Skip to main content

"Feelings" by Marlee Smith: When Anxiety Meets the King of Kings


"Feelings" by Marlee Smith is proof that age has nothing to do with wisdom. Marlee (now 17 years old) wrote this song when she was 12, and captures something that most of us struggle to put into words… the overwhelming weight of unspoken emotions. Rediscovered years later, Marlee brought this song to life with a beautiful piano arrangement. Marlee shared: "I changed a bit of the chorus to have more of a purpose, learning from what I struggled with in the past."

Marlee Smith - FeelingsThe song opens honestly: "Fill my brain with the feelings, good and bad, don't know what it is." Does this sound familiar? Whether it's anxiety, the pressure of impossible standards, or the fear that your mistakes have permanently derailed God's plan — Marlee names them all. She doesn't dress up reality and allows it to be messy. 

As you listen, the message shifts. What started as "I can't let it out" gradually turns into an invitation as it reaches a turning point: "The demons cower at His name. He's the King of Kings and Lord of Lords." That turning point isn't a cliché, it's a declaration. The weight of the emotions is lifted; you're no longer drowning in these feelings because you're handing them over to God. 

Go ahead and give this song a listen. May it remind you that surrender isn't weakness. "Just let it out, and give it to God."

(Related scripture: Philippians 4:6; 1 Peter 5:7; Psalm 55:22)

Background:

I wrote most of "Feelings" when I was 12 years old. I was struggling with friends and growing up. I never did anything with the song until I found it this winter. I started playing the piano part and put the lyrics to it. I changed a bit of the chorus to have more of a purpose, learning from what I struggled with in the past. I came to realize that everything that you struggle with in life, with mental health, standards you can't meet, or worrying about the future, just give it to God. He is more powerful, Jesus name is more powerful than anything that you face in life. He will take care of it, just give it to God.

Release date: May 8, 2026

Connect with Marlee Smith


Would you like to hear more CCM music? Check out these playlists:
Tags:

Popular posts

"He Knew" by Krystal Dawn Land: The Cost Christ Chose Before the Cradle

Jesus knew everything, and He came anyway! Let’s go back to the birth of Jesus, a newborn lying in the manger, part of a larger plan and fully aware of where His path would end before He came to earth. Krystal Dawn Land’s song, “He Knew”, opens with a question that stops you cold, especially if you consider how you would respond: “What if He knew? What if He saw? What if He knew the pain He’d face to give it all?” This isn’t idle speculation. The song walks through the full arc of Jesus’ story, “from the cradle to the cross” , and insists that nothing that happened caught Him off guard. He saw the betrayal coming. He saw the doubt, the walking away, “some would not believe, some would walk away.” And still, as Krystal sings, “He did… He knew all along. He still came… to right every wrong.” That kind of foreknowledge changes how we read Isaiah 53:3–5, where the prophet describes the Messiah as “despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows.” Jesus wasn’t ambushed by suffering. He wal...
More >>

"Hallelujah Anyway" by Zach Garrett: Praise That Doesn't Wait for the Storm to Pass

What if worship doesn’t require having answers? Storm clouds hide the stars. The road stretches on with no map and no end in sight. That’s the world Zach Garrett describes in the opening lines of “Hallelujah Anyway,” and if you’ve walked through a season of loss or confusion, you already recognize the setting. Zach wrote this song from inside real darkness, in his case, a stretch of loss, hurt, and unanswered questions that didn’t resolve on his timeline. Zach’s message is that we don’t need to wait for clarity before we choose to worship. Like Zach, we may need to make that choice daily, sometimes hourly, possibly even through gritted teeth. The bridge describes a common misconception: “I used to think that faith meant having all the answers, that doubt was just a sign I wasn’t strong enough to stand.” How many of us carry that same lie? We assume that real faith looks certain, steady, unshaken. We get confused when it isn’t! Zach flips the definition of faith: “Maybe trusting You me...
More >>

"Lifeline" by Hudson Bezotte: Faith That Holds in Winter Seasons

Where do you turn when signs stop coming? Hudson Bezotte’s “Lifeline” opens with a confession, one you may also recognize. “I feel like I’ve been here a while.” He was met by Jesus as a child, and He “walked with me for miles.” But life happens, and it can be tough to keep the fire going “in the winter.” Have you been there, or is this where you’re at today? You still believe, but the wonder has cooled. Hudson wrote the song during a daily songwriting challenge, and the lyrics carry a lifetime of following Jesus: the disappointments, the desperation, and the hope that has outlasted them. He admits, “It’s not zero AD, I can’t just follow a star.” Nobody hands him a miracle on request. So he wrestles, and he demands “sign after sign.” God doesn’t scold him. He tears “through the nonsense” to remind Hudson (and each of us) that He is divine. That pattern runs through Scripture. Remember? Thomas wanted proof, and Jesus met him with nail-scarred hands. Then Jesus said something that ap...
More >>