One thing I love about RED's songs is their openness to multiple interpretations. To me, this song sounds like something take right out of Job or the Psalms when the author is crying out in frustration and agony to God. If you have ever had a tragedy happen to someone near to you, a terrible illness a critical injury, etc., you can relate to this feeling. Your heart is full or fear and pain for the one you love, but God seems distant and uncaring. This song cries out to him "How long can you stand the pain?" (you say you care about the world and that you notice even the sparrows falling; how long then can you stand this terrible pain?). "How long will you hide your face?" (this line is taken right out of scripture; Psalm 27 "Your face Lord, I will seek, do not hide your face from me..." and many other passages; it clearly describes what it feels like when God is distant). "How long will you be afraid? Are you afraid?" (why aren't you doing anything about this, God? Are you afraid to act? Is that it?). "How long will you play this game? Will you fight or will you walk away?" (you promised to be here with me God. Where is your presence now? Are you playing games with me? Are you going to do something about this? Or will you just walk away?). I think the whole idea of the city burning imagery is that it is something completely beyond our control. If a city is burning to the ground, how can we save it? It's in God's hands. It's pretty clear in the second verse when it says, "Is your world just a broken promise? Is your love just a drop of rain?" that it is God that he is talking to. At the end of the song, it seems like there is some sort of reconciliation between the speaker and God, as he realizes that yes, He was there all along. I think this is really the most beautiful song on the album with the depth of emotion and realistic spiritual suffering it displays. As a paraphrase of what Philip Yancey once wrote, "God would rather that we cry out to him in frustration, anger, and pain then ignore him when we are suffering."
One thing I love about RED's songs is their openness to multiple interpretations. To me, this song sounds like something take right out of Job or the Psalms when the author is crying out in frustration and agony to God. If you have ever had a tragedy happen to someone near to you, a terrible illness a critical injury, etc., you can relate to this feeling. Your heart is full or fear and pain for the one you love, but God seems distant and uncaring. This song cries out to him "How long can you stand the pain?" (you say you care about the world and that you notice even the sparrows falling; how long then can you stand this terrible pain?). "How long will you hide your face?" (this line is taken right out of scripture; Psalm 27 "Your face Lord, I will seek, do not hide your face from me..." and many other passages; it clearly describes what it feels like when God is distant). "How long will you be afraid? Are you afraid?" (why aren't you doing anything about this, God? Are you afraid to act? Is that it?). "How long will you play this game? Will you fight or will you walk away?" (you promised to be here with me God. Where is your presence now? Are you playing games with me? Are you going to do something about this? Or will you just walk away?). I think the whole idea of the city burning imagery is that it is something completely beyond our control. If a city is burning to the ground, how can we save it? It's in God's hands. It's pretty clear in the second verse when it says, "Is your world just a broken promise? Is your love just a drop of rain?" that it is God that he is talking to. At the end of the song, it seems like there is some sort of reconciliation between the speaker and God, as he realizes that yes, He was there all along. I think this is really the most beautiful song on the album with the depth of emotion and realistic spiritual suffering it displays. As a paraphrase of what Philip Yancey once wrote, "God would rather that we cry out to him in frustration, anger, and pain then ignore him when we are suffering."
Definitely agree with this. It sounds like something from Psalm or Job.
Definitely agree with this. It sounds like something from Psalm or Job.