Song Meanings: Give Me Something Real

Lyrics

I searched all around me to find something real

But lost myself in vodka and pills

Adrenaline rushes, knowledge, and skills

Empty as the sin inside me

But You give me something real

Something I can feel

I am astounded by You

Now I’m putting off the old

And putting on the new

I beg you: Make me like You

Became my own idol, serving myself

To the pain of everyone else

There is a way that seems right to man

It only takes you six feet under

Meaning

One of my biggest weaknesses is a deep-rooted need for acceptance. I used to spend a lot of time shaping an image for myself and trying to understand my true identity. The lyrics to "Give Me Something Real" describe just some of these misguided attempts and their destructive results.

At one point, I spent hours each day working out so people would be impressed by my appearance. But after a broken (nearly shattered) arm, countless sprained ankles, a broken hand, and two ACL repairs on the same knee, I lost the will (and ability) to define myself by my appearance.

I achieved a 4.0 GPA through college despite heavy drinking and much traveling to play in a rock band. I believed I was intellectually (and therefore holistically) superior to everyone I met and that I could somehow transcend life through knowledge. But what did being "smart" get me? A job that pays the bills. I'm incredibly grateful for it, but it certainly doesn't represent spiritual transcendence. 

I honed my musical skills so I could impress others. I believed my expression of emotion through music and poetry allowed me to transcend the issues I wrote about. It didn't. (If it had, I wouldn't still be writing about those issues.)

I sought intimate relationships, billing myself as an athletic, deep (read: “smarter than you”), charming, musical, transcendent young man but never allowing anyone access to my true insecurity, pride, and depravity. I hurt a lot of people, and it grieves me that I can never take back the pain I caused.

As you might've guessed, my attempts to define myself and transcend the mundane really didn't amount to much except heartache and grief.

Everyone is asking the question, "Why am I here?"  I looked in the wrong places for the answers and conceded to the inner animal. But when I finally turned my eyes away from myself, I found that the answer is not an activity, an enlightened understanding, or a mortal human. It is the God of the Bible.

In His arms lay my transcendence, redemption, and meaning. In His eyes, eternity awaits. But even now, when I understand the depths of salvation more than at any other time in my life, it is impossible to experience the depths of His love without also acknowledging my own brokenness. So, while “Give Me Something Real” stands as a marker of sins I can never forget, it also allows me to view myself in the proper light when I approach God. I will never be proud of my transgressions, but I will boast in God’s grace to forgive them.

Biblical References

Ephesians 4:19–24, 2 Corinthians 5:17, Philippians 3, Proverbs 14:12, Ecclesiastes