King of Dreams

words & music by Doug Howell • © Word Music Inc.

OK
have it your way
it’s only fair to warn you
I don’t know how to live this way
but I’ll give it a try
cause I believe you’d rather die than hurt me
I gave you almost everything
and kept what really mattered to me
but now you’re

King of Dreams
now you’ve got it all
all I ask is that you show me how
to live without them
show me how to live with only you

somewhere
deep down inside
I’m saying yes to you
please let that yes be multiplied
cause that’s all I can give
and you know I couldn’t give you more
Jesus, come and hold me tight
I’m so tired of holding phantoms in the night
I crown you

King of Dreams
now you’ve got it all
all I ask is that you show me how
to live without them
show me how to live with only you
oh, Lord, I want to want
only you

am I really giving it now?
will I ever give it all?
say you’ll take it all
and tell me now you’re

King of Dreams
now you’ve got it all
all I ask is that you show me how
to live without them
show me how to live with only you
oh, Lord, I want to want
only you

Reviews

My favorite Doug Howell song…I was a senior in high school when I first heard Chris Christian’s version on his “Just Sit Back” album. It was “love at first listen”, as I always say! Had to share Doug’s great new recording of this song…I wish more people could hear it. —Greg W.

I had no idea you wrote that song, Doug Howell! Splendid tune…especially your version of it! —Jeff C.

With wets eyes and and full heart, I am so grateful for listening today in this moment. It spoke to me on many levels. Thank you, thank you! —Pam N.

Wonderful recording. I love the feel of the bridge. Now I want to go find Nashville!! —Kurt S.

One of my favorites! —Kay F.

Beautiful, Doug! I’ve loved this song since you first recorded it! And the cover photo is perfect. —Dina L.

Ah…so good, so real, so revealing in the best sense of the word. The song; the production; and as always, your voice.  It must be a soul satisfaction to get it the way you originally heard it. Tis time… —David B.

2021 Notes

In the 70s, Chris Christian just happened to hear my song, “Love That Comes Too Late”—my one and only 45—on a Las Vegas radio station as he was driving to a concert. He called me sometime after that, told me the story, said some really nice things about my music!, and recorded it on his album, With Your Love (1979).

I had the privilege of meeting Chris and his lovely wife Shannon Smith at their home in Beverly Hills on a subsequent California trip. You might imagine the excitement of a Michigan farm kid at the prospect of meeting someone who just happened to be one of the best known producers in Christian music—and who had just produced one of the best known Christian albums of all time, Home Where I Belong, by B. J. Thomas. (Not to mention the fact that I loved B. J.!)

It was a beautiful afternoon, and we had a great talk about music and songs and production as we relaxed by the pool and looked at the beautiful hills rolling off into the distance.

Iʻd prepared a few songs to play for him (of course!) and after a while, he invited me into his studio and listened as I played them.

I couldn’t believe it when he signed four songs right on the spot! Two were eventually recorded—“Nashville,” on the B. J. Thomas album, For the Best (1980), and “King of Dreams,” on his own album, Just Sit Back (1981, later included in other compilations).

When I got back from my trip, Chris called me about making some lyric and structure changes to both songs. I’m sure I wouldn’t win a prize for being one of the most cooperative writers he’s ever worked with! I remember reluctantly working on the changes he wanted—as long as I could reserve the right to record the songs myself as originally written. Luckily, he said that would be fine.

A couple years later he considered recording another song, but I was not willing to make the suggested changes that time. I’ll bet you’re thinking, “you were sure dumb to be so stubborn” and believe me, there are times I wonder about that, too.

Anyway, I’m sorry I was so hard to work with, Chris, and I did love working with you. It was one of the highlights of my musical life.

And though I was of course excited, and liked what he did with the songs, I’ve always hoped that I could record them someday as originally intended. I recorded and posted “Nashville” here in January 2020. And now, finally, here is the second song from that fateful day, “King of Dreams,” with all the original lyrics and phrases intact.

As far as the meaning of the song goes, it couldn’t be much more personal… You know, sometimes we look at others and think, “I’m not doing so bad, look at So-and-So.” Of course, we always look at the things we’re good at, and the other person isn’t. Or ways they always seem to screw up, and we don’t. And that’s where the slippery slope starts.

But as I Samuel 16:7 says, God doesn’t see the same way we do. We “look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”

And as C. S. Lewis puts it in his great book, Mere Christianity:

“Some of us who seem quite nice people may, in fact, have made so little use of a good heredity and good upbringing that we are really worse than those whom we regard as fiends. Can we be quite certain how we should have behaved if we had been saddled with the psychological outfit, and then with the bad upbringing, and then with the power, say, of Himmler? That is why Christians are told not to judge. We see only the results which a man’s choices make out of his raw material. But God does not judge him on the raw material at all, but on what he has done with it. Most of the man’s psychological makeup is probably due to his body: when his body dies all that will fall off him, and the real central man, the thing that chose, that made the best or worst out of this material, will stand naked. All sorts of nice things which we thought our own, but which were really due to a good digestion, will fall off some of us: all sorts of nasty things which were due to complexes or bad health will fall off others. We shall then, for the first time, see every one as he really was. There will be surprises.”

I guess you could say this song is the account of one of those “surprise” moments. It’s a crazy, humbling experience to suddenly realize you’ve given God everything—except what really matters to you…

“Show me how to live with only You. Oh, Lord, I want to want only You.”

And again I thank Dan Leonhardt for contributing his stellar guitar performances!