The Larry Norman Thread

[Revelator]

Are there any other Larry Norman (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larry_Norman) fans here or am I too far over the hill?

Larry Norman is often referred to as the father of Christian rock/Contemporary Christian Music so I figured maybe he should have his own thread.

His famous I Wish We'd All Been Ready has to be one of the earliest contemporary songs about the rapture and prophecy. Other classics like The Outlaw, Why Don't You Look Into Jesus, or Why Should The Devil Have All The Good Music have become Christian Rock standards.

I know I have some fond memories of seeing him in concert back in the early 80's and getting to meet him once.

I was a big into Bob Dylan's Gospel era back in Jr High and after a conversation about Dylan's conversion one day, a cool teacher turned me on to some of Larry's albums and I became an instant fan -not only of Larry but of all the great, spirit filled music that came out of the Jesus Movement of the 60's/70's.

Please share your own thoughts, memories, favorite songs, lyrics, videos and such here. Larry is in pretty poor health these days and needs our prayers.

http://i152.photobucket.com/albums/s200/revelatorpics/larrynorman2.jpg

[Revelator]

Here's a cool homemade video someone made for I Wish We'd All Been Ready...

[you tube video]Xn38LidAiZQ[/you tube video]

[Revelator]

Another great Custom video using Larry's song The Outlaw with scenes from 'the gospel of john' movie....

[you tube video]tuGcLDv5nvM[/you tube video]

[Praise Warrior]

Yes! I love Larry Norman, Nancy Honeytree (First lady of Christian music) and the other Jesus music:thumb

Age has nothing to do with it - I'm only 24 :)

Here's one of my favorites:

The Rock that Doesn't Roll-

I was lost and blind 'til a friend of mine
Came and took me by the hand.
Then he led me to his kingdom
That was in aonther land.
Now my life is changed, it's rearranged.
When I think of my past I feel so strange.
Wowie, zowie, well he saved my soul.
He's the rock that doesn't roll.

He's the rock that doesn't roll.
He's the rock that doesn't roll.
He's good for the body and great for the soul.
He's the rock that doesn't roll.

I was all alone like a rolling stone,
I was going nowhere fast.
I was on the road so far from home
When the future touched my past.
Now I feel so blessed 'cause he gave me a rest
And I finally feel like I've passed the test.
I wanna be like him, yes that's my goal
Like a rock that doesn't roll.

He's the rock that doesn't roll.
He's the rock that doesn't roll.
He's good for the body and great for the soul.
He's the rock that doesn't roll.

I was lost and blind 'til a friend of mine
Came and took me by the hand.
Then he led me to his kingdom
That was in aonther land.
Now my mind is blown, my head has grown
A solid rock ain't a rolling stone,
Wowie, zowie, well the cat's got soul.
He's the rock that doesn't roll.

He's the rock that doesn't roll.
He's the rock that doesn't roll.
He's good for the body and great for the soul.
He's the rock that doesn't roll.

You got to rock me on the water
You got to rock me from my grave.
You got to rock me 'til I'm feeling good,
You got to rock me 'til I'm, rock me 'til I'm saved.

[Praise Warrior]

Here's another good prophecy one.

Six Sixty Six -

In the midst of the war he offered us peace,
He came like a lover from out of the east
With the face of an angel and the heart of a beast,
His intentions were six sixty six.

He walked up to the temple with gold in his hand,
And he bought off the priests and propositioned the land,
And the world was his harlot and lay in the sand,
While the band played six sixty six.

We served at his table and slept on the floor,
But he starved us and beat us and nailed us to the door.
Well, I'm ready to die, I can't take any more,
And I'm sick of his lies and his tricks.

He told us he loved us, that was a lie,
There was blood in his pockets and death in his eyes.
Well my number is up, and I'm ready to die,
If the band will play six
If the band will play six sixty
If the band will play six sixty six.

[Revelator]

Yes! I love Larry Norman, Nancy Honeytree (First lady of Christian music) and the other Jesus music:thumb

Age has nothing to do with it - I'm only 24 :)Great stuff, PW! I hope more younger Christians are aware of this classic period.

Nancy Honeytree was/is wonderful, I haven't heard her in ages though... I need to remedy that. :nod

[dilferthecat]

Hey, Revelator. Thanks for the wonderful videos.

I'm 50 years old and was a teenager during the Jesus People movement. I grew up in a very large church which is affiliated with a Christian college. When I was 15 years old, Larry Norman came to our church and my boyfriend, a friend of his, and I went to hear it. Now, this church had two sanctuaries - a new one and an older, smaller one. After Larry played, he left the stage and the time for prayer and praise and an altar call began. At that time, my boyfriend and I wanted none of that scene, so we hit the hallways of the church and wandered into the old sanctuary, where my boyfriend headed toward the stage and the piano. The place was dark, except for a few emergency lights around the perimeter of the sanctuary. Before we made it to the stage, though, the back doors opened, and coming down the center aisle we saw the form of a young man with tight jeans and long hair, flying out behind him. Yep, it was Larry Norman. We thought we were toast for being in there and for ditching the "coming to Jesus" part of the service. He was wonderful to us, though. Very sweet and soft spoken, and all he did was ask us if we minded if he played the piano. That's one of my best memories. This was in the spring of 1972.

He's always remained one of my favorites. Thanks for the reminder.

Lynne

[Praise Warrior]

Great stuff, PW! I hope more younger Christians are aware of this classic period.

Nancy Honeytree was/is wonderful, I haven't heard her in ages though... I need to remedy that. :nod

I just got a songbook of old praise choruses originally put out in 1978 and have been playing with the great music in it with my guitar to use somewhere someday.

It says on the back, "All-time favorites" but, almost 30 years later, for the most part they don't appear, they just aren't known, and aren't done. Funny and sad at the same time.

When I lead worship I try to incorporate some of those into the set, or at least ask for them if I see them. 100% of the time, they've been new to everybody except me.

I also been sharing some of my Jesus music with my grandmother and some of my aunts (in their 50s, and a little bit yonger), who never heard it before. Didn't know it existed. They love it!

[Praise Warrior]

Here's a (possibly hard) Larry Norman question :scratch

His song "I Love You" that I have a recording of goes like this:

We can be together for now and forever, I love You, I love You.
Hey, can You hear me, I got to have You near me, I love You, I love You.
I was lonely 'til You came along, Now You've got me singing Your love song.

I love You, I love You, I love You, I love You,
I love You, I love You,
I love You, I love You, I love You, I love You,
I love You, I love You.

Life is a mystery, love is a dancer, I love You, I love You.
I had a question, You brought the answer, I love You, I love You.
Oh, but I need You so, I could never let You go.

I love You, I love You, I love You, I love You,
I love You, I love You,
I love You, I love You, I love You, I love You,
I love You, I love You.

I was lonely once but then You came along, and I love You
And You gave me love so I wrote down this song, yeah I love You
I want to spend my life with you like the angels on high, hey I love You
You're the morning star, You're the Son in the sky, I love You

But the version I have in another songbook I have is this:

We can be together for now and forever, I love You, I love You
And when I'm prayin' and I hear 'em sayin, I love You, I love You
People all over the world-they're openin' up, they're comin' around
They're sayin'

I love You, I love You, I love You, I love You,
I love You, I love You,
I love You, I love You, I love You, I love You,
I love You, I love You.

Brother and Sister, Missus and Mister, I love You, I love You
He made me feel it and I can't conceal it, I love You, I love You
Jesus came into the world, to show us the way, to set us all free
And when He died-He was sayin'

I love You, I love You, I love You, I love You,
I love You, I love You,
I love You, I love You, I love You, I love You,
I love You, I love You.

Did Larry put both out on recording? If he did, what album is the second version on?

[Revelator]

Hey, Revelator. Thanks for the wonderful videos.

I'm 50 years old and was a teenager during the Jesus People movement. I grew up in a very large church which is affiliated with a Christian college. When I was 15 years old, Larry Norman came to our church and my boyfriend, a friend of his, and I went to hear it. Now, this church had two sanctuaries - a new one and an older, smaller one. After Larry played, he left the stage and the time for prayer and praise and an altar call began. At that time, my boyfriend and I wanted none of that scene, so we hit the hallways of the church and wandered into the old sanctuary, where my boyfriend headed toward the stage and the piano. The place was dark, except for a few emergency lights around the perimeter of the sanctuary. Before we made it to the stage, though, the back doors opened, and coming down the center aisle we saw the form of a young man with tight jeans and long hair, flying out behind him. Yep, it was Larry Norman. We thought we were toast for being in there and for ditching the "coming to Jesus" part of the service. He was wonderful to us, though. Very sweet and soft spoken, and all he did was ask us if we minded if he played the piano. That's one of my best memories. This was in the spring of 1972.

He's always remained one of my favorites. Thanks for the reminder.

LynneYour welcome, Lynne and thanks for the great story! I only got to meet him once too, backstage at a small theater, but he was exactly as you said, nice as could be and very soft spoken. :thumb