Songwriting: Get Over It, There is Nothing New Under The Sun
What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun. (Ecc. 1:9)
When writing music for congregational worship, or for anything really, we have to acknowledge that anything and everything that we’re thinking about writing, be it music or lyrics, has already been done.
Creativity does not mean being 100% original.
Creativity means taking who you are, who and what you’ve been influenced by, and what God is giving you in the moment and shaping it into something that is of benefit to others.
Creativity isn’t about being original, it means creating something useful.
Of course, there’s nothing wrong with trying to be original, as long as that’s not our overarching goal. If all I ever strive to be is original, then I’ll definitely be missing the mark. I would be leaving something so valuable behind: usefulness.
Think about this: God created you as a unique and wonderfully made individual, yet he used elements of your mom and your dad and their moms and dads and theirs and so on and so on. The end result isn’t a totally original piece of human art.
The end result is a mashup of everything that has come before you. Yet, you are still you, and only you.
When writing music, keep in mind that straight up copying is NOT what I’m talking about here. That is more like cloning, which is like playing God, and not advisable. What I’m talking about is the convergence of influences, training, heritage, individual preference, styles, and thoughts into an unique expression of song.
Just like the birth of a little boy or a little girl. All the different family traits and characteristics come together to make something familiar, yet so unique.
What’s wonderful about songwriting is that for thousands of years people have literally been writing about the same things: love, heartache, joy, sadness, friends, enemies, and so on. But just imagine how many different voicings we have of the same topics? A multitude.
Don’t get hung up on originality. Focus your writing in on USEFULNESS. How can the congregation benefit from this song. How will this song help them to see, hear, experience, and express the idea of the song?
If your song is the most original thing in the world, yet fails to help people express their worship in and through singing, then it is a dud. No matter how many other songwriters like it. No matter how many critics call it innovative and original.
Is there anything of which one can say, “Look! This is something new”? It was here already, long ago; it was here before our time. (Ecc. 1:10)











