I Got You

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens. (Ecclesiastes 3:1) 

Gimme lazy days with nothing better to do 
than singin oh black water keep on rolling while I wait for you 
I don't care if it rains, I'll be just fine, 
I'm leaving the ghosts behind until I got you I got you. (I Got You - Train)

Train is one of my favorite bands, and the song I Got You has gotta be close to the top of the list of their best songs - at least to me. There are several reasons I think. The music is great, as always with Train. I think the thing that got my attention the first time I heard it though was the sampling from the Doobie Brothers' Black Water. The song even starts with it. I've always loved that song, so embedding it in new music...well, just awesome.

But the more I listened to it, the more I liked the lyrics too. More on that in a moment. If you've got about 3:48, take a listen:

 

Ok, if you didn't know the song already, you paid attention, right? So here's a song about a couple that is destined to be together. It goes through two verses about how they just missed each other. But the really cool thing is that in between the verses (not just at the end when things get "solved"), the writer expresses confidence that everything was always destined to work out. Using phrases like "lazy days with nothing better to do", "I don't care if it rains", "sit back and enjoy the ride", he expresses an a attitude of confidence in the future. Not stress, worrying, or anxiety. Confidence. He doesn't have her yet, but..does he? "I got you", he says. Way before the end.

And all through it, he uses the Doobies' musical image of the Mississippi River rolling on as a symbol of how he can just let time pass because history...and life...is going to roll on and it's all gonna be ok. Love. It.

Of course, what the song doesn't say is why we can have such confidence in the future. Destiny? Fate? No, I am convinced that it is the hand of a Sovereign God who wants the best for his children. Worry about the future? Nah, because he said, "Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you." (1 Peter 5:7) And, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation...with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." (Philippians 4:6)

Think about it - with thanksgiving. Isn't that so the attitude of the song?

You know, clearly for me this song isn't about finding my soul mate. (At least not yet.) And that's very cool because it makes the meaning so much broader. It means that while we're letting the black water roll, we aren't waiting for our plan - we're waiting for his. I don't know what that plan is, but I know it's exactly what I need. It may take longer than we would like. It may not even be what we had in mind. But it's perfect.

I don't know the future, but I know who holds it.

I can't wait!!

Ummm, oh yeah, I can. That's kinda the point.