| John Mayer – Something's Missing Lyrics | 15 years ago |
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I'm not alone I wish I was Cause then I'd know I was down because I couldn't find a friend around To love me like they do right now They do right now Here, I think John is surrounded by friends, ones who possibly truly do love and care for him. But he just can’t receive their love. He’s still down, even though there’s no reason to be. So he wishes that he were alone, because he’d have a good reason for being depressed. It shows that loneliness is not a matter of how many people are around you. I'm dizzy from the shopping mall I searched for joy but I bought it all It doesn't help the hunger pangs And a thirst I'd have to drown first to ever satiate I don’t think John literally means a Shopping Mall. I think he means ‘life’ or ‘career’ or in his case, all-the-opportunities-that-open-up-to-a-rockstar. Likewise, he used a clever little trick to make it seem like ‘Joy’ was an item that could be bought at a mall. He bought everything, but he still couldn’t find it. When you’re yearning for something like Joy, it feels like hunger pangs, and insatiable thirsts. Great imagery, taking ‘drown’, a word that conjures up images of having TOO much water, and ‘satiate’, which invoke a sense of bitterly dry droughts. Whatever he means, to get over this depression, and to get joy….it’s going to take extreme measures. Something's missing And I don't know how to fix it Something's missing And I don't know what it is, at all Simply, John knows that something’s wrong in his life. He’s dealing with both the identity and action aspects; being and doing. He doesn’t know what it is (being), nor does he know how to fix it (doing). “At all” expresses his utter lostness of it all. It’s not like he has an idea, or some steps toward the goal. He’s lost. He can’t get himself out. Period. When autumn comes It doesn't ask It just walk in where it left you last You never know when it starts Until there is fog inside the glass around Your summer heart Whoa. John’s weaving two images together, and I don’t know where he’s taking the song. All I can think of is a seasonal “autumn” and a emotional “depression”. What’s another word for ‘autumn’? Fall. Reworded = When you fall, it just happens. You don’t know when it starts, until your all caught up in it, and you’re stuck frozen. Something's missing And I don't know how to fix it Something's missing And I don't know what it is, at all I can't be sure that this state of mind Is not of my own design I wish there was over-the-counter test For loneliness like this Aah, now John reveals to us what being ‘down’ means to him = Loneliness. It’s trippy, because when you think about it, am I lonely because I’m truly alone, or is it because I trick myself into it? You know, how you can be totally surrounded by people, yet still be lonely? Or the other way around, you could be totally alone, yet still be satisfied? It’s like a mind game. Friends (check) Money (check) Well slept (check) Opposite sex (check) Guitar (check) Microphone (check) Message waiting on me when I come home (check) Some of the things that a rock star needs. It’s still not enough to make him feel better on the inside. How come everything I think I need Always comes with batteries? What do you think it means? Obviously, green dollar bills don’t need batteries. A lot of worldly, material things don’t need batteries. What I think John is talking about is the temporality of the things of this world. We think we need money, fame, success, a nice home, a cool car, a great education, etc. But all these things fade away. They run out. They lose value. They lose meaning. ______ So what does this all point to? I think it’s humanity’s existential dilemma. We’re looking for some kind of fulfillment, which cannot be found in this world. God is the only way we can find Joy. A relationship with God is the only thing that won’t lose value, and that will last. And with God, no matter if you’re alone…you’ll never be lonely. |
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| Switchfoot – The Blues Lyrics | 15 years ago |
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I think Switchfoot does an amazing job intentionally weaving in meaning into their rockin'-out songs. Take "Blues" for instance. It's about the end of the world, as we know it. John Foreman wrote it at a New Year’s Party. The song is titled ‘blues’, and it sounds like a depressing song. Slow and melancholy. I think it’s a pretty accurate reflection of life. Any words that says, "Line #:..." is commentary. Mind you, this is coming from a strong Christian perspective. 1 Is this the New Year, or just another night? 2 Is this the new fear, or just another fright? 3 Is this the new tear, or just another desperation? Line 1: What’s makes a night (or day) special? Is it when you’re partying? Line 2: Scary movies, terrorism, economic downfall, break-ups, etc. Line 3: Depression, anxiety, desperate situations leading to desperate people. 4 Is this the finger, or just another fist? 5 Is the kingdom, or just a hit and miss? 6 I've missed direction, most in all this desperation Line 4: When people point their fingers in accusation, or shake their fist in anger. Line 5: For all those people who live in this earthly world thinking that it’s the final destination. It’s not. Line 6: When you act out desperately, you are prone to bad decisions, taking you down the wrong path. 7 Is this what they call freedom? 8 Is this what you call pain? 9 Is this what they call discontented fame? Line 7: Living a life with no rules; anarchy; legalism; promiscuity; socialism; etc The world’s philosophies have their notions of freedom. I wonder if they leave us in even more bondage. Line 8: For all of us who live in middle-class suburbia, fake friendships, thinking that the world has ended if they can’t buy that 60” HDTV. The truth is, we don’t know what true pain is if we don’t live sacrificial lives. Line 9: Maybe this is the point at which we realize that all we’ve put our hope in, is unfulfilling. 10 It'll be a day like this one, 11 When the world caves in 12 When the world caves in 13 When the world caves in Line 10: This day, is Judgment Day; the day when Jesus will come back; when the world will be remade. God doesn’t discard the world like trash. He remakes it. Heaven descends to earth. We will be given new bodies, because God respects and dignifies every part of our being. Line 11: It will be a disaster...but a disaster of the best kind. 14 I'm singing this one, like a broken piece of glass, 15 For broken arms and broken noses in the back 16 Is this the new year, or just another desperation? Line 15: I don’t really know what he’s referring to, but I can guess that whatever it is, it’s not whole, complete, or healthy. There’s something lacking, injured. It’s raises doubts. 17 You push until you're shoving, 18 You bend until you break, 19 Do you stand on the broken fields where your fathers lay? Line 17: The university curve, the corporate world, all those people who strive for success. Line 18: It’s talking to all those who cut corners, let things slide, sweep it under the rug; in essence, you lose your integrity, bending the rules, until they’re broken. Bending over backwards under social peer-pressure. Line 19: For all those who stand on the graves of their ancestors, possibly in depression or fear. Either they miss their parents, or they want to honor them too much. It'll be a day like this one, When the world caves in When the world caves in When the world caves in When the world caves in, (ah,) When the world caves in, When the world caves in 20 There's nothing here worth saving, 21 There's no one here at all, 22 Is there any net left, that could break our fall? Line 20: Riches, furniture, nice cars, a nice job; if you truly look at it, the only thing worth saving is your soul, and the souls of others. Line 22: Like a circus act, we’re walking on a tight rope. We trust in certain safety-nets to catch us if we fall. 23 It'll be a day like this one, 24 When the sky falls down, 25 And the hungry and poor and deserted are found Line 23: A Christian’s safety-net is our eschatological hope, the Parousia. Line 24: When Heaven comes to earth. Line 25: When all of God’s people are revealed. All three of these could apply to physical and spiritual realms. 26 Are you discontented? 27 Have you been pushing hard? 28 Have you been throwing down, this broken house of cards? Line 26: There should always be a godly discontentment. We don’t belong in this world. All those men and women who did the most service in this world were people who hoped most fervently for the next. Line 27: Are you studying and working until exhaustion, pressured by the system, and you don’t know why? Line 28: Have you been building up a dream that you found was so fragile and shaky? 29 It'll be a day like this one, 30 When the world caves in, 31 When the world caves in, Line 29: The Parousia, the Second Coming, will be like the New Year’s Party that Switchfoot was at. It’s not going to be solely a catastrophe; it’s going to be a celebration! Isn’t that a revolutionary thought? 32 Is there nothing left now? 33 Nothing left to sing? 34 Are there any left now, who haven't kissed The Enemy? Line 34: No sure clue what he’s talking about here. 35 Is this the new year, or just another desperation? Ah... 36 Does justice ever find you? 37 Do the wicked ever lose? 38 Is there any other song, to sing beside these Blues? Line 36: Yes. Line 37: Yes. Line 38: See, you thought this song was a depressing blues song. It sounds like one. The lyrics are introspective and deceptively melancholy. 39 And nothing is okay, 40 Till' the world caves in, Till' the world caves in, Till' the world caves in, Till' the world caves in, Till' the world caves in, Until the world caves in, Until the world caves in, Until the world caves in, Until the world caves in, Until the world caves in, Until the world caves in... Line 40: The song is deceptive because it’s NOT depressing. It’s actually very hopeful. Injustice will meet its end. The righteous will be victorious over the wicked. The end will be glorious, and our Lord will be our Glory. “Blues” is a masterpiece. Most of the song is asking questions; except when they’re talking about the Hope...when the world caves in. The song’s lyrics and even its monotonous rhythm imitate everyday-life. All of its questions, doubts, and frustrations; day-in, day-out. But in the midst of all that, Switchfoot offers us another safety-net, another destination, another freedom. |
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