Tyler Philip Ratcliffe · a Kingdom Chorus song story

I’ve GotJoy

Tears in my eyes.
Still looking up.

A story about joy that survives the hard room ↓

The heart of the song

Joy is not the absence of sorrow.

It is a living hope that can breathe in the same lungs as grief. It is the song sorrow cannot touch. It is what keeps climbing anyway.

The conversation that started it

One friend.
One honest call.
One song.

The song began with a friend Tyler had not heard from in a while—and a conversation about loneliness.

They talked at length about a season of feeling unseen, and about the other quiet struggles that surface in the verses: being down to the last prayer, standing in a crowded room yet feeling absent, asking questions too deep to speak.

When Tyler began writing about joy, he knew it could not become another way of saying “happiness.” Happiness rises and falls with the room. This song needed to tell the truth: sadness and heartbreak can remain present, while something deeper remains alive.

“Despite our circumstances, we can find joy in our Savior.
Illustrated stairway rising from a dark room into radiant warm light

This is not denial

Sorrow can
share the room.
It does not get
the final word.

Words to carry with you

The lyrics

Read them slowly. Let the song meet the part of you that is still learning to look up.

Opening

I’ve got joy in my lungs

Verse one

I’ve been low
Down to my last prayer
In a room full of people
But it’s like I wasn’t there
And I’ve been down
Down on my knees
Begging for the answer
To a question I can’t speak

Chorus

But I’ve got joy
In my lungs
Yeah, I’ve got praise
On my tongue
I’ve got a song
That sorrow can’t touch
And tears in my eyes
But I’m still lookin’ up

My Hope is alive
And I’m still lookin’ up
Verse two

I’ve seen life
Rise up from the ashes
Seen healing from a heartbreak
Never thought that I’d get past it
Yeah I’ve seen Him move
When addiction had me chained
Turned a broken hallelujah
Into something I could sing

Chorus

That I’ve got joy
In my lungs
And I’ve got praise
On my tongue
I’ve got a song
That sorrow can’t touch
And tears in my eyes
But I’m still lookin’ up

My Hope is alive
And I’m still lookin’ upMy Hope is alive
And I’m still lookin’ up
Bridge

O my soul
Lift up your face
Don't forget
His amazing grace

Through the highs
And lows that may come
I've got tears in my eyes
But I'm still lookin' up
My Hope is alive and I’ve still got

Final chorus

I’ve got joy
In my lungs
I’ve got praise
On my tongue
I’ve got a song
That sorrow can’t touch
And tears in my eyes
But I’m still lookin’ up

My hope is alive
And I’m still lookin’ up

The official music video

See the song
come alive.

Watch here without leaving the story. Every view supports Tyler and helps the song reach someone else who may need it.

Tyler Philip RatcliffeTYLER
PHILIP
RATCLIFFE

Keep walking with the artist

Songs with grit.
Faith with a pulse.

Tyler Philip Ratcliffe is a Christian singer-songwriter and worship leader whose folk-rock revival anthems carry honest struggle, bold testimony, and the conviction that hope is alive.

If this song met you here,
follow where the music goes next.

One more time

My hope is alive.
I’m still looking up.