Wake Me Up

"Wake Me Up"

Feeling my way through the darkness
Guided by a beating heart
I can't tell where the journey will end
But I know where to start

They tell me I'm too young to understand
They say I'm caught up in a dream
Well life will pass me by if I don't open up my eyes
Well that's fine by me

[2x]
So wake me up when it's all over
When I'm wiser and I'm older
All this time I was finding myself
And I didn't know I was lost

I tried carrying the weight of the world
But I only have two hands
Hope I get the chance to travel the world
But I don't have any plans

Wish that I could stay forever this young
Not afraid to close my eyes
Life's a game made for everyone
And love is the prize

[2x]
So wake me up when it's all over
When I'm wiser and I'm older
All this time I was finding myself
And I didn't know I was lost

Didn't know I was lost
I didn't know I was lost
I didn't know I was lost
I didn't know

Interpretation

After several times listening to this song, I couldn't help but feel like this was a modern version of a story I had heard before. I kept thinking about it, and then I watched the video and it all fell into place: I see "Wake Me Up" as a retelling of the old, old account often known as "The Prodigal Son."  

The main character of "Wake Me Up" seems to give up on the feedback of others, somewhat poking fun at them (as I hear it) by saying, "All this time I was finding myself / And I didn't know I was lost." Whereas others want this person to take responsibility and have a plan, he/she is more caught up in dreaming than actually making a plan.

There are definitely two angles that I can see in approaching this story:

First of all, the video reveals elements that doesn't come through as strongly in lyrics - that is the cruel stares and lack of acceptance that the main character experiences from the town people. That terrifies me a little, because I fear it could be an all-to-real representation of many places that wave a banner of being a "church" (though I'm not sure the artist was going this direction). Whether thinking about the church or just people in general, though, I think this is a poignant display of how people can get stuck in their ways, create an environment of exclusion, and refuse to show love to those who are different. This is especially close to my heart as an educator who spends his life working with people younger than him who need to be loved as they work through who they are and how they're different from others.

In response to the suffocating conditions of the town, the main character rides off to the bigger city (maybe a small town vs. big city stereotype at work here?) where they are able to find people bearing the same "mark" as them. Instant acceptance - they all go off and party together! Having grown up in a small town but now experiencing life in some pretty large cities, there can be elements of truth to people who have only lived in one, small place being oblivious to the rest of the world. But then, there are many positives in the small town lifestyle too and people who don't fit into that category - this is the challenge of stereotypes.

Now, with those realities on the table, here is another angle: the only acceptance we're shown is that she has a group of people she can party with. It really makes me think back to that other story - "Not many days later, the younger son gathered together all he had and traveled to a distant country, where he squandered his estate in foolish living" (Luke 15:13 HCSB).

So on the one side, we have a youthful perspective this is justified to go against what could very well be overly-righteous and/or narrow-minded condemnation from those around them... but then, at the same time, I would ask of this person: "What if they end up being right?" In our old story, while the son is partying it up, we read that "... a severe famine struck that country, and he had nothing" (Luke 15:14 HCSB). Could it be you didn't know you were lost because there is a wisdom that comes with age, and you just don't have it yet? What if you are more lost than you think you are?

These are the complexities of this song, and I think no matter what angle you approach it from it allows for questions that deserve answering by all of us: Where do we most belong? Where are we going? Who or what is "guiding us through the darkness"? Are we lost or not? And is it possible we could be lost without even knowing we're lost?

8 Questions

1. Is there anything good I can hold on to from this song? The lyrics of the first stanza are well-written words to remind us that we are all on a journey. And in one sense, I don't know where my life's journey will end or where I will be. In another sense, though, as a follower of Jesus Christ, my hope rests in Biblical assurance that my journey ultimately ends in new life with him in and in his likeness.

2. Is there anything true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, or praiseworthy in this song? At best I could maybe say the idea that "love is the prize" for our lives is something true from this song, The danger with that is that 1) I disagree with the preceding lyric ("life is a game for everyone") and 2) I'm pretty sure the love I have in my mind as the end prize of life is radically different from anything the songwriter was thinking of.

3. When I listen to this song, does my thinking become conformed or transformed? It depends on my mood when I listen to it. At times this just makes me frustrated in our human condition that we always seem to know what is best for ourselves and just want to wander away in pursuit of the whims of that moment. On the other hand, with the right mindset, this song really transforms my thinking to remember the picture of God (as the father) running after his son when he returned from foolish living. It also transforms my thoughts to want to be someone there for people to show them the light of the Gospel that's in me so that they don't have to "feel their way through the dark." I don't want to just be another judgmental voice but rather one who listens deeply and loves deeply.

4. Does this song cause me to set my mind on things above or on earthly things? This song is addressing an earthly struggle with little regard to any spiritual dynamics that might be involved.

5. Is this song leading me to feel anger, rage, malice, or slander? No - except that it really frustrates me that the video only shows the main character "belonging" in a party scene. I can't help but wonder how that all plays out for her when the music stops and the party is over... Lost, maybe? But then, she, of course, wouldn't see it that way.

6. Does this song contain filthy language or encourage me to use filthy language? No.

7. Is this song calling me to pursue youthful passions? There could be an argument that this idea of rebelling out into self-discovery would be a youthful sort of trend, and the lyrics are certainly focused on someone who is looked down upon for their actions associated with their age. At the same time, feelings of not belonging can run universal no matter the age. Either way, I don't really hear that the song is calling people to pursue immaturity but more offering a perspective to hear and consider.

8. Can I listen to this song in the name of Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him? When it's all said and done, I could listen to this song in the name of Jesus, considering words that Jesus spoke into this sort of situation and possibly with hope for my own ending - either that the person does realize they were lost, repents, and returns home or that the surrounding people become less righteous and narrow-minded (or in reality, probably a mix of the two!) With that being the case, it won't bother me to hear this song - it's certainly catchy enough - but I probably won't choose to listen to it.

Music

This song achieve an interesting juxtaposition of folk and electronic styles. From the beginning, we hear guitar played in a mix of strums with finger picking (reminiscent of a banjo to me). As the vocals come in, that continues with an upbeat, offbeat pattern - again, all folk-type sounds to me. Afterwards, we're led by some more electronic sounds into the bridge section, where a rhythmic pattern that someone else described as a "jig" (I would agree). It's a nice use of straight, subdivided sixteenth notes combined with the offbeat sixteenth notes in the fourth beat of the first measure. The effect is a nice liveliness to the music and, I suppose, the party-like quality that we see in the video.

In closing, I'm not entirely sure why, but as I dug deeper into this song, another song kept coming to my mind. This song is also about a journey of self-discovery and wanting the acceptance of others (but maybe not getting it). Whereas "Wake Me Up" fails to really call the listener up to anything beyond the temporary, I feel that "Legacy" takes some of the same material but beautifully calls us to a much greater picture.