Dirty Second Hands Lyrics

Lyric discussion by Oh! Emily 

Cover art for Dirty Second Hands lyrics by Switchfoot

Jon Foreman: "The machine. the clock. our own hands. The dirty second hand of time is always ticking – bringing us and all that we have worked so hard to achieve closer to the grave and the second hand store. In my fight with depression, lust, pride, and boredom I have found that the biggest challenger is often within me. The very machinery that I loathe and have fought so hard to defeat stares back at me from the mirror. This mechanism is always ticking. And in my spiritual life I have found that this is a part of me that has to die everyday if I am to be truly alive."

I've also heard him say, before playing it during a concert, that it was somewhat about "how we all end up at the thrift store" at one time or another. haha.

The dirty second hands on a clock.

But I agree with the other deeper interpretations as well.

"You bleed but the blood runs pink" We dilute ourselves and this person is not being the real person they can be.