One Foot

I'd like to add some real-word perspective on this. I went to a Fun. concert last night at a Christian college in West Michigan. This song was the band's encore. It was introduced after a brief little aside from the guitarist about how God loves everyone, no matter their race, no matter their sexual orientation, and how a dollar from every ticket from the show that night would be going to some organization bettering the LGTB community.

When the lyric "I thought you loved all your children?" happened, the band suspended, and Nate put heavy emphasis on this.

For this reason, I have a feeling the song is at least in part a questioning of the usual Christian perception where homosexuality is a sin.

Particularly: "I happen to stumble upon a chapel last night And I can’t help but back up when I think of what’s happens inside I got friends looked in boxes and no way to live But you call it a sin isn’t up to them After all, after all I thought we were all your children."

Friends locked in boxes could be a reference to being afraid to come out.

And the sin line speaks for itself, as does the call for being God's children.

The rest of that bit outlines heavy frustration at God, or, at least, the church, for how they treat homosexuals.

As a Christian, I understand the basis of this issue, and I also agree that God loves ALL his children. It was very refreshing to see the band address this at the concert with an audience who may have different views from them. Right on, Fun.

So, again, that's just my take on the song's meaning based on something that happened at a live show.

This album, as stated by fun., is about questioning yourself and, in the case of this song, society.

Yes, in the second verse, it does question and criticize religion. Let's take it line by line.

"I happen to stumble upon a chapel last night And I can’t help but back up when I think of what happens inside" This mentions a story of walking past (or going to) a chapel, and thinking about all of the discrimination going on inside of it. There are other clues in the song (that I will mention) that seem to push that this song is about the LGBT community, and Nate criticizes religion for their discrimination of them.

"I got friends locked in boxes That's no way to live" This is one of those hints toward the song being about the LGBT community. This could be a reference about being afraid to come out due to the discrimination gays face, or to the fact that they are denied so many rights in America that no human should live without, and it's "no way to live" to be denied them.

"What you're callin' a sin isn't up to them." This, to me, is the largest reference to homosexuality. For those of you who don't know, sexuality is not a choice. It comes from birth and the balance of hormones within you. You can't pray it away, you can't change it, it's who you are. There's no denying that. And, yet, in Christianity, homosexual thoughts or actions are thought of as sins, and, in Leviticus 20:13, it says to kill or cast out (depending on the version you have) homosexuals. Yet, it's not up to them to be gay, and Christians say they are going to Hell for loving who they love.

'After all, I thought we were all your children" This mentions the fact that it says that God says that everyone is his child, yet, at the same time, according to the bible he hates and discriminates gays (Leviticus 20:13, as I mentioned earlier, is the most abrupt reference to this, but there are other messages against gays throughout the bible). It comments on how contradictory this is.

"But I will die for my own sins — thanks a lot." This is a sarcastic "I don't need you" statement. It basically says "no thanks, Jesus, I don't need you to die for me." This is where it becomes absolutely clear that he is criticizing Christianity since Jesus "died for our sins".

"We’ll rise up ourselves — thanks for nothing at all." This, to me, is a reference to when Jesus was resurrected. I believe that it references that it's terrible living without rights in a world of discrimination, and that, without Jesus (there's another little sarcastic "I don't need you" thing in here) the LGBT community will stand up and take their rights, practically coming from a death-like state that's "no way to live" to a happy life.

The reprise, to me, confused me a bit, but then I realized what it was conveying. "Maybe I should learn to shut my mouth." This obviously states that he is now possibly feeling bad or regretting what he had previously said, and is thinking that he shouldn't say stuff like this. He thinks he doesn't have a place to criticize.

"I am over twenty-five and I can’t make a name for myself Some nights I break down and cry" This is a self-criticism of sorts; it's saying, that he's not good enough. It's a sad little section to me, because it's just like, "yeah, I'm insecure, too."

"I’m lucky that my father’s still alive He’s been fighting all his life." He's listing some of the struggles of his life, such as the one before this, and the fact that his father has health issues and has been fighting for a very long time.

"And if this is all I’ve ever known, then may his soul live on forever in my song" This, to me, is thinking that he's been experiencing hell in his life with his unhealthy father and the struggles with his career. Then, he says that he wants his father's soul to be endless, and that it's in this song, so add a little light in this terrible world.

The whole reprise is a self-criticism.

Now for the chorus. "I put one foot in front of the other one." Despite how terrible this world it, I'm going to keep continuing on, and no one is going to push me down. I'm never going to fall, and I'm going to carry on no matter what.

"I don’t need a new love or a new life — just a better place to die." This is another reference to homosexuality. It's saying that he can love who he wants, and he doesn't have to change his lifestyle or anything. It says that love is love and homosexuals shouldn't be forced to change. Then, it says that he needs "a better place to die." I believe this is reference to how terrible society is, and that he wants it to change before he dies.

As for the rest, I'm not sure. Hope this helped and sorry if I offended anyone.

"But I will die for my own sins thanks a lot We’ll raise up ourselves thanks for nothing at all"

The Bible says that Christ died for ALL our sins. This includes homosexual acts and thoughts. Everyone has their own sin battle. If yours is homosexuality related issues, fine...It's something you have to struggle with to avoid. Just as someone with addictions and other thoughts have to battle with. We all have our own struggle. No sin is worse than another. That's Biblical Truth. Men struggle with lusting after other women - nor more of a sin than a man lusting after another man.

I'm hoping this isn't a hateful lyric toward Christians, b/c I like their music, but it's impossible for a Christian to separate anit-Christian sentiment from pure entertainment b/c people look up to popular musicians and actually derive a lot of their belief system from their lyrics. I can't support someone who is preaching such things to the masses.

I won't listen to this song b/c of this, unless I hear what he means by this. Otherwise, I like the rest of the band's stuff.

"My reflection just blends in to rows of clothes."

i think nate's expressing his opinion about how corrupt society is. especially in the part where he talks about the chapel, he's saying how god says we're all his children but gay marriage is against the bible and illegal even though a person is born gay and can't change it (what you're calling a sin isn't up to them).

I certainly agree with asfreeaslove. Fun. is passionate about gay rights so I think in the chorus "I don't need a new love or a new life just a better place to die" refers to the need for society to change instead of attempting to change LGBT people. Also, that we need to leave the world in a more accepting state when we die.

My favorite song. Love Emily Moore on the saxophone in concert. Great show.

Central message: Suicide's not the way to die!

I agree that this song is an expression of a hypocritical society, however I also think that this song's central message is expressed in the very first verse.

The first verse is about the singer's thoughts when contemplating suicide. He's struggling to find his own identity, and feels like he's alone in such a busy place. He's got "bad ideas, but ideas nonetheless".

The chorus is about persevering in life even though he's not happy with his life or relationship status. He just doesn't want to die like this, so he'll just keep moving on with life and what comes next.

The second verse is where he describes how religion's got his friends "locked up" and constrained to rules of religion which prevent them from living to fuller potential. He doesn't need religion to tell him what's right and wrong (similar to how parents "raise" children).

The third verse dabbles in a bit of self-pity, and then he reminds himself of his father, who is an inspiration to him. His father fights every day to live. If the only thing he's ever known is his song, then he'll live to sing for his father.

This is his "turning point", which is what he needed to get himself off the train track (yes! the loud horn and chugging noises after that verse definitely symbolizes a train speeding past him).

TLDR: This whole song is about being on the verge of suicide. He can't accept suicide to be an end to his life even though life sucks and isn't going his way, so he looks to his father for inspiration to keep singing.

Yeah, this is my opinion, and others will not interpret the song the way I do. I was surprised to see that no one else had already posted something about death in this comments section. I personally feel like I'm able to relate to this song because I've been depressed to this extent as well. Although my brain said I was finished, my heart couldn't accept that kind of ending. So I put the pills away and deleted all the notes, and put one foot in front of the other :)

I hope I've shed some insight on this song!

I thought god loved all his children??

Yes he does. But just as a human father loves his child he never brought him up to do drugs, smoke, or get drunk so it dissapoints him when they do this. Although he still loves them.

And god didnt create man to love other men, he created the women eve for Adam. It wouldve dissapointed God sorely if Adam didnt love eve and instead begged God to make another man for him to populate the earth with......

I wont listen to this song. it irritates me,.... That being said. I love fun. 's music so much and am a big fan :)

I put one foot in front of the other one,

(Meaning: He Takes life one day at a time!)

I don’t need a new love, or a new life, just a better place to die.

(Meaning: He doesn't need the idea of Christ and heaven, just a better existence on earth to enjoy his time before he dies.)

I never took the "friends locked in boxes" to be a reference to LGbT but i love it! i always took it as dead friends