My new record BREAKING FREE (available now) is a wide open look into me. There are a many allusions to some very personal moments in my life, faith, and relationships. Here are the stories behind the songs:

Track 3: THE UPRISING

After the success of my first record MY HEART IS RUNNING, I was really excited. I had been so afraid of sharing songs that I had written before then. I didn’t know if people would like them, hate them, maybe not even notice them, or if I should even care. After all, the point of writing them was to bring awareness and glory to God, not me. But when you create art, you create vulnerability, and when you are as insecure as I am, “putting yourself out there” is an incredibly gut wrenching experience.

However, it went well. I found myself satisfied with people’s response and what I had learned through the process. But I found out that was a problem. Because of how well it went, I took a break from working so hard… because “I deserved it.” I eventually found it difficult to maintain my passion for creating new music. Then when I finally wanted to jump back in and write something, I found it really difficult to come up with something different. Then that led to discouragement and frustration… and I eventually stopped. At one point my wife even asked if I had retired, because I definitely wasn’t working. Ouch.

So I did what anyone would do in that situation... I got depressed and starting looking at myself internally; picking myself apart and wondering why I can sometimes feel so useless. I have such huge dreams and visions of music ministry, but how can a normal guy like me (who has challenges focusing and completing ideas) ever get there? Oh, and by the way, I feel like I’m doing it alone and no one understands how hard this is.

It was after a long period of this that I finally asked myself a pretty simple question. “What actually inspires me?” And the answer was pretty easy. The things I love. My family, Jesus, music, people… Then I began to discover “the man” keeping me down… was me. The only person telling me “That’s too hard,” “You’re not good enough,” “No one will notice” and “This song is terrible” was me. It had to stop. And wouldn’t you know it, it inspired a song. Not just a song, but the battle cry for the whole album. I believe in the message of this song. So much of life, family, and faith has a direct connection with having a healthy relationship with yourself.

God believes in you. He gave you great gifts to use for His glory. Use them often, and with great joy, because no one can do, what you can do, the way you do them, but you.

“For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” Ephesians 2:10

THE UPRISING

verse
to the ground over and over I tumble
it's the sound of me hiding from my struggle
drawing the line at laughter tears they fall
my eyes can't take me to the dreams I saw

pre chorus
my body aches I arise.
I’m awake I'm alive.

chorus
this is the uprising I’m gonna break free
from all these ropes and chains and stains that bind me
this is the uprising

verse 2
stretching miles of hope I travel on
these pseudo smiles even now are gone
paralyzed by fear and the unknown
but this time I know that I'm not alone

chorus 2
this is the uprising I’m gonna break free
from all these ropes and chains and stains that bind me
this is the song I am gonna sing
its time to stop this swollen heart from wandering
this is the uprising

My new record BREAKING FREE (available now) is a wide open look into me. There are a many allusions to some very personal moments in my life, faith, and relationships. Here are the stories behind the songs:

Track 2. Under The Moon:

Under The Moon is a love song to my wife Ashlie. Now some of you might be wondering, “why would you put a love song on a Christian Album?” or “Aren’t these songs supposed to be about Jesus?” or “Where’s the worship?” Honestly, those are legitimate questions to ask. You should be asking them. You don’t normally pick up an album from a Christian artist and find a song like this, but this isn’t your typical Christian album. On BREAKING FREE, I really wanted to tell the true story of this station in my personal, and my family’s walk with God. I feel like after you know the story, it will help make sense of it all.

The song was written as a Christmas present in late 2012. We were in the worst financial times of our marriage, so the holidays were really not a very exciting time for us. I knew the only way I was going to be able to give her a gift at all was to write her a song. So I began thinking about ways to tell her how much I loved her, and I thought there was no better way to do that than to remember some of our favorite memories. Under The Moon is filled with personal references from all points of our relationship up until the time it was written. The original working title of the song was “Seventh December” a lyric that locks the song in time as a mention of when it was written. Other references include:

-our first date

-our first kiss

-our wedding day

-that one really sad time

-that one time I really messed up

-the times all we really had was each other

-her beauty

-her grace… and more.

I never even intended to record the song or share it with anyone. As far as I was concerned the song belonged to her. It was her property. The first lines of the songs are even, “This is a song just for you, for only your ears and mine too.” Ha! But as BREAKING FREE was coming together, and I was writing songs about real life, she encouraged me to record it and share what our real-life love is like; so that it might encourage other couples who might be trying to “keep up with the Joneses” on a relationship level… cause… we’ve been there before. We’ve had to put on a smile more than once when we got to church because of a Sunday morning argument.

It’s OK when your marriage gets hard. That’s when you learn. It’s OK when your relationship gets intimate on any level, that’s when you build trust. And it’s OK when your marriage is strong, because that’s when you have the time to encourage others. Every marriage is different. We felt like sharing a little glimpse of ours is exactly what this record called for.

This is the truest look into Cody and Ashile as a husband and wife.


UNDER THE MOON

verse 1
this is a song just for you
for only your ears and mine too
years like the days of this seventh december
I want to be sure I remember

chorus
how we danced for the first time under the moon
kissed before sunset on that afternoon
you whispered you loved me and then said I do
I couldn’t love anyone but you

verse 2
you ’ve sweat and you've cried on each shoulder
I’m honored to be your heart holder
Let’s give each day its own chance to make
new ways to know how we got through

bridge
and of the lights I see you are as bright as can be
drying the tears I cry when we have to say goodbye
holding my hand through all the times that I took the fall
choosing to love me when I fell and failed you again
your shadow in the candle light I made my mind up that night


Download the new album BREAKING FREE on iTunes or order a CD at the Cody Collier Store.

My new record BREAKING FREE (available now) is a wide open look into me. There are a many allusions to some very personal moments in my life, faith, and relationships. Here are the stories behind the songs:

Track 1. SING GLORY:

It was my 12th birthday. I was in a doctor’s office. I was diagnosed with a walnut sized tumor in my brain. Yeah, I was pretty shocked. Thing was, back then, I didn't know Jesus. I wasn't from a church going family and my knowledge about faith was very little if not nonexistent. I went through that whole ordeal without the security of knowing that I had a loving God who was going lead me though the toughest trial of my young little life. 

I didn't know how to pray, I didn't know what to do. I have a very vivid memory of checking into the hospital one day, my mom was answering questions about our family from the check-in desk. One of the questions was, "Religion?" The only thing I could think of was, "Oh great, they want to know what kind of minister to call in to comfort you when I die." I wasn’t very encouraged, and I had little to draw real hope from. It was all very draining. And as you can tell from my reaction to that question, it was very deflating.  I was just watching my life fast forward though MRI scans, a biopsy, a removal surgery, a long surgery recovery, and even after all of that, the tumor re-grew. It was then I saw how God was going to work; how He was going to use my story to transform me, my family, and use my voice as instrument of ministry and revival. 


The tumor's second appearance was miraculously healed. Over the next two years, it shrunk until it eventually vanished completely.  I was declared "cured" at age 17. I had a lot of people praying me through that I continue to meet for the first time. It's not rare that I come across someone from my hometown and they say, "I remember when you were going though all that... our whole family was praying for you." I sincerely hope those reminders never stop coming. 


I've always wanted to write a song to commemorate this life altering span of my life, but nothing ever seemed good enough... until one night it all came spilling out on my guitar. What started out as a slow, sad, story song turned into a joyous declaration of God's glory and promise. This is the last song I wrote for this record. After trying for years to write something that truly described how I wanted to paint the picture of this story, It turns out that all I really wanted to communicate was my thankfulness, and my understanding of how God has provided a platform for me to share His glory with others.  I hope "Sing Glory" sings to you too.

SING GLORY

verse 1
when I was blind and my heart erased
your unfailing love led me through
but like a flood your amazing grace
kept nothing from out-shining you
so I praise, oh I praise

chorus
sing glory glory, sing glory glory
the good news and story, hallelujah
sing glory glory, sing glory glory amen

verse 2
driving out on this open road
believing in all that I breathe
with my windows down and my life in tow
Your goodness is all that I need
so I praise, oh I praise
and ask for a thousand more ways

verse 3
no regrets of this time or place
without 'em I'd never learn
now reflecting back is a wiser face
with stories about every turn
so I praise, oh I praise
and ask for ten thousand more days.


Download the new album BREAKING FREE on iTunes or order a CD at the Cody Collier Store.