I was raised in a Catholic school, learned who to fire with and pray to
I learned how to hold on from a book of old Psalms
And if you're trying to sing an old song, you're getting all the words wrong
Well, you're just a-following along too closely in the book

I learned how to keep my head from something Paul said
About keeping the fruit in the spirit from the chorus down to the hook
And sometimes I wonder what in God's name did I do to deserve you
Oh, to deserve you

'Cause I just rolled and I tumbled, down a long road I stumbled
While shooting in the dark as to what's best
And finally I found you without ever learning how to
I put the right foot in front of the leg and beyond that is anybody's guess

I learned how to keep my head from something Paul said
About keeping the fruit in the spirit from the chorus down to the hook
Oh, and sometimes I wonder what in God's name did I do to deserve you
Oh, to deserve you

'Cause I just rolled and I tumbled, down a long road I stumbled
While shooting in the dark as to what's best
And finally I found you without ever learning how to
I put the right foot in front of the leg

'Cause I just rolled and I tumbled, down a long road I stumbled
While shooting in the dark as to what's best
Oh, as to what's best, as to what's best
And finally I found you without ever learning how to
I put the right foot in front of the leg and beyond that is anybody's guess

Overall Meaning

In M. Ward's song "Epistemology", the lyrics describe the singer's experience growing up in a Catholic school and learning how to navigate life through lessons found in the Bible. He recounts learning about perseverance and holding on from the Psalms and heeding advice from Paul to keep the fruit of the spirit in the forefront while going through life's challenges. He reflects on the mystery of how he found the love of his life without deliberately searching for it, as he stumbled through life not always knowing what was best. The lyrics suggest that sometimes, the best things in life are found by not trying too hard, but by putting one foot in front of the other and seeing where the journey takes you.

Line by Line Meaning

I was raised in a Catholic school, learned who to fire with and pray to
I received my education in a school that taught me how to use weapons and also taught me the practices of Catholicism.

I learned how to hold on from a book of old Psalms
I gained the ability to persevere by reading old songs of praise and prayer from the Bible.

And if you're trying to sing an old song, you're getting all the words wrong
If you are attempting to sing an old song, you may not be interpreting it correctly, because you are solely relying on what is written in the lyrics.

Well, you're just a-following along too closely in the book
You are just copying and following the words from the book too closely and not interpreting them yourself.

I learned how to keep my head from something Paul said
I gained the ability to remain calm and collected by following advice from Paul's teachings.

About keeping the fruit in the spirit from the chorus down to the hook
The teachings are about being spiritual and maintaining integrity in one's character, from the beginning of the song to the end.

And sometimes I wonder what in God's name did I do to deserve you
At times, I question what I did to deserve your love and companionship, as I feel so fortunate to have it.

Oh, to deserve you
I feel so grateful and blessed to have you in my life.

'Cause I just rolled and I tumbled, down a long road I stumbled
I faced various challenges and obstacles while traveling a lengthy and difficult path.

While shooting in the dark as to what's best
I was uncertain about which actions or decisions were the most favorable, and so I acted blindly.

And finally I found you without ever learning how to
Despite never receiving any formal instruction, I ended up meeting you, and our relationship blossomed from there.

I put the right foot in front of the leg and beyond that is anybody's guess
I just took things step-by-step, without necessarily knowing where the journey was going to take me or where I might end up.

Oh, as to what's best, as to what's best
I still don't know what the best course of action was, even after all this time.

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