After 10 years as a founding member of the successful band Caedmon's Call, Derek Webb released his first solo album in 2003, She Must & Shall Go Free. The title was based on an emphatic statement about the liberation and ultimate security of the people of God— the Church— taken from the last line of a 175-year-old hymn written by William Gadsby.

As Derek approached this 10-year anniversary, he began to wonder what the album would have looked like if he were writing it today, exploring the relationships between the church, the culture and himself. "I wondered about the observations, encouragements, criticisms and confessions I would discover if I asked these same questions 10 years later." The result is a new album: I Was Wrong, I'm Sorry & I Love You.

Considering that I am a long-time fan of Derek's going back to his Caedmon's Call days, and "Faith My Eyes," "Somewhere North," "Thankful," "Wedding Dress," and "Lover" are among my favorite songs of all-time, the messages of this song and album are what I've been waiting for from Derek. Sonically, this album has everything I look for: musical hooks, great melodies and intelligent lyrics. If you like to get to know the artists you listen to and what they stand for, then this album delivers.

In addition to playing almost every instrument on I Was Wrong, I'm Sorry & I Love You, Webb joins a handful of elite artists who wrote, recorded and produced every song on his record. I had the chance to speak with Derek about the title track of this new album.

Please tell me about the background behind the song.

This came when I spent time thinking about my last album Ctrl, which was really ambitious and an abstract piece of work. I had kind of been moving more in that direction for a long time. I was enjoying saying things in an abstract way and leaving space for the listener to put their own furniture in there and not wanting to put too fine of a point on it. I was at the end of a really long, really hard, really ambitious season with that album and what had come before. I was planning on a tour celebrating the 10 year anniversary of my first solo album, where I was going to sing that entire album every night.

Some of those songs I hadn't played in many years. A lot changes in 10 years. Then again, a lot doesn't change. I'm so grateful for the fact that I can still sing and agree with every word of the 11 songs on my first album. But as I approached this 10 year anniversary, I began to wonder what the album would have looked like if I were writing it today. I was thinking about whether my tribe of folks who may have questioned their trust in me from various risks I've taken, I felt the need to stay very true to the call that I have, which is to look at the world and tell what I see.

I started thinking about my next 10 years. There are a lot of folks that have heard things that I've said that have made them uncomfortable or they aren't sure about, or not sure of me. Some of which I've actually said, other things that they've heard. That's how it works— you say something, and try to say it carefully, and then you hear that you're saying a lot of things that you've never actually said. It makes people distrust you.

I thought this would be a good moment for me to clarify and go back. It's not something I like to do. I don't like to repeat, or have the appearance of doing something I've done before. I like to do new things all of the time. That's how I'm wired creatively. But I wanted to re-state some things.

I grew up hearing that these were the three things you must learn to say in order to sustain any relationship, be it a friendship, a marriage or a church community. As I think back on my 20 years making music, I realize that it's really only ever been about one thing: the connection between you and me, us.

That's why the whole first verse of the song goes back over each album. Regardless of what you think I've been saying or your perception of me, I wanted it to be clear that this is what I've been trying to say. I've always wished to say these things in the posture of confession and humility, and I wanted to sum that up for people in a way that they could reconsider if I've lost them. It's a chance for us to see that we likely have more in common than what we disagree about. The song is confessional, and when I'm singing about the church, that's "when I feel God's pleasure" as stated by Eric Liddell in Chariots of Fire.

Which Bible verses connect to the message of the song?

Romans 2:4 (NIV): Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God's kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?

Ephesians 4:32 (NKJV): "And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you."

James 3:9-10 (NIV): "With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God's likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be."

What's the takeaway message for listeners from the song and album?

In a moment where I was trying to use my voice in a way I hadn't for a long time, I wanted to open with a statement of unity and clarity and an invitation to come back and join me and give me another chance. It is less about the albums, songs and products, and more to do with the moments where we find ourselves resonating around ideas, seasons of life, things that break our hearts, and where our hope lies.

I watch for and follow coordinates, get to work on the telling of what I see when looking at the world, then look around to see who's with me. What was initially nothing more than personal reminiscing and reflection quickly became the coordinates that led me to a new collection of songs— essentially a follow-up to my first album of 10 years ago.

I'm not trying to push buttons or make people upset. I'm just trying to be as honest as I can. Even if people don't agree, I hope they'll listen. I just want to get the dialogue started. Above all, this is an album about looking beyond our disagreements to the things we have in common, especially within the church.

Lyrics:
It's been 20 years since I rose & cleared my throat
It's been 10 years since I stood outside the church
It's been 9 years since the ground became the sky
It's been 8 years since I found an alibi

It's been 6 years since the dogs picked up the game
It's been 4 years since I learned to love the pain
It's been 1 year since I stole life from the grave
And over all these years, just three things I've tried to say

I was wrong, I'm sorry, and I love you
I was wrong, I'm sorry, and I love you
I was wrong, I'm sorry, and I love you
I love you

I welcome everyone but give ‘em nothing when they arrive
Or else build a house with no way to come inside
I've learned to hide my tears, Learned to hold them deep inside
And then sell my fears just to pick your pockets dry

I was wrong, I'm sorry, and I love you
I was wrong, I'm sorry, and I love you
I was wrong, I'm sorry, and I love you

I have misled you
I have misread you

I've cared too much and not enough in the same breath
You've been my hope, My stretch of rope in life and death

I was wrong, I'm sorry, and I love you
I was wrong, I'm sorry, and I love you
I was wrong, I'm sorry, and I love you
I love you
I love you
I love you

Derek Webb doesn't sugarcoat his awesome message, which is often that Jesus came to save us from being Pharisees. Lyrically, this album shows Derek's fresh affection for the church in a way that is both soundly scriptural and spiritually provocative. One of Derek's gifts is his ability to put the Gospel into words and a melody that we can identify with and sing with passion.

This song really reminds listeners of the power of words and the need to "tame our tongues" from James 3. The tongue is capable of use for both virtue and vice. The same mouth uses the tongue for these contradictory purposes.

The takeaway is that this is not something we can do on our own, and we're not going to always succeed in these areas and be encouraging all the time. This is a daily prayer asking God to come and change our hearts and change our lives in such a way that our behavior and the way we live flows from God living inside of us as believers.

Corporate Prayer of Confession: "Father, you tell us in your Word that whatever does not proceed from faith is sin. We confess that we have frequently relaxed our faith. We have allowed ourselves to become cynical, and our cynicism has boiled over with slander, criticism, prayerlessness, and pessimism. How easily we've allowed ourselves to crumple under the stresses of our lives. Forgive us for our smallness of faith.  In your mercy, hear us, for Jesus' sake." Amen.

(Watch the official lyric video here.)