I really do love the song. Its a love song really, and that's part of it. But I couldn't stop singing it and realized it was almost a worship song? almost??
In a really kind of..alternative way.
Anyways.
Another friend posted this article about the album the song is on.
A Tour Guide to Anberlin’s CITIES
Dismantle.Repair.
This is, without a doubt, the essential Anberlin song (a title only truly challenged by Readyfuels). I remember my excitement for this song building from the moment I first heard a clip of it on the absolutely incredible teaser trailer for Cities. The morning they posted the whole song online, I got up early before school and listened to it several times in a row on Purevolume, and it instantly became my favorite Anberlin song. I love the fake-outs – the build-up at the end of the first verse that skips the chorus and barrels right into the second verse makes the chorus infinitely more powerful when it finally hits, as does the fake ending after the bridge. I think the lyrics are some of the best that Stephen has ever written, and the introduction of the “patron saint of lost causes” theme brilliantly paves the way for what’s to come with (*Fin). I could gush about this song all day. Its inspiration is Stephen at perhaps his most vulnerable, making this song the best proof that the heart-on-sleeve, “guinea pig experiment” of exposing his inner demons through the lyrics of Cities was one of the most successful and rewarding risks Anberlin have ever taken.
Here is a link to the blog entry that eventually inspired Stephen to write this song, after someone in the comments said it was “great song writing material.” One of the most important single-sentence blog comments ever?
STEPHEN SAYS: “It’s a story about me and one person, but these are several actual characters combined, in real life. It’s about how absolutely crushing words can be. They have the power of life and death. They’re the small rudder of a ship, but they steer it wherever it goes.” [2]
“If you told your children, for the rest of their life, how horrible they are, they’re no good, they’ll never make it to college, they’ll never be anything, they’re worthless – you, literally, with your words, could change and devastate their lives. Or you can go home and tell them how proud you are, and how beautiful they are, and tell your wife how good she is. Do you understand how powerful that is? That’s what the song is about – words, and the words that are played into your life, and the words that you play into lives.” [2]
“I was blessed with a father who told me that he was proud of me, and that I could do whatever I wanted; that whatever I set my heart to, I needed to go do that.” [2]
Reading this song really got me thinking about openness. Willingness to share.
Because in all honesty-my favorite writers and singer-sthey are all about that.
You can hear their life story and read their books, listen to their music and it all correlates. It fits.
For a long time, Ive wanted to be all about honesty. And while I'm better at it than I was five years ago, I still struggle. A lot.
And the thing is-I write. I write here, I write in my journal, my sermon notes. I have pages and books full of songs and poems.
And I want to share them. I want to send these songs to record companies and say "this needs to be sung"
I wouldn't sing it-I know me and being a singer isn't me.
But just sharing the songs-that's still a big part of it.
It still scares me to share my songs and poems and let people know in my way whats going on.
Makes me wonder if I really am honest and open.
Makes me glad that sometimes I don't have to be.
Makes me glad there is so much music that already is.
