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Notes
This song was my favorite from the old days. I wrote it originally in 1994 or 1995 and it was a staple at our shows for as long as I was with the band. I re-wrote the lyrics circa 2013 and have always wanted to see it truly brought to life. Its original form was nothing like this version. Ours was much simpler, slower, and darker. But, thanks to AI, I think I actually like this version a little better. You can hear our original version as a bonus track if you buy the album, by the way.
The song is written from the perspective of the soldier who was present and involved in the crucifixion, and who said "Truly this was the son of God," as recorded in Matthew 27:54. I imagined him undergoing a rather intense conversion experience after realizing the magnitude of what he'd done. This is his testimony, as I imagined it. As such, it is a story of the ultimate grace: imagine finding grace and salvation in the savior whom you had just brutally murdered, and He forgives it all and welcomes you with joy and open arms! In a way, that soldier is all of us, and the mercy we receive is no less profound than what he received so long ago.
Lyrics
[Verse 1]
You came to me
Like so many had before
Doomed to die
The crowd still shouting, "Crucify!"
[Verse 2]
Crowned in thorns
Your wounded visage caught my eye
And looking past the blood I saw the love
The love that crowns and crucified
[Chorus]
And now I come to You
I plead the blood
I spilled by my own hand
Father God, forgive me,
I knew not what I did
[Verse 3]
You left my whip
Beaten one lash short of death
Sadistically
I stripped Your clothes and drove the nails
[Verse 4]
Darkness fell
My face turned pale, my blood ran cold
For dying on that cross I saw the Son
"My God, what have I done?"
[Chorus]
Now I come to You
I plead the blood
I spilled by my own hand
Father God, forgive me
I knew now what I did
I know well what I do
[Verse 5]
You rose again
Like no one had before
Victorious
Over Hades' deepest grave
[Verse 6]
Redemption dawns
As you roll the stone away
Now looking in Your face I see the light
And on my knees, I pray.
[Chorus]
So now I come to You
I plead the blood
I spilled by my own hand
Father God, forgive me
I know now what I did
[Chorus]
Now I come to You
I plead the blood
I spilled by my own hand
Father God, forgive me
I knew not what I did
I know now what I do