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DJ McGraw worked at the same church where I worked in the early 2000s, and she was a lovely singer with a taste for spicy irony.
Whenever someone would ask her to do something thankless, ridiculous, or otherwise not-going-to-happen, her standard, hilarious response was, “I asked Jesus, and He said no.”
She said it with a straight face then would turn to me and wink. She knew she was speaking into that “I’ll take the question into my prayer life” thing and shortcutting through the polite declinations straight to the heart of what it means to lead a Christ-centered life. It worked because it is part of the faith tradition that maintains that when we give our lives to Christ, we each have a direct connection through prayer. It was a deeply eloquent way of saying:
- I make decisions based on my relationship with Christ, and
- sorry, He said no
It’s not a complete picture unless you hear it in her intonation: certain, factual, smiling, only the slightest hint of irony. She knew she was being funny, but she stood on solid theological ground.
I originally wrote “I Asked Jesus & He Said No” for MapleDream, the all-female band I founded with my intrepid bandmates in 2011. The verses were personal – about things like saying no to cheating on my husband while on tour, or declining a random volunteer job you know you will end up hating. We had a lot of fun performing it. Then it went to sleep for several years.
It started keeping me awake in late 2015. It niggled in my brain for 10 years, asking for a rewrite, demanding to be the vehicle for more weighty work. I finally took it up again in 2025 and completed no fewer than 5 rewrites, each of which I thought was done until I took it into my studio to woodshed. Part of the problem was that a new verse seemed to write itself daily. It was not just the lyrics, however, that kept changing. The entire structure of the song would flip – a chorus shifted to the bridge, a verse demanded to be the chorus, a bridge would slip into a verse. It felt like wrestling the Hydra – chopping off a head only to have two sprout in its place. The song got more and more complex and way too long. I almost gave up.
Then I realized that I needed to stop fighting and making it more complicated than it needed to be. I also realized that, like a hymn, the only “chorus” needed was the refrain – “I asked Jesus and He said no” – with thanks to DJ. Once I figured that out, at least a dozen possible verses competed for the 5 slots available. I landed on 4 topical verses plus a final verse inviting listeners to write more verses of their own. The rest, including a last-minute bridge, finally fell in place.
I did warn Pat when I sent him the demo that I might be rewriting verses right up to recording time. As it happens, I ended up sticking with the verses I sent him, and I am happy with it, which Paul McCartney in the Man on the Run documentary mentions is the only thing that’s really important as a songwriter.
I think DJ would like it if she were still around. I miss her. I dedicate this song to her memory.
There is of course much more to say about the song, and I’ve said some of it in my Artist Statement. I’m curious to know what you think, so reach to me and let me know.
In the meantime, enjoy.
credits
released September 23, 2026
Written by Martha Groves Perry & Pat Thrall
Produced by Pat Thrall
Author/Composer: Martha Groves Perry, ASCAP
Composer: Patrick Thrall, ASCAP
Published by MapleDream Music, ASCAP and Enthralled Music, ASCAP
Lead & Backing Vocals: Martha Groves Perry
Pat Thrall created the arrangement, played all instruments, and engineered, mixed, and mastered the track
Vocals recorded at The Hideout Recording Studio, Las Vegas, Nevada in June 2026
All rights reserved
© 2026 Martha Groves Perry, ASCAP & Pat Thrall, ASCAP
℗ 2026 Martha Groves Perry, ASCAP