Prologue (From the Author's Apology)

Hope
Steals in softly
Like a silent winter’s snow
A ghost of an angel
Just a whisper of a breath
That reminds you of why you were made
Why you have blood pumping through your veins

Faith
Can catch you unawares
Rarely as a thunderclap
Often as a gentle rain, a mist even
That steals upon you slowly until it is raging storm
A fire deep in your belly that won’t be put out by the most relentless of foes

This is the story of a Pilgrim
This is the story of you and I
Wayfarers, wanderers all
We don’t belong
We were made for something more
A country of our own
A city founded by our Creator
Where love and justice reign supreme
Where all is right in the world
And every bitter tear is redeemed for something glorious and beautiful at long last
Where every breath fills our lungs with joy
With the deepest reality of the truth
That we were made to be loved
To be caught up in a greater story
To be alive, whole, and holy
This is what we were made for

For this reason I took my Pen in hand
As I walked through the wilderness of this world
I lighted on a certain place where there was a cave
And I laid me down in that place to sleep
And as I slept, I dreamed a Dream
I saw a Man, a Pilgrim, clothed in Rags, standing outside his home
In a place called the City of Destruction
Clothed in rags, a book in his hand, and a great burden on his back
As he read, he wept and trembled, and broke out with a cry, saying
What must I do to be saved?

_______________________________________________________

Movement I: The City of Destruction

Wilderness
© 2016 Written by Dani Rocca

The wilderness is cold
I cannot sleep, the nightmares keep me from the lands untold
This is not my home, oh misery loves company

How can I be saved
When death is all around
My teardrops sink me to the grave
This bed that I have made
No turning back, no turning back
No turning back

Hopeless, broken
Where is salvation
These burdens weigh me down
Burdens weigh me down

Show me the way to the gate strait and narrow
Some kind of peace from this burden of sorrow
Deep in my soul I've been found out a liar
_______________________________________________________

The Gate (Christian meets Evangelist in the City of Destruction)
© 2012 Written by Joel Herbert (Featuring Tessa Janae Harvey)

Show me the way to the Gate strait and narrow
Some kind of peace from this burden of sorrow
I need to flee, need to flee from the wrath to come
Sometimes a burden and sometimes a fire
Deep in my soul I've been found out a liar
I need to flee, need to flee from the wrath to come

Out in the distance and just past the river
Faint through the fog like a light from a mirror
I need to flee, need to flee from the wrath to come
There, through the street lights and on through the ghetto
Out through the cornfields and over the meadow
I need to flee, need to flee from the wrath to come

Open my eyes, open my eyes
To see through the lies
Open my eyes
_______________________________________________________

He began to run toward the Gate
Desperate only to flee the imminent destruction upon his city
And to be rid of the great burden upon his back
Which grew heavier by the day
Two of his friends saw him running and
Offended by his actions
Set out to overtake him and bring him back by any means necessary

_______________________________________________________

City of Destruction (The Ballad of Obstinate and Pliable)
© 2012 Written by Joel Herbert, Dani Rocca, and Derek Harvey (Featuring Corey Robinson)

Obstinate:
Pilgrim, pilgrim, won't you stay behind
Pilgrim, pilgrim, think of all you leave behind
In the City of Destruction all is well
There's no imminent disaster, no suffocating hell like you claim
It's all just wives' tales that you claim

Pilgrim, pilgrim, have some sense, my friend
Pilgrim, pilgrim, you're leaving everything, my friend
Here's to worshipping the same god by our respective names
So come on off your high horse and narrow-minded ways if you can
Oh, if you can

Christian:
Friends and neighbors, I'll not stay
You'll not convince me with your words and wisdom
I have seen a brighter day
So it's onward I go and upward I go
It's onward and upward I go

Pliable: 
Pilgrim, pilgrim, I'm convinced you're right
I'll come with you, give this thing a try
I'm moved with deep conviction for the passion in your eyes
Let's take this road together
As long as it feels right, count me in
You can count me in
_______________________________________________________

Pilgrim’s friend Pliable elected to join him on his quest for the Eternal City
But within the hour fell into a swamp and nearly died
Deeming the rest of the journey a fool's errand too dangerous to undertake
Pliable returned to the City of Destruction, leaving Pilgrim alone in the swamp
Pilgrim, however, was saved out of the treacherous bog by one of the servants of the King
And continued on his way toward the Gate

_______________________________________________________

The Medicine
© 2010 Written by Joel Herbert

You are the medicine to this broken soul
Your love is the antidote that I can't control
You are the only one who can make me free

You're taking over me, you won't be contained
This love is a fire, consuming everything
You are the only one who can make me free

Only You can restore us
Only You can restore us
Only You can lead us home

We need a Savior
We need a Hero to rescue us
To rescue us
_______________________________________________________

After entering the Narrow Gate of which he was told
He was sent on his way by the Gatekeeper toward the Place of Deliverance
Where he might finally be free of his ponderous burden
Pilgrim found himself on an ancient highway
Bordered on both sides by a wall
Far ahead he could see the road rising
And felt the straps binding his burden to his back begin to loosen

_______________________________________________________

Messiah (The Gospel According to John)
© 2014 Written by Joel Herbert (Featuring Corey Robinson)

Oh how beautiful You are
How beautiful Your love
How beautiful Your grace for us
Oh, how wonderful Your cross
That You would give Your Son
A ransom for us all

Oh great God
Messiah has come
You have saved us all

Jesus, the Word of God made flesh
He's come to dwell with us
Come to be the saving King
Oh, the mercy He's poured out
That we can now be called
Children of our God

The light shines in darkness
But darkness cannot overcome
Salvation is rising
Great grace for all who will believe
_______________________________________________________

Dead Man Walking (Galatians 2)
© 2014 Written by Joel Herbert

I am a dead man walking
I am a dead man walking
On this road
On this road

This life that I've been living
This life that I've been living
Is not my own
It's not my own

I remember when the burdens rolled away
I remember when the burdens rolled away
I had carried them for years, night and day
I remember when the burdens rolled away

Freedom he cried and freedom he wrote
Well, the chains that were strong cannot shackle my soul
You can take what I have
You can threaten my life
But I'll not be turning aside

Listen, my children and you shall hear
Of a brave midnight ride on a sweet midnight clear
Well, I told you this once
I'll not tell you again
That I'll not be turning aside

_______________________________________________________

Pilgrim left the Place of Deliverance
Free of his burden at last
Fed and clothed by angels
And sent, so he thought, on his speedy journey to the City of Light
But first he must climb a great mountain, the Hill of Difficulty
At the top was a great house, a palace, even
Built by the King for the refreshment of travelers on their Journey
The keepers of the house gave him food for the way
And weapons to defend himself against all enemies
From the mountaintop he could see the glow of the Heavenly City far away
Bidding his new friends farewell
He began his descent into the deepest of valleys
For what would be the most trying hour of his life

_______________________________________________________

The Place Beautiful
© 2015 Written by Joel Herbert, Corey Robinson, Dani Rocca, and Giorgio Fareira

This place is beautiful
This place is beautiful
I don't ever want to go
I don't ever want to go

This place is beautiful
This place is beautiful
A rest that I have never known
That I have never known

I don't want to leave this home behind
I don't want to say this bittersweet goodbye
But onward I must go
_______________________________________________________

Apollyon
© 2015 Written by Joel Herbert

I met the enemy of my soul tonight
Her beauty brilliant and her eyes were bright
She offered me asylum if I might
Reject the path of the King and return to her

Her name Apollyon and carried well
A thousand demons from the pit of hell
I might have turned aside and mortal fell
Reject the love of the King and return to her

When I refused and stated my case
Her house was burning down and destined to crumble
I sought a better way
The life built on faith
A kinder lord on earth and pleasures forever

Her eyes flashed with the darkest of anger
Her breath as foul as the stench of the grave
The great seductress turned the fiercest of monsters
"For treason, boy," she cried, "You shall not be saved"

I fought until the evening turned to midnight
And my blood stained the valley floor black
My strength was almost gone
But with one final swipe
The sword I held went through
Pierced her through
And drove her back
_______________________________________________________

You Carried Me (Psalm 27: The Valley of the Shadow of Death)
©2015 Written by Joel Herbert

My Lord and my God
How long till I see You
How long till I see Your face
I would have died
Had I not found You
In the land of the living

You carried me
You carried me in darkness
When I thought I was standing strong
You carried me
You carried me in shadow
And You'll carry me home
You'll carry me home
_______________________________________________________

In the morning Christian looked back over the Valley of the Shadow of Death
Through which he had come
Somehow he had fought and overcome a monster at dusk
Then walked in utter darkness and terror through a valley
Infested with demons, saturated with the cries of the dead and dying
And by some grace, somehow, emerged unscathed
Ahead of him he spied another Pilgrim, a fellow traveler named Faithful
Whom he knew from his own City of Destruction
They embraced and became fast friends as they went forward
Along the highway together

But the blissful fellowship was not to last
No sooner had they met than they came upon a great city directly in their path
Ruled by none other than Apollyon, and called Vanity Fair
A great centre of revelry and debauchery
Every man doing what was right in their own eyes
Quite naturally, the presence of the Pilgrims became the talk of the town
For it was impossible that they should pass through quietly
Dressed as they were in foreign clothes
And looking only to pass through and go on their Journey
Soon they were seized for refusing to join in the gaiety
Brought before the town magistrate
And condemned for treason against Lord Apollyon

_______________________________________________________

Pilgrim (Hopeful's song in Vanity Fair)
©2010 Written by Joel Herbert

Life rushes past you, dear
Wind sweeps your hair and then it's gone
Then it's gone
You're like a whippoorwill
So content to sing your song
While life rushes on
I'd be the first to say you don't belong
But I wish I could be more like you

We've got a system here
We've built a life in all we own
We've made us homes
Seems you're just passing through
Like you know something we don't know
But you're all alone
I'd be the last to admit I was wrong
But I wish I could be more like you

You don't belong here ////

Come join the circus, dear
Come join the endless song and dance
And this life of chance
You know we loathe you, dear
Your fire has pulled us from our trance
And caught us fast
Hope's calling through the night
You're not too far
I wish I could find my way home

_______________________________________________________

Martyrdom of Faithful (Into Your Hands)
©2014 Written by Joel Herbert

Into Your hands, into Your hands I commend my spirit
Into Your arms, into Your arms I run

No turning back ///

The world behind me, the cross before me ///
_______________________________________________________

By some miracle, Christian alone escaped with his life and departed that place in great haste
After some time, though, he was overtaken by another from Vanity Fair
One named Hopeful, who had watched Christian and Faithful in their trial
Moved by their faith, he set his heart on the Celestial City
And joined Christian on his Journey
Thus one died to make Testimony to the Truth
And another rises out of his ashes to be the Pilgrim’s companion
The City was just ahead now, and the trials would seem to be over
But it was not to be
The worst was still ahead

_______________________________________________________

Before I Sleep
Words by Robert Frost, Music by Joel Herbert

Whose woods these are I think I know
His house is in the village, though
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow

My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year

He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake

The woods are lovely, dark and deep
But I have promises to keep
And miles to go before I sleep
Miles to go before I sleep
_______________________________________________________

As the road became rocky, the Travelers jumped a fence to walk along a parallel path to the King’s Highway
But no sooner had they lost sight of the highway than a great and dark storm overtook them
As night fell, they found themselves completely lost and caught in a flash flood
The shelter they found to wait out the night was owned by none other than a fearsome giant named Despair
A merciless brute who caught them at morning's light and threw them into his dungeon
Torturing them daily until they had forgotten the passage of time and even their own names
Day after day he provoked them to despair and suicide
Until they had lost all hope of ever being rescued

_______________________________________________________

Despair/You Carried Me (Reprise)
©2015 Written by Joel Herbert

Christian:
Despair has overtaken my mind
I don't know which way to fight
The voices telling me to give up come from every side
I'm nothing if not alone
A heart without a home
A soul without a country
Or land to call my own

I used to be a pilgrim on the road of the King
Now I've been locked inside this dungeon for way too many springs
I used to be a warrior, I used to wield a sword
Now I'm just another casualty in the army of the Lord

I don't know if anyone will find me
If anyone could
If anyone is looking
Or if anyone even would
I've decided to follow Jesus
Some way to treat your children
I'm left to die alone

Hopeful: 
My Lord and my God
How long till I see You
How long till I see Your face
I would have died had I not found You
In the land of the living

You carried me
You carried me in darkness
When I thought I was standing alone
You carried me
You carried me in shadow
And you'll carry me home
You'll carry me home

I have decided to follow Jesus
No turning back
No turning back
_______________________________________________________

At long last, Pilgrim found in his scroll a key given to him long ago at the Place Beautiful, on the mountaintop
It was designed exactly for dungeons such as this, the Key of Promise
Sure enough, it opened the gate to their cell
And every other lock in the castle
The Pilgrims made haste back to the King’s Highway
Now just miles from the Celestial City

They at last came to the banks of the Great River, a dark and raging torrent
The Celestial City rising like a brilliant diamond just beyond the far shore
But because they had died so many times before
This last death seemed but a trifle
With their reward so close
As they emerged from the waters on the far banks of the shore
I saw the gates to the city open
And the Pilgrims disappeared into its brilliant light
And I saw them no more

_______________________________________________________

Finally Home
© 2010 Written by Joel Herbert

Oh bride of Christ, come alive, come alive
Come awaken yourself
Awaken yourself
Oh faithless heart, be revived, be revived
He is coming again
He's coming again

We wait for You to redeem us
To take us home

To that City where the ransomed will shine
Where the homeless are kings
Where we walk in the light of the Lamb
In that City there is peace from the storm
There the saints are redeemed
We'll be finally home

Oh church of God, will you rise, will you rise
Will you put off your sin
Put off your sin
Wash your robes, wash them white, hear the call
Your redemption is nigh
Redemption is nigh

In that City none is sick or diseased
Nothing evil can stay
Nothing ever can flee from Your love
For that City, Lord, we groan and we ache
How we long for the Day
When we're finally home
_______________________________________________________

Epilogue

"The things that began to happen after that were so great and beautiful that I cannot write them. And for us this the end of all the stories, and we can most truly say that they all lived happily ever after. But for them it was only the beginning of the real story. All their life in this world and all their adventures had only been the cover and the title page: now at last they were beginning Chapter One of the Great Story which no one on earth has read: which goes on for ever: in which every chapter is better than the one before."

-C.S. Lewis, The Last Battle

_______________________________________________________

Full Credits

Special Thanks To:
Mike and Connie Rocca, Jimmy and Ashley Cardoza, Al and Marilyn Paret, Chuck and Becky Way

Mixed and Engineered by Landon Robertson (Tracks 1, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, 13) and Daryl Youngblood (Tracks 2, 4, 10, and 14)
Mastered by Daryl Youngblood (Duotone Studios, Houston)
Produced by Corey Robinson and Daryl Youngblood (Tracks 2, 4, 10, and 14)
Lead Vocals: Dani Rocca, Joel Herbert, and Corey Robinson (Tracks 1, 3, 5)
BGVs: Dani Rocca, Joel Herbert, Corey Robinson, Mavicar Robinson (Track 5), Dacy Lee (Track 5), Giorgio Fareira (Track 5), Tessa Harvey (Tracks 2, 4, 10, & 14), Derek Harvey (Tracks 2, 4, 10, and 14)
Acoustic Guitars: Joel Herbert and Corey Robinson (Track 9)
Electric Guitars: Corey Robinson, Jimmy Cardoza (Tracks 2, 4, 10, and 14), and Joel Herbert
Bass Guitar: Joel Herbert
Drums: Derek Harvey (Tracks 2, 4, & 10), Dallas Harvey, (Tracks 3 & 8), Landon Robertson (Tracks 5, 6, & 12), Colton Gatlin (Track 14), and Kyle Carpenter (Track 12)
Percussion: Landon Robertson
Cello: Aimee Norris (Tracks 5, 9, & 11)
Strings on The Gate tracked by Daryl Youngblood