Although the band started out playing at Christian music festivals, they shun the label of "Christian rock," with singer and guitarist Jon Foreman saying, "For us, it's a faith, not a genre. We've always been very open and honest about where the songs are coming from. For us, these songs are for everyone. Calling us `Christian rock' tends to be a box that closes some people out and excludes them. And that's not what we're trying to do. Music has always opened my mind -- and that's what we want." They started out on Charlie Peacock's label "re:think" and spent several years appearing at Christian festivals and enjoying Christian radio hits. Most of their early tours were with Christian bands and both of the band's new members were borrowed from Christian bands.
Switchfoot did not see success outside of the Christian rock scene until they were featured alongside singer Mandy Moore on the A Walk To Remember soundtrack. The band's first true commercial success came in 2003 with the release of their fourth major label (and first mainstream label) offering, The Beautiful Letdown. The album went on to sell more than 2 million albums and Switchfoot became the most popular rock band to be associated with Christian music.
They were featured on the British Edition of the Spiderman II soundtrack along with the likes of Taking Back Sunday and Dashboard Confessional to name a few, in 2004 with the song 'Meant To Live'.
In 2005 Switchfoot released "Nothing Is Sound". The album went gold within 3 months and received much critical acclaim.
Switchfoot's highly anticipated album, titled "Oh! Gravity." was released on December 26th, 2006.
On November 10th, 2009, Switchfoot released their first album produced under their own label, lowercase people. "Mess of Me", a single from the album released months before the CD, has enjoy chart-topping radio plays since its release.
In 2010 Switchfoot released their album, "Hello Hurricane".
On September 27th, 2011, to much anticipation and excitement, Switchfoot released their newest album, "Vice Verses".
Sites:
www.switchfoot.com
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I Won't Let You Go
Switchfoot Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And it burns like third degree
And you wonder what is it worth?
When your insides breaking in
And you feel that ache again
And you wonder
What's giving birth?
Of your soul
None of this is in your control
If you could only let your guard down
You could learn to trust me somehow
I swear, that I won't let you go
If you could only let go your doubts
If you could just believe in me now
I swear, that I won't let you go
I won't let you go
When your fear is currency
And you feel that urgency
You want peace but there's war in your head
Maybe that's where life is born
When our façades are torn
Pain gives birth to the promise ahead
If you could let the pain of the past go
Of your soul
None of this is in your control
If you could only let your guard down
If you could learn to trust me somehow
I swear, that I won't let you go
If you could only let go your doubts
If you could just believe in me now
I swear, that I won't let you go
I won't let you go
I'll always be by your side
Yeah
If you could only let your guard down
If you could learn to trust me somehow
I swear, that I won't let you go
If you could only let go your doubts
If you could just believe in me now
I swear, that I won't let you go
(I won't let you go)
I won't let you go
(I won't let you go)
There ain't no darkness strong enough that could tear you out from my heart
There ain't no strength that's strong enough that could tear this love apart
Never gonna let you go
Never gonna let you go
No I won't let you go
The song “I Won’t Let You Go” by Switchfoot is a compelling song that encompasses the theme of unconditional love and support. The opening of the song sets the scene of pain and hardships, comparing it to surgery and third-degree burns. The question that is asked is whether or not it's worth it to endure this pain. The answer is found in overcoming setbacks and moving forward, letting go of the past and trusting in someone else. The lyrics demonstrate how difficult "letting go" can be, especially when fear and uncertainty take hold of our minds. The chorus beautifully conveys the message of trust and loyalty, that the singer promises not to let go.
The second verse speaks about fear and the war inside of our heads. This inner turmoil can lead to growth and a newfound strength. Pain can be a catalyst for moving forward, and the singer promises there's something better ahead if one can let go of the past, letting down your guard and learning how to trust. Finally, the singer reassures their commitment and devotion, “No I won’t let you go,” which emphasizes the steadfastness in love and support.
Overall, the song conveys the message of the beauty that can be found in hardship and the sense of assurance that comes from unconditional love and support. It encourages us to let go of doubts and fears, to trust and embrace life's challenges, and to believe in the promise of a better tomorrow.
Line by Line Meaning
When it feels like surgery
When life feels like it's cutting you open
And it burns like third degree
And the pain is intense
And you wonder what is it worth?
And you start questioning if it's all worth it
When your insides breaking in
When you feel like you're falling apart on the inside
And you feel that ache again
And the pain comes back
And you wonder
And you start to question
What's giving birth?
What is being born from this pain?
If you could let the pain of the past go
If you could release yourself from the pain of your past
Of your soul
Of the deep parts within you
None of this is in your control
You cannot control everything in life
If you could only let your guard down
If you could only allow yourself to be vulnerable
You could learn to trust me somehow
You could learn to trust me in some way
I swear, that I won't let you go
I promise that I won't abandon you
If you could only let go your doubts
If you could only release yourself from your doubts
If you could just believe in me now
If you could only trust and have faith in me right now
I swear, that I won't let you go
I promise that I won't leave you alone
When your fear is currency
When your fear is running your life
And you feel that urgency
And you feel that it's urgent to act
You want peace but there's war in your head
You want peace, but your mind is in conflict
Maybe that's where life is born
Maybe that's where growth and progress begin
When our façades are torn
When our masks and pretenses are stripped away
Pain gives birth to the promise ahead
Pain can lead to a better future
I'll always be by your side
I will always support and be there for you
There ain't no darkness strong enough that could tear you out from my heart
No darkness or negativity can make me stop loving you
There ain't no strength that's strong enough that could tear this love apart
Nothing is strong enough to break the love between us
Never gonna let you go
I will never abandon or leave you
No I won't let you go
I am committed to staying by your side
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: JONATHAN MARK FOREMAN, TIMOTHY DAVID FOREMAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@anneofnarnia
I'm not crying, you are! 😂😭
When this song was released, I was 13 years old and felt like my world was crashing down around me. My best friends were moving away, both my brothers had gone to college, and I had become accustomed to a feeling of emptiness and being emotionally numb. I remember I would listen to this song (among others) over and over attempting to find comfort. I knew what was missing in my life, but I didn't know how to get it. I had prayed the sinners prayer as a child, but I did not mean it or understand it at all. I suffered from doubt and fear for many years concerning my salvation.
3 months later, after a conversation with a World Changers adult participant and another conversation with my mom, I became a Christian.
Six years later, I now see this song for what it was. I thought it was simply a song to bring me comfort, and now I see that it was God crying out for me to turn to Him. To just trust Him.
And as I sit here with tears in my eyes, I can honestly tell you it was all true.
He never let me go.
There ain't no darkness strong enough that could tear you from His arms.
There ain't no strength strong enough to tear this love apart.
He's never gonna let you go.❤😭
@Emarella
I appreciate that while God never promised things would be easy if we believed in him--quite the opposite actually--he promises time and time again, in the Bible and through words he inspires people to share in song or word of mouth--that he will never, ever leave us if we acknowledge we've done wrong, that we need him, and that he paid for all our bad choices.
He swore he would walk with us through the darkest moments if we'll just let him be there with us.
I've done my share of yelling at God, crying to God, wondering why he made me a certain way or why he lets truly and deeply evil things happen to helpless children or to people who are loved and needed. I don't always get answers. Unfortunately God isn't just some magic giftbox I can open up and receive exactly what I want to make me feel better or to make the bad stuff in life go away. But he is a PERSON with such an incredible PERSONALITY. I've laughed with God. God has teased me and made me smile when my heart was broken. He's helped me carry on when I felt I just couldn't. And every time I've felt alone and called to him in a lonely dark room, he's always shown up in some way, right when I need it.
One of those ways was with this song. It still nearly brings me to tears when I hear these words.
The Bible has this verse where Jesus essentially says that the people who follow him, who have a relationship with him, will recognize his voice. I recognize God's voice. I know he used this song to speak directly to me, and I'm so glad he's used it to speak to so many other people too.
I hope the things I write, say, and do can help bring God's loving voice to people who need it too. Especially to those who are closed-off and who think God is nothing more than a fairytale.
Funny thing is, isn't there always some sort of truth in a fairytale? A life lesson? A truth about life? And don't we ever wonder where all this truth, where wisdom comes from? How chaos could have made the order of a human body come to life?
God is real. And God loves you like crazy. He wants you to get to know him. I know that because I wouldn't be here today if he weren't. He's saved me from myself too many times to count, in so many different ways. But more than that... my imagination can never comfort me. I can run away from my problems using my imagination, but it can never take me from a place of bawling my eyes out tears... to hearing God tell me, "I love you..." and feeling so comforted that it stops my tears. No amount of "fooling myself" or telling myself words of affirmation can do that. Only someone outside me can... Only God can.
@darthrevan8360
This is the best Christian song even though it doesn't mention God as such in the song, it has a great message and that's how God says "I won't let you go" because he loves us, God bless everyone and Switchfoot!
@PatriciaGivensFH2012
This song is about surrender it reflects TRUST
@josiahhill8106
Thank you darthrevan I needed this
@anneofnarnia
I'm not crying, you are! 😂😭
When this song was released, I was 13 years old and felt like my world was crashing down around me. My best friends were moving away, both my brothers had gone to college, and I had become accustomed to a feeling of emptiness and being emotionally numb. I remember I would listen to this song (among others) over and over attempting to find comfort. I knew what was missing in my life, but I didn't know how to get it. I had prayed the sinners prayer as a child, but I did not mean it or understand it at all. I suffered from doubt and fear for many years concerning my salvation.
3 months later, after a conversation with a World Changers adult participant and another conversation with my mom, I became a Christian.
Six years later, I now see this song for what it was. I thought it was simply a song to bring me comfort, and now I see that it was God crying out for me to turn to Him. To just trust Him.
And as I sit here with tears in my eyes, I can honestly tell you it was all true.
He never let me go.
There ain't no darkness strong enough that could tear you from His arms.
There ain't no strength strong enough to tear this love apart.
He's never gonna let you go.❤😭
@unstoppable2742
As an ex christian who is a lesbian and who has been abandoned by every christian. This song gives me hope that maybe that unconditionnal love is True... even if not found in the church, maybe in a God... the one who never left me. Not the one they preach though. Cried so much listening to this right now. Reminded me of the first time I Heard it after I just Come out and lost my best friend and lover... my family connexion and my beliefs
@tanyasahai
Nothing can separate us from your love. Wow, thank You, Jesus!!
@Ruffles729
Amen, His love will carry us through every trial & every circumstance.
@azevedohellen
I've never found a band that touches a heart like this one.
Switchfoot is one of the best bands I've ever heard. It fills up my heart totally.
God bless them!! =)
@primoruler
Agree over and over and over they dont even have to day god and jesus and the Christians still no
@1SeekTruth101
This song, everything about it, just touches the broken parts of my soul, and brings Gods healing touch. ❤️