Sara received her Bachelor of Science degree in History and English in 1994 from Evangel University, a private Christian university in Springfield, Missouri. Sara spent four years teaching high school in Rosemount, Minnesota before recording her first album, Past the Wishing, in 1998. Since then, she has released five more albums and appeared on several others (see below). Sara has been nominated for 3 Dove Awards including "New Artist of the Year" in 2002 and "Special Event Album of the Year 2003" by the Gospel Music Association. She was named one of the best Christian music artists of 2005 and the album, Add to the Beauty, was named "Album of the Year" for 2005 by CCM Magazine. In 2009 Fireflies & Songs earned enough votes from a panel of ten music critics to be named Christianity Today's Album of the Year. The magazine explained their choice: "Already known for her transparent songwriting, Sara Groves gets even more piercingly honest on this, her ninth album. Whether her relationship with God, marital tension, or a private battle with anxiety, it's poetically spilled forth in Groves' call for the church to 'live confessionally.' And paired with less poppy, stripped-down arrangements, her achingly clear vocal remains front and center. This is vintage Groves—yet more herself than ever."
Obsolete
Sara Groves Lyrics
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It's hard to feel your skirts are showing
You pull and tug to hide the works
That keep the whole thing going
And you don't know where you stand
And you feel so small and thin
And if you are dismissed
Walking through a hall of doors
Looking through a million portals
Everyone is having fun
Everybody seems immortal
And you don't know where you stand
And did something pass you by?
And if you are dismissed
Will you get another try?
Are you and I an apparition
Flickering up on the screen
Sending out our best transmissions
Waiting in our velveteen
Tell me you can really see me
It's hard to feel disqualified
For living in a different time
As if the train will only stop
For the current paradigm
And I don't know where we are
Are we passing through these wires
Are we walking through the streets
Of invisible empires
And I know I shouldn't care
If I'm out or if I'm in
Cause if I am dismissed
Oh you always take me in
In "Obsolete," Sara Groves meditates on the feelings of inadequacy and obsolescence that can accompany one's journey through life. She describes these feelings as akin to "skirts showing," something vulnerable and humiliating that we try to hide. Groves imagines traversing a hallway filled with doors, seeing countless "portals" that others seem to enjoy but which elude her. These portals represent opportunities for success, belonging, or simply having fun, and Groves expresses a fear of being left behind, of having something pass her by.
Groves goes even further, imagining that perhaps she and those around her are mere apparitions, flickering on a screen, sending out their best messages into the ether but unsure whether anyone is really seeing them. The feeling of being obsolete is compounded by a sense of being disqualified for living in a different time, as if the train of progress will only stop for those deemed to be in step with the current paradigm. Groves wonders if she and others are wandering through the streets of "invisible empires," unnoticed, irrelevant.
Despite these fears, Groves ends the song on a note of hope. She acknowledges that it shouldn't matter whether she's in or out, dismissed or accepted, because someone will "always take [her] in." This could refer to a specific individual or to a more general sense of finding a home and a sense of belonging. Ultimately, "Obsolete" is a poignant and relatable exploration of the universal human desire to be seen, valued, and loved.
Line by Line Meaning
It's hard to feel obsolete
It's difficult to feel like you are no longer relevant or useful.
It's hard to feel your skirts are showing
It's uncomfortable to feel vulnerable and exposed.
You pull and tug to hide the works
That keep the whole thing going
You try to conceal the effort it takes to keep everything running smoothly.
And you don't know where you stand
And you feel so small and thin
You are unsure of your place or value in the world, and it makes you feel insignificant.
And if you are dismissed
Will another take you in?
If you are rejected or replaced, will someone else accept you?
Walking through a hall of doors
Looking through a million portals
Navigating through various opportunities and possibilities.
Everyone is having fun
Everybody seems immortal
Others appear to be enjoying life and feeling invincible.
And did something pass you by?
You wonder if you missed out on something important.
Are you and I an apparition
Flickering up on the screen
Sending out our best transmissions
Waiting in our velveteen
Tell me you can really see me
Questioning whether our existence is real or just a digital projection, hoping to be seen and understood.
It's hard to feel disqualified
For living in a different time
As if the train will only stop
For the current paradigm
Feeling excluded or disregarded for not fitting into the current standard or trend.
And I don't know where we are
Are we passing through these wires
Are we walking through the streets
Of invisible empires
Uncertainty about our location and place in the world, whether it's a digital or physical space.
And I know I shouldn't care
If I'm out or if I'm in
Cause if I am dismissed
Oh you always take me in
Realizing that it doesn't matter if you are accepted or rejected by the world because you know you always have a place where you are loved and accepted for who you are.
Lyrics © MUSIC SERVICES, INC.
Written by: SARA GROVES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Abbacry
Relevant is in your veins and flows out of you like a river of living water. Thank you for telling the stories of the journey we are all on.