Where I Belong

Album: Vice Verses (2011)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • "But as I looked at everything I had worked so hard to accomplish, it was all so meaningless - like chasing the wind. There was nothing really worthwhile anywhere." Ecclesiastes 2:11 (NLT).

    The above Bible verse finds Solomon summarizing all his accomplishments as "chasing after the wind." The Earth isn't our permanent home so everything the philosopher king achieved was but temporary and in the eternal scheme of things meaningless.

    Switchfoot base many of their songs on the Book of Ecclesiastes, and here Jon Foreman reflects on how he feels like a refugee as this world is not really his home. Guitarist Drew Shirley explained to New Release Tuesday: "There are so many things that are not right - broken - and we know in our heart and soul that it should be right, and should be true, and it's not in this world. Things should be just, and it's not in this world. This life should be joyful, and it's corrupted. It should be pure, and it's twisted. We have a twisted generation. That sense of unrest is something we've sung about for a long time. I think it's an Ecclesiastical thread where 'everything is meaningless.' What's this all about? There must be something more than this. We were meant to live for more than this. It stems from what is says in that Bible verse, that this world is not our permanent home."
  • Keyboardist Jerome Fontamillas told New Release Tuesday: "This song connects to that C.S. Lewis quote about how when there are things in this world that don't satisfy, it means you were meant for things after this world. In a way, as a band that's where we are. We're never quite comfortable, we never fit in. It's always been like that for us."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Jesus In Pop Hits: The Gospel Songs That Went Mainstream

Jesus In Pop Hits: The Gospel Songs That Went MainstreamSong Writing

These overtly religious songs crossed over to the pop charts, despite resistance from fans, and in many cases, churches.

Adam Duritz of Counting Crows

Adam Duritz of Counting CrowsSongwriter Interviews

"Mr. Jones" took on new meaning when the song about a misguided view of fame made Adam famous.

George Clinton

George ClintonSongwriter Interviews

When you free your mind, your ass may follow, but you have to make sure someone else doesn't program it while it's wide open.

Harry Wayne Casey of KC and The Sunshine Band

Harry Wayne Casey of KC and The Sunshine BandSongwriter Interviews

Harry Wayne Casey tells the stories behind KC and The Sunshine Band hits like "Get Down Tonight," "That's The Way (I Like It)," and "Give It Up."

Rosanne Cash

Rosanne CashSongwriter Interviews

Rosanne talks about the journey that inspired her songs on her album The River & the Thread, including a stop at the Tallahatchie Bridge.

Jesus Christ Superstar: Ted Neeley Tells the Inside Story

Jesus Christ Superstar: Ted Neeley Tells the Inside StorySong Writing

The in-depth discussion about the making of Jesus Christ Superstar with Ted Neeley, who played Jesus in the 1973 film.