One Thing –Finger Eleven
Here’s a song from 2003, normally when I get ready to write one of these posts I look into what other people have interpreted from the song to get a well rounded idea. This song means a lot of different things to many different people. For some it touched them because of a heart break, a dream never realized, a loved one’s illness and death, suicide etc. I think it’s beautiful how the art of music can touch all sorts of people in different ways like this. One song isn’t heard exactly the same by everyone. Even for an individual the meaning may change depending on where they are at the point they are listening to it. For example with me when I first heard this song in 8th grade what I had on my mind was a boy I liked but we couldn’t be together. In college listening to it again it meant a lot to me as I was sorting through a complicated relationship. As I moved on from that though I began to hear it differently…
One Thing –Finger Eleven
Restless tonight, Cause I wasted the light
Between both these times, I drew a really thin line
It’s nothing I planned, And not that I can
But you should be mine, Across that line
This first verse, it’s the realization of a struggle, that you are walking on the fence between sort of an empty life not necessarily sinful, but it could be, it’s not the life God is calling you to lead, and on the other side is the full life Christ is calling you to live with Him. You’re attached though to the “lesser” good on one side. “Our hearts are restless until they rest in you” St. Augustine. We’re restless because we aren’t satisfied with this other life Christ didn’t call us to, and it’s not a life we had planned to lead but one thing lead to another, one little not so good habit, one wrong choice, mistake it snow balls until we’re in this empty life not where we’re supposed to be. We’re restless because all the while Christ is calling and shouting trying to break through to us to turn and see Him and come back. The thin line it's like we're close, trying to have the best of both worlds but we see that it can't work out neatly that way. Somethings got to give. From where we are, we see Christ standing on the other side and we know that’s where we should be, but we’re not there yet.
[Chorus:]
If I traded it all,
If I gave it all away for one thing, Just for one thing
If I sorted it out, If I knew all about this one thing
Wouldn’t that be something
The chorus is sort of discernment. It’s the contemplation of what would happen if you gave up everything, all the things you are attached to, good and bad all for one thing, for Christ. That would be something! That’s ultimately what we’re all called to, to give it all, to detach from our worldly desires, give up all of this for Christ.
I promise I might, Not walk on by
Maybe next time, But not this time
This part of the song is a prayer and an honest prayer. It’s the person telling Christ okay I’m ready. I’m ready to try, to leave it behind to run to You, to fall into You, to get off the fence on Christ’s side. It’s a promise to look at Christ rather than fail to see Him there in one’s life. It is honest though. The person knows they aren’t perfect and admits that it will be hard, and this probably will not be the last time they fall into sin, fall away from Christ. This time though, in this moment they are heading in the direction of Christ.
Even though I know, I don’t want to know
Yeah I guess I know, I just hate how it sounds
The last part of this song repeats a few times a long with the chorus. It sounds to me like a realization of truth. For this person it’s seeing the truth that this life they have lead or maybe just what has happened in the past few months or few years isn’t what Christ called them to, it isn’t what or where they should be. Many of us have a real struggle with this reality. We know what we’re doing isn’t making us completely happy, we know we could be better, we know there is a greater good than what we have, but we’re so attached to what we have that we don’t want to let it go, we sometimes turn away and choose not to see the truth. We don’t like and are not comfortable with giving up what we’re used to, what we’re comfortable with. We know that God has much more in store for us and only desires our greatest good, He is the only one who truly loves us, but making room for God comes with some sacrifice on our part so that He can fill us. We have to let go and that’s not easy.
[Chorus x2]
Even though I know, I don’t want to know
Yeah I guess I know, I just hate how it sounds
Even though I know, I don’t want to know
Yeah I guess I know, I just hate how it sounds
[Chorus x3]
So don’t sit on the fence, don’t waste any more time being restless. Give it all away, give it all up for one thing, for Christ!
Music Video: One Thing- Finger Eleven
