Although I prefer to make a new recording of an older song if I think I can improve on it, this song is a special exception. I wrote it in 1979 for my brother-in-law, Greg Richards, who died unexpectedly several weeks ago. I couldn’t have matched the original recording, which you may listen to here. A free lead sheet for “Greater Than All” is available here.
Your questions fall like a hard rain,
And your problems rush like a flood.
Your faith is stuck in the mud of despair,
And your sunshine is tainted with clouds.
But remember that Somebody loves you,
Someone Who has lived here before,
Someone Who is greater than questions and doubts,
Someone Who is greater than all.
The mountains you want to conquer
Are taller than you think you can climb,
And the valley you’re walking through right now
Seems to keep leading you down.
But remember that Somebody loves you,
Someone Who has lived here before,
Someone Who is greater than mountains and depths,
Someone Who is greater than all,
Greater than all.
Greg was a teen in 1979, and he was experiencing significant problems. I felt compelled to write this song of assurance for him.
The first stanza follows a logical progression: from rain to flood to mud. And even the clouds enhance the symbolism of the problems being addressed. The refrain, which differs slightly from stanza to stanza, echoes the ideas expressed in the stanza it follows.
The second stanza uses a contrast rather than a logical progression: mountains and valleys. People often use mountains to symbolize a goal or something desirable. Think about mountaintop experiences.
But our American forefathers didn’t view the mountains that blocked their westward travel as anything but problems to overcome. And even though valleys often symbolize peacefulness, I suspect that our forefathers felt quite differently when looking upward at the next mountain from the depths of the current valley.
And that’s how I imagined Greg feeling as he faced seemingly insurmountable problems.
Although the “Someone Who” clearly refers to Jesus, His name isn’t referred to in this song. But that’s okay. This song was written for a Christian who understood that.
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