Real with You

words by Joe Becker, music by Doug Howell (31 Jan 1978)

I want to be real with you
touch your heart
and tell you all my feelings true
let you know just who I am
and what I like to do
all I really want to do is to be
real with you

I need someone to tell my secrets to
someone to make me laugh
whe I am feeling blue
someone to make me feel the way
you always seem to do
all I ever really need is you

all my life, people have been hiding
deserting and disguising themselves
never getting off of the shelves
when will they come down?
stop fooling around
saying that they’re free
when they’re nowhere to be found

I wanna share me with you
feels so good
to finally let myself come through
no more fear, and I don’t have
to hide my love from you
please let me show myself I’m real
like you

1979 Notes

A friend of mine sent me two poems he had written. He said they had been inspired during a concert of mine he’d attended. People do that occasionally—send me poems, I mean—but for some reason, they just never seem to work as songs. Well, these particular poems were different. Something clicked, and everything fell into place.

I guess part of the reason has to be that I actually feel like I wrote the lyrics myself. They say what I want to say: Let’s not waste any more time than we already have. Let’s be real. Can anyone possibly imagine what in this world might happen if we’d only be real with each other?

2007 Notes

Basically what would happen is just what I mentioned at the end of the “Singer” notes: If we could only be real, we’d show ourselves for the earthen vessels we are, and the treasure would shine through, unencumbered and undimmed.

I really believe that. I think that these songs are used by God in direct proportion to the amount of pure, honest feeling that was poured into them. In fact, the ones that seem too honest, too particular—those always seem to be the ones that speak the loudest. I can’t tell you how many times I would make up my song list before a concert, and I’d put down one of those “too personal” songs. Then I’d think, “No, I can’t do that one. No one will understand it. It’s too personal. It’s too particular to my own situation.” But after the concert, it never failed. Someone would come up and tell me how that particular song spoke to him or her. Strange, isn’t it? The more we try to make things generic, something that’ll speak to everybody (and sell to everybody), the more that mark gets missed. Then one day you write something that you think could only ever mean something to you yourself, and it ends up speaking to everyone.

The more you’re real, the more your vessel can be broken and the more that light within can shine on those around you. Don’t hide the light by trying to keep the vessel all spiffed up on the outside. It’s what’s inside that counts. It’s what’s inside that will change the world.