TobyMac is a name familiar with many. Since his days in DC Talk, Kevin Michael McKeehan has done rap, hip-hop, CCM, and rock and roll. He is a songwriter, record producer, and book writer. He won many accolades from the Grammy’s, Dove, Billboard Music, and AMA’s. He is a father of 5, including his son Truett, now known as TruDog (or TRU). Truett appeared on several albums, including Welcome to Diverse City, Portable Sounds, Tonight, Eye on It, and This is Not a Test.

His latest single I Just Need U. released about two months ago and received much praise! Given the talents of this artist, I have high hopes for this song.

Lyrics can be found at https://genius.com/Tobymac-i-just-need-u-lyrics.

Note to new users: This is a different kind of review site! Read About the Berean Test and Evaluation Criteria prior to reading this review.

1. What message does the song communicate?

When good or bad things happen, “You” is his hope. The inclusion of the word “Lord” and obvious reference to Psalm 23:4 helps us identify “You” as God. Rather than focusing on his problems, TobyMac turns to God as the object of His focus and finds comfort in His arms. He recognizes that his will is not Godly and requires intervention to break his natural inclination to sin.

In terms of repetition, Chorus appears after each Verse, preceded by a Pre-Chorus. Bridge repeats itself twice; However, it doesn’t last long. Chorus changes slightly to keep it interesting.

Score: 10/10

2. How much of the lyrics line up with Scripture?

All lines are in agreement with God’s Holy Word.

[Verse 1]

Lines 1-5: Though TobyMac does not specify what “put the heavy” on him, he is distressed about feelings of loneliness and the up’s and down’s of life.

Line 6: TobyMac cannot rely solely upon himself to face each day. He requires assistance.

[Pre-Chorus 1]

Lines 1 and 2: Did anyone else think of Star Wars when reading this line? You know, the one in Episode IV, where Leah says, in a holographic message stuck inside R2D2, “Help me, Obi Wan Kenobi. You’re my only hope”? Just me? Oh, Ok. Now, where did I put my Bible? Ah yes, here it is. Top shelf.

Kidding aside, there’s a plethora of Scripture that speaks on the hope we have in God, including Jeremiah 29:11, Psalm 33:20, Psalm 39:7, Psalm 62:5, Isaiah 40:31, Isaiah 41:10, Matthew 11:28-30, Romans 5:1-8, Romans 8:24-39, Romans 15:13, 1 Corinthians 15:54-58, and 1 Peter 1:3-6.

[Chorus]

Lines 1-10: As Christ-followers, we have a personal, intimate relationship with the God who created us (Acts 17:27, Romans 8:15, John 15:1-11, Romans 11:16-24, 1 John 4:10). Our circumstances may not change, but we rely upon God, who is faithful even when we are faithless (2 Timothy 2:13).

[Post-Chorus]

Lines 1-3: Quotes from Psalm 23:4.

[Verse 2]

Lines 1 and 2: Ties in the aforementioned Psalm 23:4 with TobyMac’s distress. God is His comfort.

Line 3: Who is this “Soul Protector”? Given the context, I think we can safely assume this is God and safely apply Ruth 2:12, 2 Samuel 22:3-4, Psalm 3:3, Psalm 5:11, Psalm 18:30, Psalm 27:1, Psalm 32:7, Psalm 34:22, Psalm 41:2, Psalm 46:1, Psalm 57:1, Psalm 59:1, Psalm 61:3, Psalm 91:1-16, Psalm 118:8, Psalm 121:7-8, Psalm 138:7, Proverbs 18:10, Proverbs 30:5, Nahum 1:7, 2 Thessalonians 3:3, and 1 John 5:18.

Line 4: Refers to original sin. See Genesis 3:22, Genesis 8:21, Job 15:14-16, Psalm 14:2-3, Psalm 51:5, Proverbs 22:15, Jeremiah 17:9, Romans 3:10-18, Romans 5:12, Romans 6:23, and Ephesians 2:2-3.

[Bridge]

Line 1: As TobyMac walks closer to God, he becomes more alive like God. He decreases while God increases (John 3:30).

Lines 2-4: Repeats line 1.

[Pre-Chorus 2]

Lines 1-5: All lines are also in the Chorus.

[Outro]

Lines 1-6: Essentially the same message as the chorus.

Score: 10/10

3. How would an outsider interpret the song?

Unbelievers will easily understand that TobyMac needs God, even if they don’t know why or comprehend their need for a Savior. He is the crutch by which TobyMac depends.

Bridge might be more difficult to interpret without a basic understanding of a Christ-followers transformation from deadness in sin to alive in Jesus; However, it makes up a small portion of the song.

Score: 9/10

4. What does this song glorify?

It glorifies God by displaying TobyMac’s inability to get through life without Him.

Score: 10/10

Closing Comments

TobyMac’s I Just Need U. brings comfort to those who are hurting. He instructs us to trust God through all circumstances, bringing Him glory. Aside from the experiential transformation from death to life, unbelievers will have little issue interpreting this song.

This song is inspirational, but not appropriate for corporate worship.

Final Score: 9.5/10

Artist Info

Track: I Just Need U. (listen to the song) (buy the song)

Artist: TobyMac

Album: The Elements (buy the album)

Genre: Hip Hop/Rap, Rock

Release Year: 2018

Duration: 3:46

Agree? Disagree? Don’t be shy or have a cow! Calmly and politely state your case in a comment, below.

Updates:

04/22/2020 – Inspired by Jimmy Wilson’s words, I re-reviewed the song without a requirement to explain the Gospel. I also broke section 2 by line as I have done in other reviews. This drastically raised this song’s score, from 4/10 to 9.5/10. I also added the album title.

04/18/2019 – Fixed grammatical and tense errors in section 3 thanks to commenter Sean Boen.

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