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| The Sound (John M. Perkins' Blues) | |
|---|---|
| Switchfoot | |
| Album | Hello Hurricane |
| Released | October 27, 2009 (digital release) |
| Recorded | 2009 |
| Length | 3:47 |
| Label | lowercase people records, Atlantic Records |
| Genre | Christian rock, Alternative rock |
| Written by | Jon Foreman, Tim Foreman |
| Produced by | Switchfoot, Mike Elizondo |
| Last single | "Always" (2009) |
| Next single | "Your Love Is a Song" (2010) |
| Last song | "Your Love Is a Song" |
| Next song | "Enough to Let Me Go" |
The Sound (John M. Perkins' Blues) is a song by Switchfoot. It was released as the third single off of their album, Hello Hurricane, in 2010.
Meaning[]
"This was the last minute addition to the record. When we were making the final list, I showed this song to Tim (he's my first line of defense- If it gets past Tim, then there's a chance we'll track it). He was as excited as I was. We wanted to have a song with a steady, relentless pulse on the record and we all knew that this one fit the bill. The chorus was originally much more of a straightforward lyric, maybe too much so. So we redid the chorus and began to rewrite the verse lyrics to match the chorus vibe.
Lyrically, I feel like this song is a corollary of Hello Hurricane. I was reading a book at the time, Let Justice Roll Down- it's the autobiography of John Perkins, given to me by a friend of mine. I was struck by Perkins’ honesty and humility. He describes the Jim Crow world of not so very long ago with brutal honesty. We are a haunted nation. Whether we admit it or not, the past runs through our veins. Listen to the streets, they'll tell you the same. We can cover up our racism and narrow-minded bigotry with excuses and time but the sins of the past cry out from the ground. The undercurrents from our history are always buzzing around our ears. But rising above the constant gnawing of past wrongs is the song of Love. Love is the reconciliation. The deliberate act of forgiveness. The deliberate act of moving forward unencumbered by the past. This is the sound. This is the sound." - Jon Foreman [1]
Lyrics[2][]
| Lyrics
The static comes in slow You can feel it grow Our stream of conscience flows Under the streets below
Still running underground Runs like a silent flood we run as thick as blood
up from the ground can't drown it out can you hear it now
this is the sound of a heartbeat this is the sound from the discontented mouths of a haunted nation we are the voice of breaking down can you hear me? this is the sound of the desperation bound by our own collision we are the voice of breaking down
beneath the broken skies john perkins said it right love is the final fight
rise above there is no song louder than love
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Video[]
Chart Positions[]
- Billboard Alternative Songs: #29
- Billboard Rock Songs: #46
- ChristianRock.net Weekly Top 30: #12
References[]
| Switchfoot |
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Members: Jon Foreman • Tim Foreman • Chad Butler • Jerome Fontamillas • Drew Shirley |