Song Dissection—"Second Hand Heart" (Pt. 4)

See my introductory post, “Song Dissection – Second Hand Heart (Pt. 1)” for background on this essay project. If you are a new reader, I invite you to listen to the song and watch the official music video below. The lyrics are listed for you to read as well; after which, I will continue to dissect the song and share my thoughts on the lessons that it taught me, which is one reason I love this song so much. Be sure and check back for subsequent updates in this 10-part series.

* * * * *

– Second Hand Heart –

Performed by Ben Haenow

(Featuring Kelly Clarkson)

The light of the morning finds you sleeping in my bed

And it’s not like the stories; it’s never like what they said

I know who you want me to be but I’m just not there yet

Yeah, the broken road’s always been home and it’s so hard to forget

Wait for me now

Will you wait for me now?

CHORUS:

I might think too much, drink too much, stay out too late

I know I’m just a fool, but I swear I can change

I can’t steal you the stars, but I can give you this secondhand heart

All your friends think I’m hopeless, they don’t understand

That this imperfect love can start over again

It’s been broken apart, but will you still take my secondhand heart?

(FIRST STANZA REPEATS)

(CHORUS REPEATS)

FIRST BRIDGE:

If you let me show you, I could love you the same

And I can’t steal you the stars but I can try every day

Oh, you know they’ll never tear us apart

SECOND BRIDGE:

And I’m just a fool, but I swear I can change

And I can’t steal you the stars, but I can try every day

Oh, you know you got my secondhand heart

(SECOND BRIDGE REPEATS)

* * * * *

“Wait for me now…will you wait for me now?”

An Old Testament proverb reads, “Whoso keepeth the fig tree shall eat the fruit thereof: so he that waiteth on his master shall be honoured” (Proverbs 27:18). The ancient Israelites looked forward to the coming of the Messiah, who would rescue them from bondage and save Israel, His chosen people, in the Lord’s kingdom. From Moses, to King David, to Isaiah, waiting on the Lord was a common theme of daily religious worship, and a reflection of our need for the Lord and our reliance upon God for sustenance and salvation.

Waiting on the Lord's timing can often
try our patience and our faith.

Animal sacrifices and burnt offerings were prepared in the Israelites’ portable Tabernacle in the wilderness of Sinai, and in the Temple of Solomon and Herod’s Temple, both at Jerusalem, as a foreshadowing and preparation for the sacrifice and atonement of Jesus Christ—the Lamb without blemish—which was later achieved by the shedding of His own blood as the Only Begotten Son of the Father. These ordinances kept God’s followers clean, pure, and worthy before the Lord, and restored the favor and protection of the Great Jehovah upon the children of the covenant.

Isaiah’s prophetic promise was that “they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength, … shall mount up with wings as eagles, … [and] shall run, and not be weary … [and] shall walk, and not faint” (Isaiah 40:31). He added that the children of God have not and cannot perceive with their earthly senses “what [the Lord] hath prepared for [those] that waiteth for Him” (Isaiah 64:4)—an abundant promise from He Who holds all things in heaven and on earth in His power.

"When the Angels Come"
by Clark Kelley Price
Copyright © 2012 by the Artist

When we wait on the Lord by trusting in His power and goodness; when we talk to Him often in prayer and crave His blessings and mercy; when we are patient with His timing and will for our lives; when we repent often, seek His forgiveness, and move forward with hope and reassurance in His atonement—we are waiting on the Lord. We are acting as His servants, His disciples, His stewards in spreading the message of His love and divinity to the world. But the Lord reassures us, saying “my yoke is easy, and my burden is light,” because He has promised to shoulder the yokes of life with us if we will but come unto him (Matthew 11:28-30).

I like to think that the Savior would be the best partner to have if I were carrying a yoke and pulling a heavy load behind me. I don’t imagine Him going too fast for my comfort level, but not so slowly that I would fall behind on the path or not gain from the experience. Though His abilities and skills are far above my own—indeed, perfect in every way—I don’t feel that He would ever use His power or strength to push me too hard. Shouldering a burden with Jesus at your side seems like the best way to go about performing your necessary labors.

Our pace in life is not really as
important as our direction.

And when the road becomes too rough and the load bears down too heavily, I like to think that Jesus waits for us until we are ready to put our feet back on solid ground. However, from my experiences with adversity, I feel as if the journey doesn’t stop as Jesus waits for us, but that He keeps the cart moving forward, shouldering the entire burden Himself, so that when we are ready to try again, we don’t have to pick up in the same spot where we succumbed wearily to our trial; instead, as we press forward under Christ’s strength, we do not fall behind, and we are that much closer to our destination than if we had tried to carry the burden ourselves, and had fallen by the wayside under the significant load.

The Lord Jesus and His Father know our capabilities, needs, wants, desires, talents, weaknesses, and frailties—and that is why They wait for us, and work with us. One step at a time is just fine for Them, as long as we are progressing in Their direction. But as aforementioned by Elder Neal A. Maxwell in Part Two of this essay, we are not expected to compete with or match our Father and Savior—yet. “Ye are not able to abide the presence of God now, neither the ministering of angels,” the Lord told his Saints in modern days, “wherefore, continue in patience until ye are perfected” (D&C 67:13). While waiting upon the Lord for answers or direction might try our patience and commitment at times, it’s good to remember those periods (certainly in my life, at least), when the Lord waited for us to learn by our own experience the good from the evil (Moses 5:10-11).