I'm sorry, but if you don't think that Daniel Johnston wrote this as a religious song, then you clearly do not understand Daniel Johnston and the way he writes songs. Even if you don't agree with his viewpoints on religion, this song is undeniably about how Johnston feels about the differences between the conditional love we as humans give and receive from one another, and the unconditional love God gives.
The line: "You'll find out just who was your friend" suggests that he feels that people are going to let you down, but Christ has always, and will always be there. The line: "...unless you step out into the light" is a pretty obvious reference to Jesus being called the "Light of the World" and how His light is always shining, we just have to accept it in order to find true love.
I'm not saying you have to be a Christian to enjoy this song. It can mean whatever you want it to mean for you. However, it is extremely hard for me to believe that Daniel Johnston, with all his religious references and his strong belief in Christianity, wrote this song about the love of another person, not the love of the God he believes in and writes so many of his other songs about.
I'm sorry, but if you don't think that Daniel Johnston wrote this as a religious song, then you clearly do not understand Daniel Johnston and the way he writes songs. Even if you don't agree with his viewpoints on religion, this song is undeniably about how Johnston feels about the differences between the conditional love we as humans give and receive from one another, and the unconditional love God gives. The line: "You'll find out just who was your friend" suggests that he feels that people are going to let you down, but Christ has always, and will always be there. The line: "...unless you step out into the light" is a pretty obvious reference to Jesus being called the "Light of the World" and how His light is always shining, we just have to accept it in order to find true love. I'm not saying you have to be a Christian to enjoy this song. It can mean whatever you want it to mean for you. However, it is extremely hard for me to believe that Daniel Johnston, with all his religious references and his strong belief in Christianity, wrote this song about the love of another person, not the love of the God he believes in and writes so many of his other songs about.