clipping time's wings

Year of Song, Week 5:  “Who’s Your God?”

Disclaimer:  This song is part of a songwriting project called Year of Song, in which I release one new song for free each week.  To get first dibs on the songs as they come out, sign up for my mailing list at andrewplan.com.  Thanks for listening!

This week’s song was inspired by a conversation I had with a good friend near the end of senior year.  We were discussing religion and the challenges posed by dating outside one’s religion.  At one point I was trying to justify that it was possible for a religious person to date an nonreligious person successfully — I had cited another good friend of mine, a Catholic who is happily in love with an atheist.  But in response, my friend responded that that person was putting her love for the atheist above her love for God; how could she love God fully when her partner can never understand that part of her?  To my friend, her love for him became her God.

I couldn’t shake that sentiment for the longest time.  A lot of self-destructive relationships I’ve seen (and been in) center around being extremely beholden to something, whether it be a person, idea, experience…when people hold on at all costs to that love, that feeling, whatever, it hurts not only that person but their loved ones as well.

Lyrics:

here we are again, losing fights all the time, and i am overcome, i am seeing you grow old, tide is turning red, and i am feeling what you said, every cry and plea holds you back from something more

his heavy memory, with a dose of novocaine, you say it’s what you wanted, but have you checked the score?
i visit every day, i’m afraid you’ll fall asleep, you search my face for answers, no i won’t make the leap

who’s your God? no, he could never be your reason why
who’s your God? who’s gonna save you from yourself

yes, this is the end of all that we can feel,
you ask is it over, but i don’t know what you mean
but i just sit and smile , no i can’t help myself

doctor says you’ll move again, it was lady luck this time, but don’t you test her hand, there’s no stopping this decline
it’s quiet on the 101, as i walk you to your door, another night yeah, we made it, how many more of them in store?

who’s your God? no, he could never be your reason why
who’s your God? who’s gonna save you from yourself

who’s gonna save you from yourself?
who knows…

-Andrew