Blindeside: Listening to Lyics

Blindside- When I Remember 

I have always been obsessed with lyrics.  I think what a song is saying is more important than the music or lyrics; not that I am not picky about those aspects too.  During my Junior year of high school when life was pretty tough I discovered a song by Blindside which quickly became my favorite song.  When I Remember remains my favorite song to this day and I continue to enjoy Blindside's lyrics. These are the lyrics to When I Remember.

That boy is gone
Sometimes i miss the way he wept at night
To be still and not run
To be rocked to sleep in Your light
These days there is not much that will bring tears to my eyes
But when i remember who i am and who You are
When i remember
A cloud moves in, rain falls, thunder strikes
And sunshine breaks through the clouds

I am walking blind
So distracted that i don't even feel when You hold me
When did i grow such thick skin
You are my sunshine and rain
My joy and sweet pain
I'm a spotless stain
That boy is gone
But nobody moves me like you do
When i remember

A cloud moves in, rain falls, thunder strikes
And sunshine breaks through the clouds
I can cry out of sorrow and joy
Every drop of rain turns into a crystal in the sun
So wash my eyes, my clothes, my skin, my bones, my soul
My feet, my love
I'm not forgotten
I'm in your thoughts cause i feel sunshine in the rain

To this day nobody moves
Nobody
Nobody moves me like You

Blindside's lyrics in this song are beautifully arranged.  This band has a true gift for poetry.  The first verse introduces the idea that as a grown man Christian Lindskog, the lead singer, no longer feels as though he can be held as he was when he was a child.  Lindskog misses being rocked to sleep in God's light.  The bands choice to capitalize all pronouns referring to God shows a great amount of respect for the God they are singing about.  Lindskog says not much can make him cry but then he remembers God and what he feels standing before a perfect, loving father God.

The chorus of the song describes what is felt when Lindskog remembers his relationship with God that he has let slip away.  It is this chorus that can bring tears to my eyes with the beautiful words Blindside has strung together to describe the way a person can feel when surrounded by our awesome father God.  "A cloud moves in, rain falls, thunder strikes, and sunshine breaks through the clouds."  God is that sunshine breaking through the storms that rage around us in this sin filled world.  "I can cry out of sorrow and joy."  This line describes the complete desperation we can sometimes feel and the exhaustion that a world weary person can feel in conjunction with the joy of God loving us despite it all.  "Every drop of rain turns into a crystal in the sun."  God takes the hard times in life and builds something beautiful from them.  I think this line is lovely.  The image that is conjured in your mind is peaceful and beautiful. 

The second verse describes how distracted Lindskog is.  He is blind to God's presence in his life.  He says, "When did I grow such a thick skin?"  He is no longer comforted as he was as a child because he has hardened himself.  He did not even realize he was ignoring God.  God is his "sunshine and rain" his "joy and sweet pain."  Here rain seems more of a cleansing, refreshing rain than the storm from earlier.  Sweet pain might refer to the pain a person can feel while they strive to change; it is good to try to change but hard to accomplish.  The next line might be my favorite in the whole song.  "I'm a spotless stain."  So often Christians talk about how God will make us spotless; He will wash us as white as snow.  I think this line is truer to how most of us actually feel.  We are so dirty that there is not one bit that is worthy.  Without Christ that is pretty much true as well.  We need that cleansing rain.  We are all spot and no white. Then he says, "nobody moves me like you do when I remember."  God covers him; He makes him clean.  Nothing is more moving than that.

The chorse plays again but with a bridge after it.  The bridge goes into a list of parts of himself that Lindskog wants God to wash- eyes, clothes, skin, bones, soul, feet, and love.  There is so much emotion in Lindskoq's voice as he sings this list that you can hear his desperation for God to make him clean.  This alludes to baptism and God washing someone and making them new.  Then Lindskog says, "I'm not forgotten, I'm in your thoughts cause I feel sunshine in the rain."  I think the fact that this great God remembers us and loves us no matter how flawed we are is the point here.  Through all the troubles we experience God is with us; He loves us no matter how dirty we are.  Through the storm we can feel the sunshine- God's perfect love.  No one else can love us like Him; what could ever be more moving?