In his own words (from his myspace page):
“For me it’s all about the SONG. I remember watching my father sitting at our dining room table for hours and hours with his pencil and pad crafting his songs; spending the time to find the perfect word, the perfect chord, the perfect melody. That really made an impression on me. When I write a song it really is a kind of science, an operation; but it isn’t mathematical or calculated, it is alive and breathing and moving. At the risk of sounding like a hippie on a soapbox, music is still powerful and holy and sacred to me. You can turn it into a product and a business, but you can’t start it that way. To me the genesis of a song has to be honest and unassuming. I truly believe that God hands me these gifts and it is my job to translate them as honestly as I can. You have to let a song be what it is. We can’t lose that. When I write songs, I like to focus on the fact that we are all the same and we are all just searching for answers and trying to make sense of everything. It's about exploring life and celebrating truth when you find it.”
The Other Side
Sean McConnell Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That kind of cold
Where your car won't start
And your heart won't go
The headwaters up here will freeze your bones
But they say I can float this river home
It's that long
Chorus:
The Mississippi river runs so wide
The biggest tear God ever cried
Right now it feels like the great divide
And Lord I want to be on the other side
And Lord I want to be on the other side
Where that icy water turns to mud
And tastes dirty like it always should
Wehre they talk lazy
And they walk slow
And there's gospel in the radio
That's where I want to go
Chorus
50 miles til I get home
But when you're this close miles go twice as long
When I cross over
I'm going to get down
Gonna close my eyes and kiss the ground
Chorus
Sean McConnell's song The Other Side is a reflective piece about the overwhelming urge to go home in a harsh world. The first stanza paints a winter scene where everything is cold and uninviting. The desolation of this scene is only matched by the barrenness of the singer's mental space. The chorus delivers the theme of the song, evoking images of the wide Mississippi River, which separates the singer from his home. He invokes God, asking to be on the other side of the river, which represents a better place, a utopia where he can experience comfort and love.
In the second verse, the singer describes his ideal destination on the other side of the river. He yearns for a slower pace of life, where things are relaxed and easy-going, and where he can connect with the gospel music on the radio. He describes his journey, underscoring the tension between his intense desire to get home and the interminable distance between his present location and his destination.
The song reaches a cathartic climax in the third verse, where the singer finally crosses the river and kisses the ground. This experience represents a coming back to life after a long period of dormancy in a harsh world. The Other Side is a deeply relatable song that touches on the longing for home that exists in all of us.
Line by Line Meaning
Snowed this mornin'
It snowed heavily this morning
That kind of cold
The cold is so intense it's hard to ignore
Where your car won't start
The cold weather hasn't been kind to your car
And your heart won't go
The cold weather fills you with a sense of darkness and inability to move forward
The headwaters up here will freeze your bones
The freezing cold water up north can be deadly
But they say I can float this river home
Despite the danger, there is a belief that one can make it through and get to where they want to go
It's that long
The journey is long and difficult
The Mississippi river runs so wide
The Mississippi river is incredibly wide
The biggest tear God ever cried
The vastness of the river is such that it feels like it could only have been created by God
Right now it feels like the great divide
The river feels like a significant obstacle to overcome
And Lord I want to be on the other side
I want to reach the other side of the river
Where that icy water turns to mud
I want to get to where the river is less dangerous and more manageable
And tastes dirty like it always should
Where the water is less clean and less pure, as it feels more like home
Wehre they talk lazy
Where the people speak slowly and calmly
And they walk slow
Where people take their time walking
And there's gospel in the radio
Listening to gospel music while driving through this area is rejuvenating
That's where I want to go
That is the place I want to spend my time
50 miles til I get home
Only 50 miles left to go before reaching home
But when you're this close miles go twice as long
The closer you get to home, the more time seems to slow down
When I cross over
Once I make it to the other side
I'm going to get down
I'll express my relief and appreciation
Gonna close my eyes and kiss the ground
I'll be overcome with joy and gratitude for being on solid ground
Contributed by Charlie O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
fabian rodriguez
I can't believe I've never heard of this guy. Wow amazing!!!
fabian rodriguez
I can't believe I've never heard of this guy. Wow amazing!!!
Yolanda K. Harper
My daddy's people are from Tennessee, my mother's from Texas. I now live in Nashville, and this songs speaks to me on both sides of the Mississippi. "Lord, I wanna be on the other side..."
Patrick Stout
Man, great song.
Jerri Faulk
Amazing singer. You need to be on the radio. Your better then the crap on the radio.
Jacqueline Miu
Great song. Thanks. Great voice too. Miu Jacqueline
Trey Rogers
top songwriters of today and one of my only idols ...Trey Rogers
Nicole R
Please come back to the Dosey Doe in TX soon
Nicole R
I miss your voice