[Verse 1]
Verse 1:
I used to live my life in fear
Was worried all the time
From waking up to laying down
I had no peace of mind
The world became a darkened place
A struggle without end
And although bitter times those were
The days that I began to understand
I was only a man
Verse 2:
I grew up singing songs in church
With questions in my mind
Then turned my back and ran away
From God, who gave me life
And then one night, His presence fell
I wept and shook and then
I fell down and cried, "Dear Jesus
Rescue me again, I understand
I am only a man"
Chorus:
And He said
"What will it be now?
Will you choose Me or keep swimming upstream now?
I've been inside your head
Hearing you scream out
Well, here I am, just take My hand
I'll take out all of the pain
And all of the fear"
Mm, all of the fear
Outro:
I'll give You my burdens
I'll give you peace
And all of my desires
I'll give you what you need
Oh, what about these chains, Lord?
I'll set you free
They're so heavy
Well, lay them at My feet
I'll lay them at Your feet
Just promise You won't leave
I'll never leave
So where do I go from here, Lord?
Just follow Me, just follow Me
I'll follow You
Just follow Me
Wherever You lead, wherever You lead
Wherever You lead
Only A Man
Song Meaning
Wesley Nilsen traces a specific arc in "Only A Man" — church kid, runaway, and returning prodigal, all inside one song — rather than describing conversion as a single moment. "I grew up singing songs in church with questions in my mind, then turned my back and ran away from God, who gave me life" keeps each stage honest about its own motives.
The turning point arrives physically rather than intellectually — "His presence fell, I wept and shook and then I fell down and cried" — and the confession that follows is stripped of any self-justification: "Dear Jesus, rescue me again, I understand, I am only a man." The repeated title phrase treats smallness as the actual admission being made, not a rhetorical flourish.
The extended, conversational outro — "what about these chains, Lord? I'll set you free... just promise You won't leave, I'll never leave" — plays out the aftermath as dialogue rather than resolution, ending on an open, ongoing commitment rather than a finished testimony.