Treading Water
by SOJA

Album: Amid the Noise and Haste (2014)
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Songfacts®:

  • SOJA is an American reggae and dub band based in Arlington, Virginia fronted by lead singer and guitarist Jacob Hemphill. The vocalist told Artist Direct that this song is about what he looks for in a relationship. "If you believe the fire is all you need for the relationship, you end up stuck," he said. "The only thing in the relationship that you can really quantify is, 'How crazy does this person make me?' That's in a good way or a bad way. It's probably both at certain points. You'd say, 'This person makes me crazier—both good and bad—than any other girl I've ever met. She must be the one for me!' [Laughs]"

    "That approach to relationships does not work very well for me," Hemphill added. "There are so many other things that go into relationships. Is this person looking out for my best interests at all times? A lot of times, the crazy person will throw you under the bus. Is this person my best friend? A lot of times, you have to call your best friend to talk about the crazy person. There are all of these things that go into relationships. You learn that as you get older. It's about treading water. The ocean is much bigger than me. Even though the fire and passion is there, there's so much more to it that it turns out I'm just surrounded."

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