| Mat Kearney – In The Middle Lyrics | 14 years ago |
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It took me a long time to realize what this song likely means, but I think I know now. It's pretty simple - more simple than you might think: a summary of Mat Kearney's life and journey to music stardom. It's an expression of his commitment to never "falling in the middle" (i.e. accepting mediocrity) and always pursuing his passions to the highest possible degree. He's gone from 15 to 18 to 25 to "30-something" (showing maturity); he started with a simple dream as a teenager that eventually resulted in LPs/encores (albums and performances); he's "casting out pearls" (in other words, releasing his most treasured artistic visions and thoughts to the world); and doing it all without "parachutes" and "safety nets" (a fallback plan or plan B...basically he's just going for it). One line I could never figure out was "throw a kiss to the abyss and watch the ripples return"...but I'm pretty sure he's saying that performing for an audience or releasing an album is like releasing your energy/thoughts into a big open space with people you don't know and haven't met...but the "ripples" come back to him through the emotional reactions that people have when they listen to his songs. There have been multiple interpretations of a Christian element to this song, which could be entirely true, but it's not obvious to me. The beauty of a song like this is that you can interpret the lyrics anyway you want to. One reason I initially had a difficult time translating the meaning was that I applied it to some very dark times I went through in the last five years. When you look at it a little more objectively, it's easier to figure out. |
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