Song of the Week - You Said - Reuben Morgan

"O Lord, I ask for the nations!"

This week's edition of Song of the Week focuses on another song from the upcoming Gospel Light Worship album, Prepare. This week's song is "You Said," written by Reuben Morgan, and performed originally by Hillsong.

The song was originally published on Hillsong's 1999 live album By Your Side, and since then has been both a celebrated worship song, and a cause for debate over its theological merits. Still, the clear tone of the song (and Psalm 2, which inspired it) is that of the spreading of the influence of Christ to the nations - and this certainly goes with the overall theme of the Prepare album.

Since its release, folks have talked about the chorus of the song:

Ask and I'll give the nations to you

Oh Lord, that's the cry of my heart!

Distant shores and the islands will see

Your light, as it rises on us.

While Psalm 2 is clearly referring to the coming Messiah, the song seems to personalize the request. "Give me the nations." But, if we are in fact asking for the nations on Christ's behalf, then there is no issue with the song. At Gospel Light, we pray constantly for our neighborhood, our city, our nation. This album is a prayer for the nations, so to speak - we desire to reach out to people and help them find Christ. We do seek the nations.

This song has an easy, repetitive groove to it. We gave it a simple, acoustic arrangement. The verses have a nice back and forth pattern: we play a I-IV-I-vi pattern for the verses. We do the song in C. The chorus picks up the energy a little - not too much. The song can easily be repeated as much as needed in a worship environment.