"With Arms Wide Open" by Creed is a song about welcoming his new baby into the world and hoping his child embraces life unlike he did. The first verse talks about "hearing the news" of the new baby. The chorus tells the baby "welcome to this place / I'll show you everything / With arms wide open." The chorus is touching to me because it is taking somebody under your wing, and welcoming them and loving them. It also creates a feeling of remorse and empathy, because if the author had "only one demand," he'd want his child to "understand that [he] can ... greet the world with arms wide open" and hopes the child is "not like [him]." As I put myself mentally in the author's shoes, this line of the song evokes memories of mistakes I've made, such as being shy. Hoping his child can learn to live life to the fullest is almost like forgiving his self for his past mistakes, admitting them, and wanting to be better. Wanting his child to be better shows that he values embracing life, and he demonstrates that by welcoming his baby "with arms wide open," the same way he wants his baby to "greet the world."
I listened to this song on my ipod a lot during girls' camp, reflecting on myself being shy as opposed to being open to making friends. I listened to it on the bus, and I fell asleep in my tent listening to it while I had a nap. I liked how I could relate to the regretful feeling of the song (and somewhat hopeless, because saying "I hope he's not like me" in the present tense seems to mean that the author doesn't "greet the world with arms wide open" because otherwise he could have said "I hope he's not like I used to be" or "I hope he's like me"). So, it was nice to feel like I wasn't alone. The music is touching and has a sense of "it's not too late to change." Overall, it's a nice positive song inspiring people to live the life they want to without holding back.
With Arms Wide Open - Creed
It seems my life is going to change
I close my eyes, begin to pray
Then tears of joy stream down my face
With arms wide open
Under the sunlight
Welcome to this place
I'll show you everything
With arms wide open
With arms wide open
Well I don't know if I'm ready
To be the man I have to be
I'll take a breath, I'll take her by my side
We stand in awe, we've created life
With arms wide open
Under the sunlight
Welcome to this place
I'll show you everything
With arms wide open
Now everything has changed
I'll show you love
I'll show you everything
With arms wide open
With arms wide open
I'll show you everything ...oh yeah
With arms wide open..wide open
[Guitar Break]
If I had just one wish
Only one demand
I hope he's not like me
I hope he understands
That he can take this life
And hold it by the hand
And he can greet the world
With arms wide open...
With arms wide open
Under the sunlight
Welcome to this place
I'll show you everything
With arms wide open
Now everything has changed
I'll show you love
I'll show you everything
With arms wide open
With arms wide open
I'll show you everything..oh yeah
With arms wide open....wide open
Creed is awesome and this song is awesome. I think the way he sings completely complements the lyrics to the song, and goes with their tone.
ReplyDeleteYeah, he's a good singer. Very unique voice, in my opinion. (As a complement on it not being interesting instead of typical and unmemorable.)
ReplyDelete