| Switchfoot – On Fire Lyrics | 16 years ago |
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This song is about experiencing God's presence. Switchfoot is a Christian band and most of their songs relate to God, though they rarely directly mention Him. They prefer to make you ponder about God with vague lyrics rather than directly state something that is easy to ignore. The reason the song is written mostly in the second person is because the writer is describing an experience in general terms. This is not just his experience. Many people have felt this way. The song opens by talking about the pressure to conform to the world's (society, friends, the experts or authorities... Pretty much anyone other than you and God) standards of who you should be. It continues by talking about the emptiness of living just for this world. (For other examples of songs that have this concept see "Life and Life and Why" or "Meant To Live"). That verse also speaks of a great inner desire for something more (God). The chorus is about the feeling you get when you are close to God. You feel on fire. Your passion for God and for life ignite. You feel like you have found that something more. And, you are filled with awe as you ponder that which cannot be fathomed (You burn at mysteries). The next verse is about the desire you have, once you have experienced God, to live for Him. He is asking God for the second chance that redemption brings. He is asking God to be with him and to guide him as he starts life anew. This is followed by the singer's realization of his own depravity. The only hope he has to live a better life is God. God is the only way, the only chance. After this, the song continues by talking about the choice that must be made. He is at a pivotal point (the edge). He must decide whether he will for himself and the world or he will live for God and be all that he has failed to be. In many ways, he is standing on the edge of himself. He is standing on the edge of who he has been and who the world tells him to be and he is standing on the edge of who he could become and who God created him to be. This is my favorite Switchfoot song. It is a true rarity that makes you think about what it means to experience God rather than just use buzzwords like "awesome" and "amazing". If you don't agree with this, that's fine. But Switchfoot is a Christian band that does songs about "the politics of the heart". And, there is nothing closer to the Christian's heart than the presence of God. |
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