Category: Composing

A Place In Sin City
This song came to me after writing Cloud of Angels. I had asked Matt Welch to come over and help me with the drum parts of it. We were talking between takes, and I was explaining to him how I was telling him the story about how I hadn’t finished the lyrics to my first song “Why not pray?”, and I felt like God was telling me that I needed to write about things that I really had something to say about. Anyways, then I started telling him about this great church I had visited in Las Vegas (“Central Christian”), and all the cool stuff they’re doing there. It hit me then that here was something that I had “something to say about” 🙂

The references to “strippers” is right our of a book written by the pastor there. Many of the other lines are also from the pastor that I copied from their website. I’ve taken a bit of artistic license with the exact working to fit the song a bit better. I apologize if I’ve changed the meaning in any way. It is not intended. What an amazing place Central Christian Church is! Thank you. I aspire to bringing that sort of open acceptance to our church, The Rock UMC in Cedar Park TX.

[Title]A Place In Sin City

[Composer]Ron Lisle

[Key]D

[Tempo]80

[Intro]

[D] [E/D] [G/D] [D]

[Verse 1]
[D]There’s a [E/D]place in the [G/D]heart of sin [D]city
[D]Full of [E/D]people from [G/D]all walks of [D]life.
[D]There are [E/D]strippers, and [G/D]boozers, and [D]gamblers.
[D]And they’re [E/D]looking for a [G/D]change in their [D]lives.
And it’s [C/D]happening. [G/D] [D]
By God, it’s [C/D]happening. [G/D] [D]

[Verse 2]
First time I went to that place in sin city
I saw things I did not expect to see, and I thought
Hmm, something strange is going on here.
I’ll bet the unexpected happens here a lot.
Yes it’s happening. By God, it’s happening.

[Chorus 1]
[C6]Come as you [D]are, with your [C6]past, pain, and [G/B]struggles. You don’t
[C6]have to pre[D]tend to be [C6]something you’re [G/B]not.
[C6]The man up[D]stairs will meet you [C6]right where you’re [G/B]standing,
but [Bb]He won’t [C/A]leave you [G]there.

[Verse 3]
The people gathering at this place in sin city
they’ve seen many lives changed through grace.
So they call this town of theirs “Grace City”.
Hard to believe but grace happens here a lot.
And it’s happening. By God, it’s happening.

[Chorus/bridge]
Come as you are, with your past, pain, and struggles. You don’t
have to pretend to be something you’re not.
The man upstairs will meet you right where you’re standing.
It’s ok, to not be ok.

Come as you are, with your past, pain, and struggles. You don’t
have to pretend to be something you’re not.
He promises to meet you right where you standing,
and He won’t leave you there.

[Final Verse (repeat v1)]

There’s a place in the heart of Grace City
Full of people whose lives have changed.
Some were strippers, boozers, and gamblers.
Some have found big changes in their lives.
And it’s happening. By God, it’s happening.