Like any piece of great art, I think this song means different things to different people, and that's a great thing.
I listen and hear the voice of longing, of emptiness, of fear. Bridges have been constructed to overcome obstacles, to join two areas together that (mostly by some natural occurrence) have been separated. Despite the gulf between these two points, he built bridges to get across, to form a joining, but that effort was futile. He felt in someway rejected each time he made it to the point he was aiming for.
He realized the futility, used a bridge to escape, yet still he is haunted because now he has lost heart. This is not his first time to runaway in frustration. It is how he has learned to cope with disappointment and/or rejection.
This time there is nothing he can imagine doing or being at this point. He's too exhausted at this point to continue and too demoralized to go back. He is asking these bridges be burn by someone who has the strength to do so, because he can't do it himself.
To me this could a relationship with someone or with God.
He wants to be set on fire, (symbolically not literally) to be renewed. Just as a great forest is renewed after a wild fire. The old and diseased are destroyed and the new and vibrant emerge.
I lean toward this as a spiritual renewal. I have read of many instances of people on fire for God. People having burning desires which propel them to things they could never have imagined (which is mentioned in the lyrics).
Basically he is pleading for a renewal; a new beginning because the past has robbed him of a future.
There are several Biblical accounts of prophets spending time in the desert or wilderness before they accomplished great things.
Whatever this song means to you, it does cause you to think. Here we have said what it means to each of us. All of it is beautiful.
@Nightwind I agree that this is one of those great songs that can mean so many things to so many different people. For me, the entire thing is spiritual. It's asking God to burn the bridges (connections) of worldly things standing between him and his relationship with God. He wants to be set on fire, spiritually, for God. He wants God to own the roads he may take, in other words, Your will, not mine. He's looking for something better (worldly) but realizes that there is nothing better than God. Nothing can fill God's place (space) and make him happy....
@Nightwind I agree that this is one of those great songs that can mean so many things to so many different people. For me, the entire thing is spiritual. It's asking God to burn the bridges (connections) of worldly things standing between him and his relationship with God. He wants to be set on fire, spiritually, for God. He wants God to own the roads he may take, in other words, Your will, not mine. He's looking for something better (worldly) but realizes that there is nothing better than God. Nothing can fill God's place (space) and make him happy.
Of course, this is all my interpretation and I could be completely off base, but that is what this song means to ME. Ryan is a self-affirmed Christian and was raised in a church atmosphere, being raised by family with strong ties to the church. He mentions praying, God, Savior, God that created ya in many songs and has a whole song about a preacher grandfather. Many of his songs have spiritual connotations. It's just not the focus of their music.
Like any piece of great art, I think this song means different things to different people, and that's a great thing.
I listen and hear the voice of longing, of emptiness, of fear. Bridges have been constructed to overcome obstacles, to join two areas together that (mostly by some natural occurrence) have been separated. Despite the gulf between these two points, he built bridges to get across, to form a joining, but that effort was futile. He felt in someway rejected each time he made it to the point he was aiming for. He realized the futility, used a bridge to escape, yet still he is haunted because now he has lost heart. This is not his first time to runaway in frustration. It is how he has learned to cope with disappointment and/or rejection. This time there is nothing he can imagine doing or being at this point. He's too exhausted at this point to continue and too demoralized to go back. He is asking these bridges be burn by someone who has the strength to do so, because he can't do it himself. To me this could a relationship with someone or with God. He wants to be set on fire, (symbolically not literally) to be renewed. Just as a great forest is renewed after a wild fire. The old and diseased are destroyed and the new and vibrant emerge. I lean toward this as a spiritual renewal. I have read of many instances of people on fire for God. People having burning desires which propel them to things they could never have imagined (which is mentioned in the lyrics). Basically he is pleading for a renewal; a new beginning because the past has robbed him of a future. There are several Biblical accounts of prophets spending time in the desert or wilderness before they accomplished great things.
Whatever this song means to you, it does cause you to think. Here we have said what it means to each of us. All of it is beautiful.
-interpretation from 55 years of life :)
@Nightwind I agree that this is one of those great songs that can mean so many things to so many different people. For me, the entire thing is spiritual. It's asking God to burn the bridges (connections) of worldly things standing between him and his relationship with God. He wants to be set on fire, spiritually, for God. He wants God to own the roads he may take, in other words, Your will, not mine. He's looking for something better (worldly) but realizes that there is nothing better than God. Nothing can fill God's place (space) and make him happy....
@Nightwind I agree that this is one of those great songs that can mean so many things to so many different people. For me, the entire thing is spiritual. It's asking God to burn the bridges (connections) of worldly things standing between him and his relationship with God. He wants to be set on fire, spiritually, for God. He wants God to own the roads he may take, in other words, Your will, not mine. He's looking for something better (worldly) but realizes that there is nothing better than God. Nothing can fill God's place (space) and make him happy.
Of course, this is all my interpretation and I could be completely off base, but that is what this song means to ME. Ryan is a self-affirmed Christian and was raised in a church atmosphere, being raised by family with strong ties to the church. He mentions praying, God, Savior, God that created ya in many songs and has a whole song about a preacher grandfather. Many of his songs have spiritual connotations. It's just not the focus of their music.