I've seen great beauty in the starlit sky,
In the sweep of music, in my lover’s eyes
But it has no weight apart from you.
I’ve sought for comfort, and I’ve scrounged for rest,
And I’ve searched for someway I could be content,
But the land is wanton, without you.
I’ve known man’s glory, just how it lasts,
With its fading flower and its withering grass
Cause There’s nothing living, without you
I found innocence was stained, all the gold was lead,
I drank the ocean but I thirst again.
Cause the heart is restless without you.
So, I eat the dust, I wear the ash
I bear the hunger, I keep the fast
It’s a lovely wait, to be with you.
I cry out in losses and I wait through wars,
But I know my Portion, my great Reward
It’s a lovely wait, to be with you.
I’m across from Canaan I’m looking in,
At the beautiful splendor of the Promised land
But I will not enter, without you.
There is no affection, there is no feast,
There is no pleasure, there is no peace,
No, there is no heaven, without you.
So, I eat the dust, I wear the ash
I bear the hunger, I keep the fast
It’s a lovely wait, to be with you.
I cry out in losses and I wait through wars,
But I know my Portion, my great Reward
It’s a lovely wait, to be with you.
credits
from Redeemer 2015,
released June 26, 2016
Nathan Partain, 2015
supported by 5 fans who also own “It's a Lovely Wait”
For nearly two decades, ranging from Seattle to Indianapolis—and many places in between—Nathan has offered and honed his songwriting to and for the church. This album carries a maturity and depth only possible after years creating, playing and serving among God’s people.
Throughout these eleven tracks there’s a lushness that is, at times, so layered you forget the challenge or, in turns, deep lyrical comfort at hand. This demonstrates the alchemy Nathan has mastered: seasoned spiritual and biblical reflection offered with honey straight from the comb. For a record to accomplish this, especially in the crowded and odd world of “modern worship”, is no small thing.
If you listen to A Lovely Wait immediately after Nathan’s preceding work, one of the first things you’ll notice is how sonically restrained it is. The holy rock-n-roll swagger and vocal abandon of Jaywalker (think “Love is a Gift”) is almost entirely shelved in favor of hushed keys, heartbeat-like percussive textures and delicate melodies. Taken as a pair, these records prove music crafted in and for the church can and, indeed, should possess a dynamic emotional and musical range. Luke Morton
A gorgeous journey through a kaleidoscopic array of sonic approaches melted together that feels old and new at the same time. Bandcamp New & Notable Mar 5, 2024
Introspective pop songs with transcendent melodies offer a joyful meditation on staying present in a world that often moves too fast. Bandcamp New & Notable Mar 16, 2023