The Fray – You Found Me

Apparently, the mention of God (once) in this song stirred up a huge (religious) debate on Youtube in the comments section of the music video.  The band itself is not Christian but the lead singer (Isaac Slade) is.  Slade just chose not to limit his writing to Christian music when starting out his musical career.

The meaning of this song as expressed by Isaac in an interview is the following:

"You Found Me is a tough song for me. Its about the disappointment, the heart ache, the let down that comes with life. Sometimes you’re let down, sometimes you’re the one who lets someone else down. It gets hard to know who you can trust, who you can count on. This song came out of a tough time, and I’m still right in the thick of it. There’s some difficult circumstances my family and friends have been going through over the past year or so and can be overwhelming. It wears on me. It demands so much of my faith to keep believing, keep hoping in the unseen. Sometimes the tunnel has a light at the end, but usually they just look black as night. This song is about that feeling, and the hope that I still have, buried deep in my chest."

Slade says that the lyrics for "You Found Me" were written two and a half years ago, and that the song is asking the question about why bad things happen to good people after some of their friends and family went through very tough times.

Source: The Fray Official Website and Reuters

As for me, my belief falters in the face of everything that I see in the actions of others and what happens in the world.  The notions I hold of seeing good in everyone, karma, and forgiveness are repeatedly challenged.  Even now, my perseverance is wavering and I begin to question whether what I'm doing right now is worth it.  Things out of my control bring me back down to Earth time and time again and lead me to question if really "doing your best" and "never giving up" is enough.  I hope that these values are True as I'd want to be able to pass these on to the next generation and not lie to them and myself.

Everything I do now and next year decides what I do for the rest of my life (and in a health-related way, how long I live).  I was once told to "start over" but I didn't think I'd be starting everything over.  There are some things I definitely did not want to start over.

I was given a second chance and to me, it's my last chance.  I talk a lot about independence and although it's important, I was misinterpreted as that's all I care about.  My birthday passed and besides preparing for exams, I pulled a (cruel) self-evaluation and reflected on how I got to this place.  Is this long uphill battle worth all I've lost?

I reach out time and time again for guidance (and it's not just from You) but I remain just as "lost and insecure".  Like this song, I just hope I'm "found" and not when it's "a little late".

Aside: Oh, the "how long I live" part has been scientifically shown to correlate with the following: race, gender, education, income, lifestyle, diet, exercise, friendships, genetics, sex life, etc. etc. aka the "social determinants of health".  Some I have control over and some I do not but a lot needs to change next year based on what my doctor says.

Amistad is a Spanish word.

Anyway, here are the lyrics to The Fray - You Found Me:

I found God
on the corner of First and Amistad
Where the west
was all but won
All alone
Smoking his last cigarette
I said, "Where you been?"
He said, ask anything.

Where were you?
When everything was falling apart.
All my days were spent by the telephone.
Never ring
And all I needed was a call
It never came
To the corner of First and Amistad

Lost and insecure, you found me, you found me
Lying on the floor, surrounded, surrounded
Why'd you have to wait?
Where were you? Where were you?
Just a little late.
You found me, you found me.

But in the end
Everyone ends up alone
Losing hope
The only one who's ever known
Who I am, who I'm not, and who I want to be
No way to know
How long she will be next to me

Lost and insecure, you found me, you found me
Lying on the floor, surrounded, surrounded
Why'd you have to wait?
Where were you? Where were you?
Just a little late.
You found me, you found me.

Early morning, the city breaks.
I've been calling for years and years
and you've never left me no messages
Never sent me no letters

Lost and insecure, you found me, you found me
Lying on the floor, surrounded, surrounded
Why'd you have to wait?
Where were you? Where were you?
Just a little late.
You found me, you found me.

Lost and insecure, you found me, you found me
Lying on the floor, surrounded, surrounded
Why'd you have to wait?
Where were you? Where were you?
Just a little late.
You found me, you found me.