Lyrically Speaking

The year was 1990. Gerald Crabb, fighting for his life against booze, found himself seated on an old couch in a muddy car wash. He had drifted far from the Lord and alcohol had all but taken over his existence. He even found it difficult to do his work properly at the car wash. Life held little meaning for Gerald and Satan began to convince him how badly he had failed and what a loser he had become.

As He very often does, Christ showed up suddenly and said to Gerald, "I love you." Gerald told me, "At that very moment I fell to my knees, and there on that muddy floor I said to Jesus, ‘Please forgive me.' From that day forward life began to take on a brighter glow. I began, with the Lord's help, to put my life back into order."

At that point in his life Gerald had written about 25 songs. As he began to progress in his resolve to live for Christ he took his pen and wrote a verse and a chorus of a song, later to be called "Please Forgive Me."

In 1994, while working in a newly established church in Philpot, Kentucky, Gerald formed a singing group that he named The Crabb Family. In a short span of only three years—thanks to their love for God and their joy in singing—they became one of the premier singing ensembles in all of Gospel music.

On a later occasion they attended a ski retreat sponsored by Singing News and while he was there, Gerald was able to finish the song. It quickly found its way onto a growing list of Crabb Family favorites presented in their concerts. It seemed fitting to give an invitation for people to trust Christ as Savior following the singing of this song.

During one 12-month period, they saw more than 2,000 people place their faith in Christ as Savior and Lord. It became The Crabb Family's first of several No. 1 songs.

Not long after recording "Please Forgive Me" the young Crabb Family performed the song at a Gaither Homecoming taping. The response was one of joy and great appreciation. In 2011, the Gaither Vocal Band produced a CD, Greatly Blessed, on which was Michael English was featured on "Please Forgive Me"

Mark Lowry of The Gaither Vocal Band, says, "It seemed to be a perfect fit for Michael when we were looking for songs."

Michael says of the song, "Bill Gaither and I were talking one day about songs and he said, ‘You know what would be a great song for you Michael? A Gerald Crabb tune called Please....,' and before he could finish his sentence I knew which one he was going to say. I have always loved the song, and I had always wanted to sing it, which is how I know that it was a ‘God thing' for me to be able to sing it on this CD."

As Jason Crabb had done on an earlier occasion, Michael English sang "Please Forgive Me" during one of the Homecoming Gatherings. While Jason stood on the stage nearby, and just before singing the song, English said, "It is going to be hard for me sing this in front of Jason, but I will say that there has never been a song like this that says it all for me. I am honored to be here and to do this."

English was reflecting back on the times when he had left his ministry of singing for the Lord and had gone to the pop music world with its drugs, alcohol and other issues. He confesses that he was in a rebellious state. He readily admits that while he sang pop there was nothing to sing about. "That person singing pop was not Michael English. He was just a singer singing pop music. There is nothing like singing a good old Gospel song." On one occasion at a concert, as English ended his testimony of the rededication of his life to the Lord, the audience stood and clapped for three minutes.

As The Gaither Vocal Band sings the song in their concerts there is no greater audience response to any of the songs presented than the response to "Please Forgive Me."

Please Forgive Me

Verse

My sleep is gone, my heart is full of sorrow;

I cant believe how much I've let you down.

I dread the pain that waits for me tomorrow,

When the sun reveals my broken dreams

Scattered on the ground

Chorus

Please forgive me,

I need your grace to make it through.

All I have is you, I'm at your mercy;

Lord, I'll serve you until my dying day.