Switchfoot-Enough to Let Me Go (Learn English with Songs)
Lyrics
Oh, I'm a wandering soul
I'm still walking the line
That leads me home
Alone
All I know
I still got mountains to climb
On my own
On my own
Do you love me enough to let me go?
Do you love me enough to let me go?
To let me follow through
Let me fall for you, my love
Do you love me enough to let me go?
Back from the dead of winter
Back from the dead and all our leaves are dry
You're so beautiful tonight
Do you love me enough to let me go?
Back from the dead we went through
Back from the dead and both our tongues are tied
You look beautiful tonight
Do you love me enough to let me go?
But every seed dies before it grows
Do you love me enough to let me go?
Do you love me enough to let me go?
To let me follow through
To let me fall for you, my love
Do you love me enough to let me go?
Breathe it in and let it go
Every breath you take is not yours to own
It's not yours to hold
Do you love me enough to let me go?
Do you love me enough to let me go?
Do you love me enough to let me go?
And to let me follow through
To let me fall for you, my love
Do you love me enough to let me go?
Difficult Phrases and Words
wandering
Context: Oh, I'm a wandering soul
Definition: characterized by aimless, slow, or pointless movement - sometimes for exploring.
Additional sentence: I enjoy wandering around nature.
let me go
Context: Do you love me enough to let me go?
Definition: to lose control (In this example, the singer is asking his partner if she loves him enough to lose control of him.)
Additional sentence: Jon pinned Luke to the ground, so Luke yelled “Let me go!”
tongues are tied
Context: Back from the dead and both our tongues are tied
Definition: not able to speak. Usually seen as “tongue-tied".
Additional sentence: The employee’s boss was yelling at him, and the employee got tongue-tied.
Singer’s Explanation of the Song
"This one started with the guitar hook I came up with during sound-check; however, most of the song took shape in a hotel room in Australia. I was thinking about how love (not just lust or codependency that commonly flood the tunes on the airways) actually involves quite a bit of faith. There's a lot of letting go involved. Two souls in love is an intricate dance of give and take. I can be a fairly solitary person from time to time. Sure, I love being with people, but I also need time alone. I guess I thrive on the poles. So this song is about the dance involved in a relationship the coming together and letting go. The song equates love with breathing- pulling in and releasing. Or a seed, for the seed to grow it has to be dropped and buried.
In our barcode media, love is often portrayed as consumption. As consumers in a commercial driven culture we can begin to view other souls as objects, or potential cures for our deepest fears and insecurities. "Perhaps if I found the right lover I would no longer feel this deep existential despair." But of course no human soul could be the Constant Other, the face that will never go away. Only the infinite can fill that role. But the silence can be deafening. It's a fearful thing to be alone. Do you love me enough to let me go? "I can't live without you"- "I would die if you ever left me"- These are not the songs of love, these are the songs of consumption."
Discussion Questions
What do you think this song is about?
Can you relate to anything in this song? Do you or someone you know treat relationships in a consumption, materialist way? Do you or someone you know become too reliant on a certain relationship?
After reading the singer’s explanation of the song, what do you think of his thoughts? Do you see a lot of consumption around you instead of true love?
Do you think it is possible for people to wander in order to find themselves? When do you think it is good to wander, and when do you think it is not wise to wander?
The singer sings “Do you love me enough to let me go?” Could you let go of your loved ones?
When do you usually get tongue-tied? Do you remember a time when someone got tongue-tied around you?