WAR SONG ANALYSIS - "One Day" BY Matisyahu
The 2003 Iraq War has produced many reactions from the public. Some of these reactions have been expressed in the form of media, especially in songs. Some of these reactions have been supportive of our country's cause, others have been negative. Here are the lyrics to "One Day" by Matisyahu, followed by an analysis.
Analysis by Josh Rix
Analysis by Josh Rix
"One Day" by Matisyahu
Lyrics:
Sometimes I lay
Under the moon
And thank God I'm breathing
Then I pray
Don't take me soon
'Cause I am here for a reason
Sometimes in my tears I drown
But I never let it get me down
So when negativity surrounds
I know some day it'll all turn around because...
All my life I've been waiting for
I've been praying for
For the people to say
That we don't wanna fight no more
There will be no more wars
And our children will play
One day [x6]
It's not about
Win or lose
Because we all lose
When they feed on the souls of the innocent
Blood-drenched pavement
Keep on moving though the waters stay raging
In this maze you can lose your way (your way)
It might drive you crazy but don't let it faze you no way (no way)
Sometimes in my tears I drown (I drown)
But I never let it get me down (get me down)
So when negativity surrounds (surrounds)
I know some day it'll all turn around because...
All my life I've been waiting for
I've been praying for
For the people to say
That we don't wanna fight no more
There will be no more wars
And our children will play
One day [x6]
One day this all will change
Treat people the same
Stop with the violence
Down with the hate
One day we'll all be free
And proud to be
Under the same sun
Singing songs of freedom like
One day [x2]
All my life I've been waiting for
I've been praying for
For the people to say
That we don't wanna fight no more
There will be no more wars
And our children will play
One day [x6]
Lyrics:
Sometimes I lay
Under the moon
And thank God I'm breathing
Then I pray
Don't take me soon
'Cause I am here for a reason
Sometimes in my tears I drown
But I never let it get me down
So when negativity surrounds
I know some day it'll all turn around because...
All my life I've been waiting for
I've been praying for
For the people to say
That we don't wanna fight no more
There will be no more wars
And our children will play
One day [x6]
It's not about
Win or lose
Because we all lose
When they feed on the souls of the innocent
Blood-drenched pavement
Keep on moving though the waters stay raging
In this maze you can lose your way (your way)
It might drive you crazy but don't let it faze you no way (no way)
Sometimes in my tears I drown (I drown)
But I never let it get me down (get me down)
So when negativity surrounds (surrounds)
I know some day it'll all turn around because...
All my life I've been waiting for
I've been praying for
For the people to say
That we don't wanna fight no more
There will be no more wars
And our children will play
One day [x6]
One day this all will change
Treat people the same
Stop with the violence
Down with the hate
One day we'll all be free
And proud to be
Under the same sun
Singing songs of freedom like
One day [x2]
All my life I've been waiting for
I've been praying for
For the people to say
That we don't wanna fight no more
There will be no more wars
And our children will play
One day [x6]
Analysis, by Josh Rix
One Day by Matisyahu is an anti-war song. His song doesn't tell a specific story, but sings more of an overall protest against war, mainly the Iraq War, as it was written in this time period. He says things like “That we don't wanna fight no more…There will be no more wars”, showing how he wants society to protest wars, and that we can accomplish this. He also compares society with war, and society without war. He sings of society without war when he says, “Our children will play… One day we'll all be free…and proud to be…under the same sun…singing songs of freedom.” These lyrics represent a society without war, which is in his mind a better society. He talks about how the kids will play, which could be a metaphor for freedom and safety, as kids would be outside playing if they were safe and free of fear. This continues when he says “we will all be free…singing songs of freedom”, meaning that society is not free until there is no more war. On the other side of things, he also sings of society with war effecting it when he says, “Because we all lose…when they feed on the souls of the innocent…blood-drenched pavement.” These are all examples that he sees as outcomes of war, which are noticeably all negative. His talks of “us all losing” mean that there is no positive side to war, and there is no real winner. This could be stretched to say that even though one country comes out on top, it wasn't ever worth it because people died, which is also seen when he talks of the feeding on the souls of the innocent, which relates to the civilian casualties that were, sadly, happening in the Iraq War. Matisyahu also says things like, “Don't take me soon…'Cause I am here for a reason”, which shows how he sees it as his duty to help usher in an era of peace. This theme is also seen when he says “In this maze you can lose your way…it might drive you crazy but don't let it faze you …keep on moving though the waters stay raging”, which is him trying to accomplish his goal of world peace by encouraging the listeners to band together, stay focused, and work to bring world peace. He addresses the listener directly and speaks of “we” instead of “you”, which makes the listener feel closer to him and like he is going to help them in this task of world peace. Despite being an anti-war song, Matisyahu sings this in a positive tone, which suggests, along with the lyric, that there is hope for the end of war, and that someday there could actually be peace.
One Day by Matisyahu is an anti-war song. His song doesn't tell a specific story, but sings more of an overall protest against war, mainly the Iraq War, as it was written in this time period. He says things like “That we don't wanna fight no more…There will be no more wars”, showing how he wants society to protest wars, and that we can accomplish this. He also compares society with war, and society without war. He sings of society without war when he says, “Our children will play… One day we'll all be free…and proud to be…under the same sun…singing songs of freedom.” These lyrics represent a society without war, which is in his mind a better society. He talks about how the kids will play, which could be a metaphor for freedom and safety, as kids would be outside playing if they were safe and free of fear. This continues when he says “we will all be free…singing songs of freedom”, meaning that society is not free until there is no more war. On the other side of things, he also sings of society with war effecting it when he says, “Because we all lose…when they feed on the souls of the innocent…blood-drenched pavement.” These are all examples that he sees as outcomes of war, which are noticeably all negative. His talks of “us all losing” mean that there is no positive side to war, and there is no real winner. This could be stretched to say that even though one country comes out on top, it wasn't ever worth it because people died, which is also seen when he talks of the feeding on the souls of the innocent, which relates to the civilian casualties that were, sadly, happening in the Iraq War. Matisyahu also says things like, “Don't take me soon…'Cause I am here for a reason”, which shows how he sees it as his duty to help usher in an era of peace. This theme is also seen when he says “In this maze you can lose your way…it might drive you crazy but don't let it faze you …keep on moving though the waters stay raging”, which is him trying to accomplish his goal of world peace by encouraging the listeners to band together, stay focused, and work to bring world peace. He addresses the listener directly and speaks of “we” instead of “you”, which makes the listener feel closer to him and like he is going to help them in this task of world peace. Despite being an anti-war song, Matisyahu sings this in a positive tone, which suggests, along with the lyric, that there is hope for the end of war, and that someday there could actually be peace.