Simon’s Song, also known as Footsteps on the Sea, holds a special place in Graham’s journey as a songwriter. It was one of his very first ‘story songs’, written not so much for congregational worship, but from the heart of a singer-songwriter telling a story through music.

The inspiration came from Simon Peter, the disciple who was so wonderfully human; bold, flawed, forgiven, and called to lead. Graham was captivated by the scene on the shore of Galilee, when Jesus looked Peter in the eye and said, “Follow me.” From that moment, everything changed.

It was a story Graham himself identified with as a young man training to be a teacher, trying to walk out his own call to follow Jesus. The lyrics reflect the awe of that encounter:

“Eyes that bore the sea, a thousand ages old, fix their gaze on me, a thousand tales were told.“

The song became the title track of Graham’s very first album, originally released on vinyl. Looking back, it carries not only memories of where it all began, but also the seeds of what would later become a lifelong love of writing songs that tell the stories of faith.