as best as I can remember it.
   
   

2. Elijah
   When I leave I want to go out like Elijah. With a whirlwind to fuel my chariot of fire
   When I look down on the stars, It'll be like a candlelight in Central Park
   And it won't break my heart to say goodbye.
   
   

3. Hold me Jesus
   I wake up in the night and feel the dark
   It's so hot inside my soul I swear, there must be blisters in my heart
   So hold me Jesus, cause I'm shaking like a leaf
   You have been King of my glory
   Won't you be my Prince of peace
   
   

4. Verge of a miracle
   Clung to a ball, that was hung in the sky, hurled into orbit, there you are
   Whether you fall down or whether you fly, seems you can never get too far
   Someone is waiting to put wings on your flightless path
   You are on the verge of a miracle.
   
   

5. Screen Door
   Faith without works is like a song you can's sing, 
   It's about as useless as a screen door on a submarine
   
   

6. Calling out your name
   When the moon moved past Nebraska and spilled laughter on them cold Dakota Hills
   And angels danced on Jacob stairs
   There was silence in the Badlands, and over Kansas the whole universe was still
   By the whisper of a prayer
   And the single hawk bursts into flight and in the east, the whole horizon is in flames
   I feel the thunder in the sky, I see the sky about to rain
   I hear the prairies calling out Your name.

Mullins' critically acclaimed career began with his first self titled recording in 1986. Between 1986 and 1996, Mullins recorded nine records for Reunion including his last recording Songs, a collection of Rich's most well-known hits. Mullins is perhaps best known for writing the church standards "Awesome God", which in 1989 was voted one of the top three songs of the decade by the Christian Research Report, and "Sometimes By Step", in addition to eight other number one songs. During his life, Mullins was nominated for twelve Dove Awards and had his songs recorded by artists such as Amy Grant with "Sing Your Praise to the Lord", "Love of Another Kind" and "Doubly Good To You". 

His music was not the only way that Rich touched peoples' lives. He spent much of his time working with Native Americans in the southwest and with Compassion International. Mullins once stated, "I hope that I would leave a legacy of joy, a legacy of real compassion, because I think there is a great joy in compassion. I don't think that you can know joy apart from caring deeply about people-caring enough to actually do something."

Tragically, Rich Mullins was killed in an automobile accident on September 19, 1997. He was only 43. He left music lovers across the world mourning his death and wondering what songs he would have further written if he lived another 20 years. He left behind a legacy of songs so unique and brilliant, that his death is still felt by Gospel Music lovers across the world. In a way, his loss is irreplaceable. A person like Rich Mullins comes once in a lifetime.


Wah Lok
March 7th 2003

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