I Can Only Imagine

Chica4Christ · Jul 29, 2004

i can't listen to this song when I am around people, because I cry EVERY TIME. I get chills and all of a sudden I start to feel the Holy Spirit really intensely.

The part that gets me is the chorus:

Surrounded by Your glory
What will my heart feel
Will I dance for you Jesus?
Or in awe of You be still
Will I stand in Your presense?
Or to my knees will I fall

Thats a very good question. I have NO CLUE what I will do. Will I laugh and scream and jump for joy and leap into His arms? Or will I stand there in shock and fall at His feet sobbing?

Praise God!!! I can't wait until I die....LOL! Just kidding. I mean I can't wait until I see my savior face to face.

God bless

purplestars · Aug 1, 2004

It's a pretty good song, but it's waaaay overplayed. Honestly, I'm a bit tired of it. Please don't shoot me.

Rich48 · Aug 3, 2004

This is one beautiful song. The music video is really meaningful once you understand, as another poster has noted, the circumstances underwhich the song was written. The words so well express that we just do not know how we will react when when cross over and meet our Savior.

Rich

fiveinjuly · Aug 3, 2004

Great song. I'm glad that it had a run in the secular world, too.

fallenbutterfly · Aug 3, 2004

This song is quite powerful. I first learned it at CIY's Believe in 8th grade, and I loved it then, and I still do today.

Immanuel · Aug 18, 2004

Well you know what? I praise God for that song because it was on a secular radio station. It made the top 10 on a secular radio station in NYC (one of the most ungodly cities). God is moving.

But I do understand where you are coming from little Tigress, but I do not think that God will hold back on the writers. God always looks at our hearts. Remember Cain and Abel's offerings? God didn't like Abel's more because he likes veggies more than meat. He saw their hearts.

God Bless

cmhmark · Aug 18, 2004

I haven't listened to this song (I live in Hong Kong) - seems it's really good ><

Where can I possibly listen to the song?

Immanuel · Aug 19, 2004

cmhmark said:
I haven't listened to this song (I live in Hong Kong) - seems it's really good ><

Where can I possibly listen to the song?

"I can only imagine" by Mercy Me.

I can only imagine, what it will be like
When I walk, by your side.
I can only imagine, what my eyes will see
When your face, is before me
I can only imagine.

CHORUS:
Surrounded by your glory, what will my heart feel
Will I dance for you Jesus, or in awe of you be still.
Will I sing hallelujah, will I be able to speak at all
I can only imagine.

I can only imagine, when that day comes
When I find myself, standing in the Son.
I can only imagine, when all I will do.
Is forever, forever worship you.
I can only imagine.

I can only imagine, when all I will do.
Is forever, forever worship you.
I can only imagine.

They don't play the song as much anymore though, but if you go here, it's a US Christian radio station: http://www.air1.com/listen/playnow.asp
If you back up to www.air1.com, they have a listing of all their bands, so you can take a look at their website also.

Is it true that they have Christian KA LA OK in Hong Kong? I never been there, but my friends tell. I'm an ABC.

feo · Aug 20, 2004

purplestars said:
It's a pretty good song, but it's waaaay overplayed. Honestly, I'm a bit tired of it. Please don't shoot me.

haha its all good I got your back! No one commented on my post, though *sniff*

Nancaroo · Aug 20, 2004

I really enjoy it. It ministers to me and truly makes me wonder what heaven will be like. I think I will be in awe and fall at His feet and not be able to say a word. I was just sent a link to a beautiful video depicting this song. Maybe you would like to view it. Be sure to turn up your sound.
www.andiesisle.com/imagine.html

David Brider · Aug 20, 2004

teeny_weeny87 said:
hey you know you were saying how its played on the radio, was it a radio in england? cos i didnt know you could get christian radio stations. cud neone tell me what one is?

Premier Radio is the one I tend to listen to; they don't just play music (there's a lot of teaching and ministry programmes), and a lot of the music they do play is a bit MOR/easy listening stuff, but there's a fair bit of new stuff as well (a few days ago they played something off Matt Redman's new album, which took me by surprise!). They broadcast in London and the south east on medium wave (1305, 1332, and 1432). They can also be picked up globally on the internet (but I'm new here so I can't post links ! - I'm sure if you do a search for "Premier Radio UK" you could soon find them), and also on Sky (I forget the channel number) and are soon to be broadcasting nationally on Freeview.

Also there's Cross Rhythms, which (AIUI) is more music-orientated, but I don't know where you could find them - sorry.

HTH.

David.

David Brider · Aug 20, 2004

little_tigress said:
I've only heard the song a few times, and at the risk of being unpopular here, I'm going to have to say I don't care much for it. It's is a pretty song. But I don't think it's very worshipful. It wasn't until they sang the name Jesus that I realized that this was a worship song. I thought it was a love ballad the guy was singing to his wife or girlfriend. I don't believe that songs that ambiguous are pleasing to God.

Please don't get offended by this post. It's just my opinion.

I don't think it's ambiguous at all, to be honest. I guess I'm a bit biased - I mean, the first time I heard it was a cover version on a praise & worship album*, so I knew what I was getting. Even so, I think the best you can argue is that it could be ambiguous if you listen only to the first few lines. I mean, as soon as it gets to "surrounded by Your glory", all ambiguity is out of the window and it's just full on praise. I'm amazed to hear that it's crossed over into the mainstream in the US, I really do think it's so totally explicitly Christian in its lyrics that I'd've thought secular radio wouldn't touch it.

So sorry, I can't agree with you about the lyrics of this particular song being ambiguous. As for whether "ambiguous" lyrics are pleasing to God...I don't know. Personally I prefer lyrics that aren't ambiguous, but on the other hand they can have a use in that they enable Christian singers and groups to take the Christian message out to a wider public that might otherwise be closed to the message. If it opens doors, then surely that's all to the good?

Also, it works the other way round - I've heard songs which I'm pretty sure are purely secular, but because of ambiguity in the phrasing could be used as praise/worship songs. A good example of this is Rain down on me by Kane, where the title and the first verse made me wonder if maybe they were a Christian group singing slightly "coded" lyrics (although on reading the full lyrics, I think I'm probably wrong about that...but you never know).

David.

*I've still never heard the MercyMe version, in fact I've not really heard of the group before - I don't know if they've really crossed over to the UK. Will have to check them out.

fallenbutterfly · Aug 20, 2004

This is an excellent song, and I really like it! =)

Busybee · Aug 22, 2004

This has to be one of my favorite songs!!! I don't know anyone who doesn't like it!!

Montsecuellar90 · Aug 24, 2004

i really like this song, I odn't know how people can say that its not worship-like but its your opinion. I just love hearing it.

stephenh · Aug 31, 2004

This is a wonderful song. I have that mercyme album over there in my shelf, and on my computer. I have that song on a playlist that I play often. I cannot image, what that day will be like. It's gonna be wonderful, that is all I can say.

~Mrs. A2J~ · Aug 31, 2004

Absolutely wonderful song - it touches me every time I hear it.

Sarah

GuiltyCubicle · Aug 31, 2004

I'll have to agree with Feo and Little_Tigress in that I don't care for it too much. If it moves you that's really good, but personally it doesn't do much for me, probably because I've heard it too many times. The thing that made me lose respect for it, was when I walked into a bookstore recently, I saw a book called "I Can Only Imagine: Inspired by the MercyMe smash hit."

It even contained a cd in the back with just the song on it. Now tell me if that is not a stab at making money off of a song that is meant to move people.

moeowo · Aug 31, 2004

I prefer Amy Grant's version. She rewrote some of the lyrics and to me it flows better doesn't repeat the same message from the first verse...here's the rewritten lyrics.
Imagine/Sing the Wondrous Love of Jesus

I can only imagine what it will be like
When I walk by Your side
I can only imagine what my eyes will see
When Your face is looking at me

Surrounded by Your glory, what will
My heart feel
Will I dance for You Jesus or in awe of You
Be still
Imagine, I can only imagine

I can only imagine all creation bowed down
The whole universe saying Your name out loud
I can only imagine all our broken lives
Resurrected in the healing light

Surrounded by Your glory, what will my
Heart feel
Will I dance for You Jesus or in awe of You
Be still
Will I stand in your presence or to my knees
Will I fall
Will I sing hallelujah, Will I be able to
Speak at all
I can only imagine, I can only imagine

Surrounded by forgiveness, what will my
Heart feel
Will I dance for You Jesus or in awe of
You be still
Will I stand in your presence or to my
Knees will I fall
Will I sing hallelujah, will I be able to speak at all

I can only imagine, Oh I can only imagine
I can only, I can only, I can only imagine
I can only imagine, just imagine
I can only imagine, imagine
~~
Sing the wondrous love of Jesus
Sing His mercy and His grace
In the mansions bright and blessed
He'll prepare for us a place

The bolded sections are the changed or add sections. I love the tag she did at the end of Sing the Wondrous Love Of Jesus.

feo · Sep 2, 2004

GuiltyCubicle said:
I'll have to agree with Feo and Little_Tigress in that I don't care for it too much. If it moves you that's really good, but personally it doesn't do much for me, probably because I've heard it too many times. The thing that made me lose respect for it, was when I walked into a bookstore recently, I saw a book called "I Can Only Imagine: Inspired by the MercyMe smash hit."

It even contained a cd in the back with just the song on it. Now tell me if that is not a stab at making money off of a song that is meant to move people.

hehehe making money off religion has been going on for ages. whats even more sad than people trying to do this: is how no one even notices!

I think I should write my own version-- only instead of it being like "I can only imagine... what heaven will be like", my variation will be more... along the lines as: "I can only imagine... what our life would be like here if we actually followed Christs teachings" You know, making this as close to heaven as possible.

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