Remember That You Have to Die: What Switchfoot’s ‘Forever Now’ Get’s Right About Being Alive

Image from the official Switchfoot Facebook page

Introduction

Last Friday, Switchfoot (one of my favorite bands that I’ve been listening to for over 25 years) released their fourteenth studio album entitled Forever Now. Listen to the album here!

Jon Foreman, the band’s frontman, said this about the album,

"More than an album, we wanted to craft an alarm clock. Our mind is tempted to live in the regrets of the past, or the fears of the future. We’re tempted to live in other places, through other lives looking at our phone, watching other versions of existence flow by, distracted from the ever-present reality that’s in front of us. Torn away from the ever present Now."

This album is a wake-up call to its listeners, imploring them to answer these questions:

• “How would you live if you knew that today would be your last?

• What would matter most?

• What would be worth your time?”

Forever Now is centered on the Latin phrase memento mori, which means remember that you have to die, and follows Benjamin Crow’s last day on Earth. Couching the album in this phrase might seem depressing, but there is an invitation here to live in a way that is different from the world. As Christians, we can live with our eyes fixed on forever, allowing us to be more present in the now.

Like all of their albums, this one is filled with cultural commentary combined with theological truths. I won’t extensively quote all the lyrics of each song, so if you want to follow along more closely, you can see all the song lyrics on Genius.com.

Let’s take a look at some of these tracks to discover what they say about how to live and how the truth of Scripture informs them.

Wake Up, Mr. Crow

This track sets the stage for the album. Mr. Crow is haunted by the stresses of his life and negative self-talk. He is filled with the poison of the world and lies to people about how he’s doing.

Why do I lie and say that I’m fine?

Lipstick, counterfeit, take your time

This speaks to our culture of consumption. We tend toward consuming counterfeit gods and using things of the world to fulfill us. Much of what we consume poisons us against the things of God. Instead of setting our minds on what will build up, we focus on what will tear down others and puff ourselves up.

As Christians, we can become hypocrites when we say one thing with our mouth about who is Lord of our life, but then go and live contrary to what we say.

The bridge then records his inner monologue about what he is fighting and his fear. He doesn’t know what voice is his own with all the competing voices blasting at him.

Voice at the end of the line
Which of these voices is mine?

The recurring line in the chorus is “we’ve been living in strange times.” This is a comment about the state of our world and relationship with technology, work, politics, and more. Something about it feels strange and not quite right. Like “we were meant to live for so much more."

The book of Revelation details the world that we were created for and how different it is from our world.

And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” - Revelation 21:3-5 (NIV)

There is no resolution in this song. It’s a conversation Mr. Crow is having with himself. He is starting to come out of the fog of his life, where “the morning sun like a warning sign” is waking him up to change and live differently.

Beautiful Life

This song is just a great reminder to have gratitude for what you have and that your life is beautiful, even if you don’t have everything that you want, which I’m sure is true of everyone. We always want something more out of life. It’s who we are as fallen humans.

The opening lines speak to our mental states where we are stuck in our own heads and wracked with doubt about the decisions we have to make, or having no confidence in ourselves to do what we need to do.

Open my eyes to see

Ain’t it bitter and sweet

I’m still learning to breathe

In the chorus, we have these lines interspersed with the “it’s a beautiful life” line, and they point us to how we can recognize that beauty. We need to open our eyes to be able to appreciate life, recognize that there will be ups and downs in life, and give ourselves grace because we are all still learning how to live in this world.

I don’t have what I want
But I have what I need

I love the line “I don’t have what I want, but I have what I need.” It can be really easy to look at what other people have and covet those material things. I know this happens to me when I visit friends who are more well off. I get caught in the game of comparison.

This is a reminder that all of us need to hear sometimes. Despite how we feel, the Lord has given us everything we need. We don’t need to seek satisfaction and fulfillment in more stuff.

Paul provides us with the “secret of being content in any and every situation” in Philippians 4.

Rejoice in the Lord always. [...] Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. - Philippians 4:4a,6-7 (NIV)

So first he tells us to be rooted in prayer in every situation, then he tells us what to think on and what to do.

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. - Philippians 4:8-9 (NIV)

YFWYA (You Forgot Who You Are)

This track speaks confidently about being made in the image of God. That He loves us and that we aren’t "made to carry the weight of the pain [we] hold."

I love the opening of this song. There is a sense of God working on this person for a long time, and then, just like that, it hits them, and they have to tell someone what just happened because it’s the best thing that has ever happened to them.

You forgot who you are
You’ve forgotten what you know by heart

This last line in the chorus is an important theological statement. Every human being is made in the image of God. Therefore, it follows that every human being knows this fact by heart and has just “forgotten” it. Whether by not being raised in the faith or by their own suppression of the truth.

Romans 1 speaks to this truth of all people knowing who God is but rejecting him by their own choice.

For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.

For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles. - Romans 1:20-23 (NIV)

Same Blood

This song is a lament for humanity. We all share the same blood, that of Adam, and therefore all share in the same fallen, sinful nature.

Lyrics like “born in this world of mourning” and “born from these swords formed from war” point to the world being a place of mourning and violence.

And then we see not only is it the world itself that’s broken, but us as human beings. We want to blame other people for our problems, but many times, it’s ourselves preventing us from achieving what we want. The same blood of those politicians is in us, and instead of focusing on ourselves, we want to blame-shift.

Faces of politicians

Blamed for all our decisions

Scripture backs up the lyrics of this song. For example, in Genesis 6, we read about the state of humanity before the flood occurred.

The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time. The Lord regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled. - Genesis 6:5-6 (NIV)

While this song doesn’t end on a hopeful note, we know that Christ is the second Adam and His blood washes us white as snow. Romans 5 speaks to this concept of Christ being the second Adam through whom we are saved.

For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous. - Romans 5:19 (NIV)

Conclusion

There is much more on this album worth exploring. I can’t go through every single song, or this blog post would be thousands of words longer than it already is.

At the end of the album, we come back to the questions the band is asking us. The answers to these questions will be different for everyone, I’m sure, but I’ll give you my answers.

How would you live if you knew that today would be your last? I would live without fear of what would happen in the future. I would live in the fullness of who God made me to be. I would live with a sense of urgency to make the most of this day instead of wasting it away on my phone or being alone.

What would matter most? Being with my spouse would matter most. Playing with my kids would matter most. Seeing my family would matter most. Spending time with God would matter most. Telling others about Jesus would matter most.

What would be worth your time? Time with the people I love would be worth it. Time sharing the gospel would be worth it. Time enjoying God’s creation and worshiping would be worth it. Being fully present in every single moment would be worth it.

I hope that the music on Forever Now will be a consistent reminder, every time I listen, to live a life that is more rooted in the truth of Scripture, to live in a way that aligns with who God created me to be, and to focus on what is important instead of distracting myself with what is easy and pleasurable.

I pray that the same can be true for you. Music is a powerful tool that gives words to feelings we can’t explain and can emotionally move us so much that it leads to action. This is one of those albums, and I encourage you to listen to it.

As we conclude, I’ll leave you with some words of scripture that I think speak well to the themes of this music. Themes about the uncertainty of tomorrow, the call to remember our mortality, and the only One who can save us from sin and death. His name is Jesus.

“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him. - Matthew 24:42-44 (NIV)