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You were cold as the blood through your bones
And the light which led us from our chosen homes
Well I was lost
And now I sleep,
Sleep the hours that I can't weep
When all I knew was steeped in blackened hopes
Well I was lost
Keep the earth below my feet
From my sweat, my blood runs weak
Let me learn from where I have been
Keep my eyes to serve, my hands to learn
Keep my eyes to serve, my hands to learn
And I was still but I was under your spell
When I was told by Jesus all was well
So all must be well
Just give me time
Well you know your desires and mine
So wrap my flesh in ivy and in twine
For I must be well
Keep the earth below my feet
From my sweat, my blood runs weak
Let me learn from where I have been
Well keep my eyes to serve, my hands to learn
Keep my eyes to serve, my hands to learn
Keep the earth below my feet
From my sweat, my blood runs weak
Let me learn from where I have been
Keep my eyes to serve, my hands to learn
Keep my eyes to serve, my hands to learn
And the light which led us from our chosen homes
Well I was lost
And now I sleep,
Sleep the hours that I can't weep
When all I knew was steeped in blackened hopes
Well I was lost
Keep the earth below my feet
From my sweat, my blood runs weak
Let me learn from where I have been
Keep my eyes to serve, my hands to learn
Keep my eyes to serve, my hands to learn
And I was still but I was under your spell
When I was told by Jesus all was well
So all must be well
Just give me time
Well you know your desires and mine
So wrap my flesh in ivy and in twine
For I must be well
Keep the earth below my feet
From my sweat, my blood runs weak
Let me learn from where I have been
Well keep my eyes to serve, my hands to learn
Keep my eyes to serve, my hands to learn
Keep the earth below my feet
From my sweat, my blood runs weak
Let me learn from where I have been
Keep my eyes to serve, my hands to learn
Keep my eyes to serve, my hands to learn
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this lyrics sums up the song (and actually most of the album) in three ways.
1) Keep me alive, and on Earth.
2)Keep me humble, from building a Tower of Babel, from thinking I can be God
3)Bring me to heaven, not hell. In hell the earth is above you, in heaven it is below.
Everyones interpretation is different (as it should be), I love that people can be inspired and discern their own meanings. Music is such a beautiful thing, everyone should feel evangelical about it.
chicagonow.com/daily-miracle/2012/09/are-mumford-sons-christian/
bigissue.com/features/1488/…
“No, it’s not a statement of faith,” clarifies Mumford. “We don’t feel evangelical about anything. Really. Other than music.” A strained conversation ensues, Mumford deciding the language used “is more social than religious, verging on philosophical”.
"Keep the earth below my feet" basically means that- don't allow him to die and thus get buried. The rest of chorus is all the same deal. "Keep my eyes to serve, my hands to learn" is again asking him not to kill him off. The only way you can see using your eyes and work using your hands is by being physically alive.
I like how this is placed with For Those Below because in the latter song, he is accepting death.
So give me hope in the darkness that I will see the light
So tame my flesh and fix my eyes, A tethered mind freed from the lie
I'll walk slow, I'll walk slow
Take my hand help me on my way
Keep the earth below my feet ...
Keep my eyes to serve, my hands to learn
And I was still, but I was under your spell
When I was told by Jesus all was well
I'll never learn to put up a guard
So keep my love my candle bright
And I was broke, I was on my knees
But you said yes as I said please
Do not let my fickle flesh go to waste
And I will love with urgency, but not with haste
Lead me to the truth and I will follow you with my whole life
Mumford was able to find strength in God and is trying to hold onto the truth that he has found. Christianity is about admitting our flesh is week and admitting that we need God's help in life. By keeping the earth below his feet, Mumford is trying to stay humble so that he won't feel the way he did when he was lost. He is trying to grounded to the lesson that he learned from his past. This is a song I think we can all relate to, or will eventually be able to relate to as life progresses.
James 4:10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.
Before you are saved by Jesus, you are live by the flesh, or the old man. When Jesus comes, he makes you a new man, and the old man is dead. The first verse is describing the old man. Sometimes it hurts letting go of your sin and holding on to Jesus, and he is having a hard time letting go of sin.
The old man is dead: "you were cold as the blood through your bones". And the false light that lead him astray from his true home with God is also cold, he is realizing. He realizes how lost he was when he was living in the old man and when he was following the false light.
He goes on to describe how he mourned his old way of life. All he knew before, (trusting in his good works, his sin, etc...) was just false hope. Again he says that he was lost.
The Bible calls Christians to be on guard and ready. So he asks God to "keep the earth below his feet" - keep his head on straight.
"For all my sweat my blood runs weak" - the Bible also talks about how our flesh is weak. He says that despite how hard he has worked to earn God's love, his flesh is weak - works are useless trying to get yourself to God.
He asks God to help him not to repeat these mistakes, so he can live his life for God and not for his flesh!
"Keep my eyes to serve" - it brings to mind other lyrics, such as those from "I Will Wait", "tame my flesh and fix my eyes". He is asking God to take his eyes and fix them on God.
"My hands to learn" - he is asking God to help him to no longer use his hands for his sinful flesh but to learn a new way - God's way.
In the second verse, he goes back to talking to his flesh, the 'old man', once again. He says he was under sin's spell - his flesh was telling him it was all fine, and it made him "still", or comfortable. But then Jesus entered the scene and saved him, broke the spell. And then he told him that "all is well". In his trust of Jesus' word, he acknowledges that because Jesus said that, all must indeed be well! It brings to mind the old hymn, It Is Well With My Soul.
But he knows he is still a sinful human being, but wants to do better. So he asks Jesus to be patient with him. Jesus desire is for him to have "truth in the inmost parts" (Psalm 51:6); his desire is to do what Jesus' will is. So he asks Jesus to wrap his flesh in ivy and in twine: in other words, bind his flesh so it no longer masters him. He desires a new master, namely, Jesus.
I think this is an amazing song about his experience with Jesus!