The Motions

Album: Something to Say (2008)
Charted: 110
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This was the third single from contemporary Christian singer-songwriter Matthew West's third studio album, Something to Say. It was one of West's most successful recordings to date, reaching #1 on Christian Adult contemporary radio in April 2009 and peaking at #10 on the Billboard Bubbling Under 100 Hot Singles chart.
  • The song is about complacency and a desire to move on from a stale faith. It was inspired by a June 2007 column that West wrote for CCM Magazine and some vocal fold surgery that he'd experienced. The singer explained to CCM Magazine: "I don't always feel it. Sometimes my faith seems stale. Numb. Sometimes I pray, but I don't feel connected. I sing, but my song sounds empty. I write, but my words sound cliché. I ask God questions, but I don't hear answers. I could try to act like I am always so spiritually refreshed and thriving in my relationship with God. But that wouldn't be honest. That wouldn't be me.

    Does your faith journey ever have these desert seasons? I think one of the greatest challenges in actively living out a relationship with Christ on earth is to avoid the trap of simply going through the motions. I know what a "Christian" should say. I know how to act. I know how to put up a spiritual front, even if I'm not passionately seeking God.

    That's why I wrote this song. I was frustrated and tired of that constant settling for a stale faith. God is a God of passion. His true plan for our lives is anything but boring. Every day, the God of adventure beckons his sons and daughters to quit going through the motions and walk into a life filled with passion and wonder. The last line of the chorus strikes me every time I sing it:

    I don't wanna spend my whole life asking
    What if I had given everything
    Instead of going through the motions?

    My surgery and silence really brought this song to life for me. Trials force movement. Pain makes you feel. I'm thankful for the difficult time I had to go through, because God used it to remind me that going through the motions is not really living."
  • The song's music video, which highlighted West's experience in 2007 with vocal surgery and two months of prescribed silence, was his first promo.
  • This topped the 2009 Billboard Hot Christian Song and Hot Christian Adult Contemporary Song charts. The song also ranked #4 on the Billboard decade-end chart for Christian Songs, having only been introduced to radio earlier in 2009. It was the third time West had claimed the Most Played Christian Song of the Year title, following "You Are Everything" in 2008 and "More" in 2003.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Soul Train Stories with Stephen McMillian

Soul Train Stories with Stephen McMillianSong Writing

A Soul Train dancer takes us through a day on the show, and explains what you had to do to get camera time.

Billy Gould of Faith No More

Billy Gould of Faith No MoreSongwriter Interviews

Faith No More's bassist, Billy Gould, chats to us about his two new experimental projects, The Talking Book and House of Hayduk, and also shares some stories from the FNM days.

Max Cavalera of Soulfly (ex-Sepultura)

Max Cavalera of Soulfly (ex-Sepultura)Songwriter Interviews

The Brazilian rocker sees pictures in his riffs. When he came up with one of his gnarliest songs, there was a riot going on.

Rick Springfield

Rick SpringfieldSongwriter Interviews

Rick has a surprising dark side, a strong feminine side and, in a certain TV show, a naked backside. But he still hasn't found Jessie's Girl.

Joe Elliott of Def Leppard

Joe Elliott of Def LeppardSongwriter Interviews

The Def Leppard frontman talks about their "lamentable" hit he never thought of as a single, and why he's juiced by his Mott The Hoople cover band.

David Clayton-Thomas of Blood, Sweat & Tears

David Clayton-Thomas of Blood, Sweat & TearsSongwriter Interviews

The longtime BS&T frontman tells the "Spinning Wheel" story, including the line he got from Joni Mitchell.