Lyrically Challenged

Just the other night I came across a Dockers commercial that featured, what most might describe as, a “cute little ditty” playing in the background. What these people do not understand is that the said “ditty” is actually the jovial rhythm to a song called This is the Day, made popular by 80s artist The The (who is actually one man, Matt Johnson) from the album Soul Mining. Though I was appalled at the fact that the band had fallen so quickly to the bottom rung on the success ladder that it needed to sell its musical soul to a major pants manufacturer, I couldn't help but returning to my days of youth when the tune was a common beat playing through my home or car stereo. Ironically, this is one of the first songs in which I took special interest in the words, and upon which I graduated into that arena of lyric translation that I value so much today.

For those of you unfamiliar with the tune, I've included the lyrics below…


THIS IS THE DAY

Well, you didn't wake up this morning because you didn't go to bed
You were watching the whites of your eyes turn red
The calendar on your wall is ticking the days off
You've been reading some old letters
You smile and think how much you've changed
All the money in the world couldn't buy back those days

You pull back your curtains
And the sun burns into your eyes
You watch a plane flying
Across a clear blue sky
This is the day
Your life will surely change
This is the day
When things fall into place

You could've done anything If you'd wanted
And all your friends and family think that you're lucky
But the side of you they'll never see
Is when you're left alone with the memories
That hold your life together ... like glue

You pull back your curtains
And the sun burns into your eyes
You watch a plane flying
Across a clear blue sky
This is the day
Your life will surely change
This is the day
When things fall into place

This is the day your life will surely change
This is the day your life will surely change
This is the day your life will surely change
This is the day your life will surely change


For me, the song has always represented one man's struggle to let go of the past and embrace the future. The bouncing tempo sympathetically empathizes with his fluctuating emotions on a day when he will leave the bachelor world behind and dive head first into marriage; knowing that never again will his life be the familiar routine that it has been. As he prepares for this next step, he can't help but reflect on the journey that brought him here, wondering if the path he chose was the right one.

For years I've stood by that interpretation, even arguing my point to those who perceived a different meaning in the words. However, last evening, my wife opened my eyes to an entirely new possibility. Her theory is that the song is about an individual facing a new chapter in his life, but that this “next big step” is different for each listener based on what he is currently experiencing in his own life. For example, my wedding interpretation was established when I was a bachelor; perhaps my reason for translating the lyrics into a such scenario as that would have been a major change in my life at the time, complete with doubt and reservation. If I had given more thought to the song after I got married, I may have considered that the lyrics might refer to a man who just welcomed a new child into the world, but is feeling insecure about his new father role. And, so this cycle progresses as life moves on.

Unfortunately for me, this theory makes all too much sense. So, after 20 years of believing in one meaning, I have no choice but to relinquish that faith and latch on to my wife's theory. And, while that doesn't bother me from a pride standpoint, as my wife is a very smart woman, it does make me realize one thing: I am no Sherlock Holmes when it comes to decoding the meaning behind lyrics in a song. And, that my friends, is one truth that really does hurt.