The Story Behind My Song “To Become Human”
“I remember the moment I sat down at a keyboard and wrote it. I was intent on creating something with the beautiful ideas that learning about astrobiology had filled my mind with.”
While my song “To Become Human” was just released last year, I started writing it back in 2015. At the time, I was finishing up my last year of graduate school and just starting to think about what I wanted to do next. I had realized that a Post-doctoral research fellowship, while a natural and common next step for those in my field, was not the path for me. Instead, I found myself exploring alternative career options, particularly looking for interdisciplinary fellowships, and even applying to Divinity school to pursue my recently rekindled passion for faith and science.
It was during this time that I stumbled on an Astrobiology fellowship at the Center for Theological Inquiry (CTI). I can’t claim to have known much about astrobiology at the time, but it sparked my curiosity, and imparted a deep sense of awe and wonder that I couldn’t quite shake off. This is what in part inspired me to write “To Become Human.”
I remember the moment I sat down at a keyboard and wrote it. I was intent on creating something with the beautiful ideas that learning about astrobiology had filled my mind with. My hands played a couple of simple major chords, and the first few words of the song came to mind, “I’m a human being.” I remember thinking that this was a very obvious statement to start a song with, but as the words continued to come, the theme of the song began to emerge. It was a song about human identity—What does it mean to be human? A simple yet profound question, scientifically as it pertains to our species and theologically as it pertains to the Imago Dei. It became a faith and science worship song at its core. A song that explores the biology and theology of what it means to be human, from a cellular to a cosmic level.
Verse 1:
I’m a human being, do you know what I mean?
Part of a larger species, part of a larger world.
My body is made of stardust.
Life isn’t just you live then you die.
Chorus:
There was a Father who gave you life.
There was a Friend who always was there.
There was a God who came down to Earth,
And left his greatness behind, to become human.
I applied for the CTI Astrobiology fellowship, but was devastated when I didn’t get it. I had hoped the fellowship would make my post-graduate plans easier by making the decision for me. But something beautiful was born even if I didn’t get the fellowship.
A few months later, the CTI reached out to me and a few other emerging scholars who had applied for the fellowship and invited us to present our research proposals and contribute to dialogue on the societal implications of Astrobiology. I was elated. The timing of the workshop couldn’t have been more perfect as well. Almost a week or less after defending my thesis, I was on a plane to Princeton, NJ. It became one of my most cherished memories. I formed good friendships with the organizers Evolutionary Biologist/Astrobiologist Dr. Lucas Mix and Ethicist Dr. Frederick Simmons, and my cohort. I reflect more in detail about this experience in a blog post I wrote for the CTI here.
Me with Drs. Lucas Mix and Susan Schneider at the CTI Astrobiology workshop talking during a tea time break.
As part of my presentation, I decided to share my song during the workshop, which at the time was only the first verse and chorus above. I played it on a guitalele since it was small enough and convenient enough to travel with. I remember being encouraged by the response I received, with Lucas sharing that he was particularly moved by the phrase, “Left his greatness behind to become human.” While I don’t have a recording of this first performance, I do have an early recording of me singing the song on the Princeton Theological Seminary campus during free time I had from the workshop. After participating in the workshop, the song sat on a metaphorical shelf for a couple of years before I revisited it again.
Revisiting and Finishing the Song
In 2017 I became Managing Editor for God & Nature Magazine, and was overjoyed when I learned the first issue I would work on was on cosmology and theology. I eagerly invited many of the friends I met at the CTI Astrobiology workshop to contribute. I also decided that I would share my song “To Become Human” with God & Nature in my first letter from the Editor, with former Editor-in-Chief Emily Ruppel. It was at this point that I knew the song needed a bridge and likely another verse, but I settled for just a bridge at the time:
Bridge 1:
How did you walk on water?
How did you calm the seas?
You say the same power within you
Is living in me, living in me.
More years passed before I revisited the song. It wasn’t until 2022 that I completed the song. I had always wanted to record music, but life always felt too busy, the cost of recording too expensive and I always got too easily discouraged. But in 2022 I was determined to record a song. I had written and co-written many songs over the years so it was challenging to just pick one. With encouragement from my husband, friends and family, I settled on recording “To Become Human” as my first single. After this decision was made, I knew the song as it stood was not complete. It needed another verse and perhaps another bridge.
Intent on finishing the song, I mulled over the melody and lyrics until the right words came together. Of all places, the second verse was written in the shower! Trying different combinations of words to create a verse that would complement the first and continue to build the story, Verse 2 was born and another bridge.
Verse 2:
You’re a human being, do you know what that means?
You are kin to millions of species, you are made of trillions of cells.
The Earth is a gift God created,
All life is a miracle.
Bridge 2:
You came down to the Earth you created,
and you took on human form.
You laid down your life for all creation,
You thought that it was worth saving.
You stepped down from your thrown up in heaven
to serve and not be served.
I can’t remember exactly when the final bridge “You didn’t have to do it but you did,” was written, but it is a powerful reminder that the story of Christ becoming human was a very intentional decision and act of sacrifice and love.
Writing “To Become Human” was a longer journey than I would’ve liked it to be, but I’m so glad that it has finally been completed and shared with a broader audience. I was recently able to share my song at the American Scientific Affiliation’s Winter Symposium and lead worship this past Fall at the Lipscomb University McClure Faith and Science Center. I’ve been encouraged by the response of friends, family and those in the faith and science community. It’s been a blessing to be able to more widely share my music and heart for worship. I hope to continue to create and share more music soon!
