I Won't Give Up

Lyrics

When I look into your eyes
It's like watching the night sky
Or a beautiful sunrise
Well, there's so much they hold
And just like them old stars
I see that you've come so far
To be right where you are
How old is your soul?

Well, I won't give up on us
Even if the skies get rough
I'm giving you all my love
I'm still looking up

And when you're needing your space
To do some navigating
I'll be here patiently waiting
To see what you find

'Cause even the stars they burn
Some even fall to the earth
We've got a lot to learn
God knows we're worth it
No, I won't give up

I don't wanna be someone who walks away so easily
I'm here to stay and make the difference that I can make
Our differences they do a lot to teach us how to use
The tools and gifts we got, yeah, we got a lot at stake
And in the end, you're still my friend at least we did intend
For us to work we didn't break, we didn't burn
We had to learn how to bend without the world caving in
I had to learn what I've got, and what I'm not, and who I am

I won't give up on us
Even if the skies get rough
I'm giving you all my love
I'm still looking up, still looking up.

Well, I won't give up on us (no I'm not giving up)
God knows I'm tough enough (I am tough, I am loved)
We've got a lot to learn (we're alive, we are loved)
God knows we're worth it (and we're worth it)

I won't give up on us
Even if the skies get rough
I'm giving you all my love
I'm still looking up

1. Is there anything good I can hold on to from this song? 

There's plenty of good to hold on to! Lyrically speaking, the song is poetic and delivered with heartfelt conviction. The music is pretty straightforward, but there are a couple of nice, surprising moments towards the end.

2. Is there anything true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, or praiseworthy in this song?

I see all of these elements portrayed here. I appreciate how, even as their are poetic lines such as "''Cause even the stars they burn/Some even fall to earth" or "Even if the skies get rough," there is practical and realistic content here: "When you're needing your space," "We've got a lot to learn," "Our differences, they do teach..." etc. It is admirable to hear the conviction of someone approaching a relationship with such resolution to weather difficult times and celebrate the good. Another powerful line comes from "I had to learn what I've got, and what I'm not, and who I am." That is certainly what I continue to learn - just how important it is to understand ourselves. Otherwise, it becomes difficult to navigate relationships, change, or grow when we don't have a foundation from which to start.

3. When I listen to this song, does my thinking become conformed or transformed?

For me, this song helps continue transforming my thought patterns towards a high view of marriage (though this song does not particularly speak of marriage. From what I read of the artist, I'm not entirely sure what his intentions were in writing this song or why he wrote it, but I easily see it aligning with a Christian worldview.

4. Does this song cause me to set my mind on things above or on earthly things? 

Relationships in general (and certainly marriage) are something that can easily go in either direction - being purely emotional, physical, and earthly or building upon spiritual principles. In the case of marriage, the ultimate picture would be of a love that reflects Jesus' passion for the Church. As this song speaks to consistently walking with someone, calling out the best in them, and working to meet their needs, I am reminded of some of Christ's character - meaning that I can reflect on heavenly things as I listen to this song.

5. Is this song leading me to feel anger, rage, malice, or slander? No

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? 

The approach to love as described in this song is certainly far from just being a youthful passion. This song is about commitment and perseverance, which I wouldn't expect from a less mature outlook.

8. Can I listen to this song in the name of Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him?

I say absolutely. This is a clear example of a song that many people would not call a "Christian" song; however, I don't tend to see that value in such distinctions. This song is based on Truth, and I appreciate how it is artistic/poetic even as it is realistic and practical. 

Musically speaking, this song is pretty straightforward; however, the bridge section "Well, I won't give up..." mixes in what, to my ears, are some surprising harmonies. I am by no means an expert in analyzing this sort of music, but I'll do my best to explain what I hear and see: the recording of this song is in the key of A and primarily, as with many contemporary songs, oscillates between the "tonic" and the "dominant" - the first chord of the scale (A) and the fifth chord (E). That is all as expected, though it is somewhat funny to me that the song capitalizes on what's called the "second inversion" of the A chord. An A major chord like we have in this song has three notes: A, C#, and E. In second inversion, we take the E and place it on the bottom, so the chord becomes: E, A, C#. In the early forms of classical harmony as I was taught, this is a BIG no-no! There are only a few cases where second inversion chords were allowed, and starting a song off with them was certainly not one of them!

At the end of the introduction and then following in many of the verses, the song makes nice use of a 4-3 suspension: the fourth scale degree is added into the chord when technically it doesn't belong there (it is "suspended"). This suspension creates tension which is then resolved, and in this case the suspension/resolution happen on a B major chord. In traditional harmony, if we are in the key of A major, then the base expectation would be for the B chord (the second scale note in A) to be a minor chord. This song, however, consistently goes with a major chord. This may be common practice today, but again I'm not practiced enough to know for sure.

As I said before, things get a little interesting in the bridge section. We are still in the same key, but this time it's harmonized on the sixth scale degree, which is a minor chord instead of a major chord. The "tonic"/"dominant" relationship is setup between F# and B, which would often imply that we are in a different key, but I don't hear it that way. By the time we get to "And in the end," however, I would say that we have modulated to a different key temporarily, as we start on a D chord and jump between B and D. The sounds here jump out because the B chord contains the note "D#," which is a direct clash with a "D." This gives the song what I would call a "chromatic" feel. At the end of the bridge, we work our way back to the E chord (the old "dominant") and then we're back to the progression as normal to the end of the song - though with added background vocals that nicely compliment the texture of the song.

A word on the video: unlike other songs I've done where I watched the video early on as I wrote about the song, I didn't watch the official video for this song until the very end. It's always interesting to me how lyrics of themselves can give one picture while the song's video gives a different (sometimes contrasting one: see my review of "Wake Me Up"). I always wonder which holds more faithful to the artist's original intention... do the videos often become byproducts of what the music industry wants to advertise/promote, or are they closer to the heart of what the artist intended?

Anyways, for the "I Won't Give Up" video, I appreciate the beauty of how it shows many different people who might often be forgotten. That certainly could not be nearer to the heart of God (see Psalm 68:5 and the commentary on religion in James 1:27 as just two of many, many examples). At the same time, I wonder if there are political undertones to this and what kind of statement Jason Mraz (or whoever came up with the video) is trying to make. I'm honestly not sure, and it would take a lot more research to begin piecing together the answer. Still, I think this is a great song to listen to and would recommend it to people.

(Note: here is a link to the chords of the song. There are several different versions, and my analysis was based on my own hearing plus comparing a few of these versions: 

http://tabs.ultimate-guitar.com/j/jason_mraz/i_wont_give_up_crd.htm)