A Thousand Cathedrals Lyrics & Credits

From "A Thousand Cathedrals", released June 11, 2017

All songs written by John Lucas Kovasckitz
Produced by Everett Hardin/Red Yeti Audio
Engineered/Mixed by Everett Hardin
Mastered by Joey Deihl of War Height Audio
Engineering Assistance from Glenn Deuel, Brett Queen, Sam Utz, Casey Wells, Caroline Hardin
Tracked and Mixed at Harvest House Studio
Strings for Cathedrals recorded at RFG Studios, with assistant engineer Graham Saboda
Vocals, acoustic guitars: John Lucas Kovasckitz
Electric guitars: Justin Mower
Piano, background vocals: Benjamin James Roberts
Drums / percussion: Tim Roberts
Cello: Everett Hardin
Violin: Caroline Hardin
Background Vocals: Erin Deuel

Caesar

I have no spare change and I have not the time for your melodies
And here while you sit, the world is passing you by
And here you sing of peace and the wild like the frontier's still out there
But if we buried our guns in the earth we'd all die by the sword 

Oh everything's been bought and sold and bought and sold again
Dreams won't pay your taxes, and dreams won't feed your children
Dreams don't make the world go, dreams don't make the world go round
Go make a man of yourself, and put your stake in the ground

Turn the tree to timber, turn the earth to brick
Push the savage from the land with empty promises
Oh make a man of yourself, and put that ol' guitar down
For the harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few
And son your promised land will not be handed to you 

Oh everything's been bought and sold and bought and sold again
Dreams won't pay your taxes, and dreams won't feed your children
Dreams don't make the world go, dreams don't make the world go round
Go make a man of yourself, and put your stake in the ground

Oh I asked you not for change and I asked you not for scorn
And you can hold my pity, for I was not just born
And you can hold the treasures that divide and destroy

Oh I know everything's been bought and sold and bought and sold again
Take what is Caesar's, but you will not touch my children
For the kingdom of heaven is hidden in a field
And though you pillage and plunder, for you it is concealed
For you cannot rob what your eyes cannot see
And you cannot love when your heart is not free
So make a man of yourself
And become like a child

Hope

I feel the earth trembling under my feet
I feel the waters churning, rising from the deep
I know the trees are swaying with their family's seeds
And I feel the harvest returning, no more dust and weeds

I've seen fathers running for their prodigal sons
And I've seen the nooses empty and the chains undone
I've seen beggars leaving their crumbs of bread
And I've seen orphans dancing with crowns on their heads

And I hear the King whistling through the trees
To meet Him at the sea, all the murderers and thieves
And there amongst the tide and all the judges of the land
He will wash every foot and take His children by the hand

And I've heard the forest singing as it prepares the table
For the feast to come, glimpsed in parables and fables
And between every mountain and every shore
And through every season we will hunger no more

All hope rises from the dead
All hope springs up from the ground

From a desert to a garden
From a trickle to a stream
From the dust, my love, you've risen
From the ground you've been redeemed

But you've always been my firstborn
And you've always been my prize
All creation has been groaning for
The waking of your eyes

All hope rises from the dead
All hope springs up from the ground

Hope CCLI #: 7136108  

Cathedrals

I have the dust on my boots of a thousand cathedrals
And I have taken my place with bended knees
And I have raised my voice with a multitude of angels
Whose nests are treasured by your trees

Oh, the music of your fingers
Oh, the heartbeat of your lands
Oh, the places where you linger
Oh, the beauty of your hands

And I have lit my candle in the folds of your forests
A spark of light amongst the fires of the night
And I have risen with the dawn and the thurible of gladness
Amongst the mist and the dew of your delight 

Oh, the music of your fingers
Oh, the heartbeat of your lands
Oh, the places where you linger
Oh, the beauty of your hands

You are the one who makes my paths straight
You are the one who leads me to the waters
And as I've cupped my hands
I know, I know, I've seen your face
For you've touched my eyes with waterfalls
You've touched my eyes with earth
You've led me home with moonlight
And you've whispered what I'm worth

You are the one who leads me to the waters
You are the one who leads me home
You lead me home
You lead me home

Cathedrals CCLI #: 7136110

 

Son of God

If you're the son of God
Throw yourself down
Surely your father will heed your call
Surely the angels will catch your fall

If you're the son of God
Then why do you starve? 
Turn the rocks into loaves of bread
Find pleasure in the evening within your bed

If you're the son of God
Then why is there pain? 
Are you weak, or are you not good? 
Oh will you be defeated by a cross of wood? 

If you're the son of God
Vanquish my enemies
Protect my borders and securities
And crush the heads of those who'd rob my peace

Oh praise the son of God
The one who has set me free
He is my passage from the gates of hell
He is my refuge from the infidel

Of praise the son of God
Who knows my every will
For pleasure is the blessing, child
And I must have my fill

Away from me, away from me
I never knew you
You are the cell that holds my child within
Fling open the doors and be made wild again

Away from me, away from me
I never knew you

Flesh of My Flesh

Flesh of my flesh, bone of my bone
Like a story told you've always known
You took my breath in the daylight
You stole my heart like a thief in the night

And I am not a perfect man
I've unclean lips and soiled hands
But from the soil we will rise
For we are dust with a love that never dies

You are my shelter
You are my home
Flesh of my flesh
Bone of my bone

You undress me of my bitterness
And roll away my pride with one kiss
For we are clothed in majesty
Beneath our rags of poverty

And I will spend my days beside you
For beauty that is shared is beauty true
We will share the wine, we will share the bread
We will share our home, we will share our bed

You are my shelter
You are my home
Flesh of my flesh
Bone of my bone

Bruises

I have heard the news
And I have felt the crimes
And I've counted up the numbers
And I've crossed the battle lines

And I have smelled the hatred
For those that aren't the same
And I've pointed my own fingers
But I'm not clear of blame 

I've heard the promises of heaven
And I've heard the threats of hell
But maybe we're already living
Within the stories that we tell

For I have wept for bruises
On the backs of those too young
But I cling to the Father
Who calls us all His own 

May your heart never grow hard
May your eyes always see beauty
Though you sometimes need to weep
Though you sometimes need to fight
May joy come in the morning
May darkness find the light

And may you never give up, may you never give up
May you never give up on love

Bruises CCLI #: 7136111 

Thy Kingdom Come

Pass not the cup from me
If I do thy will
Thy kingdom come, thy will be done
Where my blood is spilled

Make my heart brave
Make my back strong enough to carry my cross
For what I've gained for my own pride
I count as loss

May my life be poured out
Upon the feet of the poor
May orphans call me father
And may I never lock my doors

May I never lose hope
Upon the darkest night
May my life be a seed
And my spirit light

May those that come behind
Not linger at my grave
Plant me beside the waters
And may I offer shade

Thy kingdom come, thy will be done
On heaven and earth
May my life be poured out
And my death give birth

Thy Kingdom Come CCLI#: 7136112

Promised Land Album Lyrics & Credits

From "Promised Land", released May 15, 2015
All songs written by John Lucas Kovasckitz.
Produced and engineered by Everett Hardin.
Recorded in Harvest House Studio in Boone, NC.
Mastered by Joey Diehl at War Height Audio. 

John Lucas Kovasckitz: Acoustic guitars, vocals
Benjamin James Roberts: Piano, vocals
Josh Roberts: Bass
Everett Hardin: Cello
Caroline Hardin: Violin
Justin Mower: Electric guitars
Tim Roberts: Drums
Erin Deuel: Vocals
Group vocals: Glenn Deuel, Josh Morgan, Brandi Truesdell, Caitlin Swick, Ben Roberts, Ali Carr, Brett Queen, Emily Dobberstein, Tim Roberts, Danielle Kovasckitz, Hannah Grant, Abby Grant, Josh Anding, Eli Stroud, James Sears, Meghan Hockaday, Mariel Silva.

We're Lions, You and I

Your warmth comes in the early spring
With hope like snow still clinging to the ground
And miracles, they rise up all around
All for you, everything is made new 

And we will jump for joy through the dewy soil
As you lay me down in peace
In the fields where I’ve toiled
And we will rise with barefooted abandon
And I will chase the depths of your heart
Oh the depths of your heart

And we will laugh as we run without tiring
A lion and a boy who both can’t stop smiling
And we will bound mountains with a single leap
As you shout your promises
That you always keep 

And we open up our mouths, our mouths to sing
But what echoes is just one mighty roar
And you delight more than ever before
For I’m not the boy I was
Oh I’m not him anymore 

We’re lions, we’re lions
You and I

And I don’t need a looking glass
Or the praise of men, for it will pass
I know the roar now inside my chest
I claim this love, you can have the rest 

We’re lions, we’re lions
You and I

We’re Lions, You and I CCLI #: 7136113

Love Is Kind

How come love was simpler when I could barely stand? 
Worrying was harder when I had to hold your hand
‘Cause my two feet hadn’t yet learned how to walk
And my own voice hadn’t yet come out to talk
But I knew love because I knew you
And I believed that everything you told me
Would come out true 

‘Cause love is patient, and love is kind
Love delights in the truth and is all you need to find 

But as I grew older I learned to complicate
Things you made so simple and I did some things I hate
And I became so afraid of making mistakes
‘Cause one hard fall is all that it takes 

To make you question the man you thought you’d be
And I began to question the bright things you see in me 

But love is patient, and love is kind
Love doesn’t keep a record of what’s behind 

And I’ve heard my strength comes from your joy
Maybe that’s why I felt stronger when I was a boy
Maybe I grew up too fast, or maybe I never did
But I learned to bury and to chain
And from you I ran and hid 

You know I want to finish strong
But I’m having trouble at the start
And I’ve forgotten where to dig
To unearth my beating heart 

But love is patient, and love is kind
Love revives the heart and transforms the mind 

And you say, son, throw your delight on me
And you’ll become the man you want to be
And my love will never fail you
 

And always remember
That love is kind

Love is Kind CCLI #: 7136114

Clearing Stones

We came to the water
Sinners all were we
For we’d heard a man could be reborn
And then he’d be set free 

Oh I’ve never done hard time
But I’ve had a few
And some of the wrongs that I have done
Would make you shift in your Sunday pew 

And I am oft’ intoxicated
On sorrow and my shame
And guilt makes a right fine prison cell
When you’re afraid of your own name

_ 

We came to the stream of life
As clear as glass and as cold as ice
And my heart sank as I looked in
But I’d a pint of faith and I’d rolled my dice 

On the water so sweet that was just ankle deep
But we had prisons to bury
So we rolled our clothes and braced for the cold
To leave all that we had to carry

And we dammed the water that frees the damned
And we dug the stones from the riverbed
In the stream of life we formed a coffin
And I’d be damned if that water didn’t cover my head 

_

We drowned the young and old in that sea of grace
But we all rose the same
We splashed like children, we did, in that sea of grace
And we danced in the forest like flames 

Grace was enough and grace is enough
And grace always will be
More than enough to change an old man young
And an ankle-deep stream to a sea 

Grace can’t be bought and grace can’t be sold
Not for the wages of a thousand days
Grace is the gift of a King who longs
For His children to see they’re not slaves 

And grace gets deeper the more you trust
That the King is good and the King is just
And that naked forgiveness is stronger than the grave 

And sometimes grace takes clearing stones
With a weary heart and aching bones
To prove to that new child it was worth it all 

Roll away the stones
Roll away the stones
Roll away the stones
And come alive

Promised Land

 

Love will bring you to your knees
To sow the seeds of grace
Your heart I’ve made of earth and sea
And your eyes are time and space

Like a carpenter I carved your hands
From driftwood from the deep
And I placed my veins inside your dreams
To woo you while you sleep

And in your heart I've placed a journey
And like a garden it will grow
And when you taste the fruits of bravery
I will part the seas below 

I composed your bones from symphonies
And I danced to form your name
From the womb you leapt in innocence
And your innocence remains

For I’ve ransomed you upon my blood
From the wilderness of pain
With fire by night I’ll lead you home
And you’ll know you’re mine again 

And in your heart I've placed a journey
And like a garden it will grow
And when you taste the fruits of bravery
I will part the seas below

Your heart is my promised land

Promised Land CCLI #: 7136115

 

Time

My heart has known the winters
And my feet have known the snow
But mine eyes have seen the glory
Of a seed begin to grow 

There is a time to uproot, darling
But most days just hold on tight
For there’s a time for darkness, honey
But dawn will always beat the night 

Sometimes death will come calling
When you’ve been good and warned
And other times its cold hands will cradle
Dreams yet to be born 

There is a time to dance on sorrow
And a time to kiss her cheek
There is a time to mourn in silence
But justice aches to hear you speak 

And I don’t know the end, or tomorrow’s story
But I have found the one who gives me rest
And I will make my bed in His promises
For He holds true when nothing’s left...When nothing’s left

There is a time when laughter will echo
Through your halls of peace
But war is known to change your locks
And carry off the family keys

There is a time for healing and pain
A time for drought and a time for rain
There is a time for everything
Until we crown the risen King…Until we crown the risen King 

And I don’t know the end, or tomorrow’s story
But I have found the one who gives me rest
And I will make my bed in His promises
For He holds true when nothing’s left...When nothing’s left

So crown Him in your mourning
And crown Him in your laughter
And crown Him when it all turns dark
Crown Him when you bury
And crown Him when you marry
And crown Him when your faith finds a spark 

Crown Him for He’s faithful
And crown Him for He’s worthy
And crown Him for He is good
Crown Him for His promises
Cut through the blindness
Of children that have barely understood 

The beauty that has come
And the beauty yet to come
And the beauty that is yours and that is mine
And that death produces life
And that we are made alive
By the King who paints beauty with time
By the King who paints beauty with time
By the King who paints beauty with time

And I don’t know the end, or tomorrow’s story
But I have found the one who gives me rest
And I will make my bed in His promises
For He holds true when nothing’s left...When nothing’s left

Time CCLI #: 7136002

Quilts, Coats, and Colors

I want to live simply like my father
He never has much been for colors
But I think
That his colors are his children

And I want to live fearlessly
Believing nothing could ever hurt me
If I’d just love
If I’d just love relentlessly

And I don’t have an extravagant plan
For who I’ll be when I’m an older man
But the best adventures
Follow no maps

And when I was born a quilt was sewn
By the one who held my father
Before he had grown
Before he’d met my mother 

And more were made as our family grew
A name is just a name
But it holds me to you
For there’s love in every letter

And my name says that I am light
And I want to learn how to fight
For the ones
This dark world has barred from hope

And I want to see with clear eyes
To see beauty underneath
Every painful disguise
I want the bravery to dream

But it’s not the coat that makes the dreamer
Nor the stitches of a quilt
It’s not the colors that you wear, son
It’s the colors that you’ve spilled 

When you fight
When you fight
When you fight
Fight for love

Heart Gone Wild

Dance past the whitewashed tombs
And make way for the Bridegroom
Oh He’s come to bring life to the dead

Dance past the dry wells
And run from the desert’s curses and spells
For you will never thirst again 

Can you find a righteous man? 
Do you know a faultless land? 
Oh He’s come to wipe our records clean 

Hear the ring of the fallen chains
See the world forget its aches and pains
At the mention of His very name

Come on and dance like a child
Come on and dance like a man whose heart’s gone wild
Come and dance like a river to the sea
Come on and dance, ‘cause you have been set free 

Hear the march of the victor’s feet
Hear the thunder of His heart as it beats
For the taking of His bride 

And He has prepared a place
Where we’ll finally see His face
And we’ll be lifted from our knees

Come on and dance like a child
Come on and dance like a man whose heart’s gone wild
Come and dance like a river to the sea
Come on and dance, ‘cause you have been set free

Let the filthy dance with the righteous
Let the filthy dance with the righteous
He’s covered our shame with His blood and a wedding ring 

So dance, come on dance…On your own graves
Oh dance, come on dance…He calls us lovers, not slaves

He makes the shamed beautiful
He makes the broken whole
He makes the darkness turn and flee

Heart Gone Wild CCLI #: 7136116

Love Endures All Things

You are the one who holds
The ring of my love
You are the one whose whispers
Kiss my very heart
And in your embrace my walls crumble apart
My walls, my walls crumble apart

You are the one I will dream with
While our coffee steams
You are the one I will dance with
To the melodies of dreams
And I will sing you to sleep each night
And I will wake by your side 

Through every pain and sorrow
Through the adventure of tomorrow
Through the joy of every morning
My love will be yours

You are the one I will hold tight
Through every winter wind
You are the one that I will cover
Through every storm that’s sent
To prove that love endures all things
Oh love endures all things

Through every pain and sorrow
Through the adventure of tomorrow
Through the joy of every morning
My love will be yours 

The Entrance

Gather the saints in the mist
Beneath our favorite tree
And forge your vows in stone
And from the roots beneath

And measure out my tent
And the tables where we’ll feast
And invite the stars for dancing
For when the shadows have journeyed east 

Go on, go on
Go on, go on and say I do
And remember the treasure you glimpse
When you’ve glimpsed my heart for you

And I will keep you like a promise
Stored beneath my wings
As you camp beside my mountains
And wait for my heart’s strings

And I will call you with thunder to return
To return to the tree
And there I will meet you without mist
Without mist or mystery

Go on, go on
Go on, go on and say I do
And remember the treasure you glimpse
When you’ve glimpsed my heart for you

And time itself will paralyze
To take in every moment
Of the entrance of the promise
Of love untold or ever spoken

And with wildflowers
The angels will sew our hearts as one
But neither angels nor demons can ever cut
Can ever cut the knots undone

Go on, go on
Go on, go on and say I do
And remember the treasure you glimpse
When you’ve glimpsed my heart for you

This Will Be Our Home

 

Close your eyes, my darling
And let me sweep you off your feet
There’s a home in the meadow
And it’s a home you ought to meet

This will be our threshold
To our home of joy and peace
This will be the place
Where our sorrows are released

I know the walls are for now a little empty
But you’ve the eye of an artist
So let’s paint the walls with laughter
Until not a spot is missed 

Entwine your treasures on the shelves with mine
And hang your dresses by the mirror
I’ve never heard my heart sing
The way it is now that you’re here

This, oh this, this will be our home 

For tonight let’s leave the dishes in the sink
And our shoes by the bottom stair
For dancin’ in the kitchen’s better
When your feet are bare

And one day we’ll own a piano
And a fireplace where all the music will go
Up through the chimney
Oh we’ll play for all the stars

This, oh this, this will be our home

And one day we’ll add a room or two
For little feet to come pattering through
But for now, this home will just hold me and you

And our home may soon change places
As we bound mountains
And walk on oceans without fear
But for now our adventure lies here
Oh for now, our adventure lies here 

This, oh this, this will be our home

This, oh this, this is our home

The Return

I miss the days before every love song had been writ
And every story penned
Another mind hadn’t beat you to it

I miss the days before every land had been mapped
When you could go explore
And know the world was still untapped 

I miss the days before men couldn’t outwit God
When He still spoke to us
And we still spoke to God

I miss the days before men could do everything
When we still dreamed like birds
Before we forged our wings

Oh when did we stop missing things? 
When did we trade our garden and the King of Kings
For a land that’s bare and a God that’s blind
How can we not yearn for what’s behind? 

I miss the days before rings came off so easy
When I could promise you
And believe that you believed me

I miss the days before everything had a price
When we couldn’t count the cost
Of every single sacrifice 

I miss the days before we all had useless hands
When our tools were young
And hadn’t yet raped our lands

I miss the days before we knew when rain would fall
When we’d plant seeds with hope
And now we don’t hope at all

Oh when did we stop missing things? 
When did we trade our garden and the King of Kings
For a land that’s bare and a God that’s blind
How can we not yearn for what’s behind? 

But I’ve heard whispers that this earth
Holds the deepest mysteries yet
Oh I’ve heard whispers when I listen to the trees

And I’ve tasted eternity
A sweetness my tongue has never known
I’ve felt an ache deep down in my bones
That proves there’s something more

(Where are you? Where are you?) 

And I’ve heard laughter rolling from the canyons
Laughter at the man who claims to hold more wisdom
Than the One who stretched the heavens
And treads upon the sea 

And I’ve heard the song of the return
A song as pure as light
Sung by a King with eyes that burn
For a bride to be taken in the night

So maybe the past isn’t what I’m truly missing
Maybe I’m missing what’s to come
Or maybe eternity has already begun

Come and Find Me

Come and find me, come and find me
In the wild places that can’t be tamed
Come and find me, come and find me
In the bars of a prison
Where my sons are chained 

Come and feast with the hungry
And dine with me among outlaws and thieves
Come and trace my veins in an old oak tree
And in the rivers that run
Into my seas 

Come and find me on every unknown street
And in every song that leads you home
Come and kiss my face on a newborn’s feet
Come and fall in love
Like you’ve never known

Come and fall
In love again for the first time

Come and Find Me CCLI #: 7136121