Yesterday I posted in I Love Because of You that I came up with the lyrics to the song of the same name while I was driving west across Iowa through 300 miles of non-visually stimulating cornfields on my way to the beautiful Black Hills of South Dakota. What I didn’t say was that the same cornfields offered no improvement on the return trip.

The Jerry Jeff Walker CD, It’s About Time, which provided the inspiration for I Love Because of You, was still in the player so I hit play, cranked it up and started singing along. The first song on the album is titled That’s Why I Play, which is an upbeat lively tune about the fun of playing music. As I belted out the words with operatic fervor I mistakenly said, “that’s why I pray”, and realized I had just come up with the basis for another new song. Creating the verses and the chorus and dictating them into my phone kept me busy for the next couple hundred miles. After tweaking them a little bit, I thought I would share this song with you, too. I hope you like it. (Hint: listen to the original tune and then incorporate the new verses into the tune). Thanks again to Jerry Jeff for the tune and to God for the inspiration.

That’s Why I Pray – Lyrics by Jerry Robinson

I woke up this morning and thought what will I do with my day
I could stare at my screen and just let my day waste away.
Or I could stay off of Facebook
And open the Good Book
And let the Lord lead the way
Yeah, that’s why I pray.

I could pour me some coffee and go out and watch the sunrise,
And marvel at the beauty He makes and the clouds in the sky,
The birds and the bees,
The flowers and trees,
And give Him thanks for this day
That’s why I pray

Chorus
I like the feeling I get from the One up above
I like the feeling I get lost in His love
When we make time to talk every day
That’s why I pray

I have some friends who need a little help every day
And a few others who’ve let the world lead them astray
Now, I’m trusting in You
To pull them all through
I know they’ll all be okay,
That’s why I pray

I like the feeling I get from the One up above
I like the feeling I get lost in His love
When we make time to talk every day
That’s why I pray

I know there’s a better life waiting for me down the road
When I pass from this world, that’s where I want to go
But since a Saint’s life for me
Is no guarantee
I need to live like Christ every day
That’s why I pray

I like the feeling I get from the One up above
I like the feeling I get lost in His love
When we make time to talk every day
That’s why I pray

Yeah, that’s why I pray
That’s why I pray.

(That’s Why I Pray was first published on the blog Reflections of a Lay Catholic)

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