I really love this song and it has alot of meaning to me, i would not say i’m a very religious person, however; i am a very spiritual person so i can relate to the song. I think basically the song is about a man whose faith is slipping and he doesn’t know what to believe in anymore. I think everyone can relate to that some kind of way. 

When there’s nowhere else to run
Is there room for one more son, one more son
If you can hold on, if you can hold on, hold on

At this point in life he feels like he is at the end and has nowhere else to run. Hoping now he can run to the one he turned his back on, hoping there is room for one more son. Then telling himself to hold on.

I wanna stand up, I wanna let go
You know, you know; no you don’t, you don’t
I wanna shine on in the hearts of men
I want a meaning from the back of my broken hand

Here he’s saying he just want’s to let go of everything, talking to God saying “you know, no you don’t”. At this point he’s feeling like life has no meaning. The lyrics “I wanna shine on in the hearts of men and I want a meaning” symbolize how we all want feel like we have some affect on someones life and we want to know that life has some kind of meaning.

Another head aches, another heart breaks
I am so much older than I can take
And my affection, well it comes and goes
I need direction to perfection, no no no no

Here he is expressing all the pain he has seen, and how it causes many of us to become cold, then crying out to God telling him he needs direction.

Help me out
Yeah, you know you got to help me out
Yeah, oh don’t you put me on the backburner
You know you got to help me out, yeah

Crying out to God again, he is telling him you got to help me out, don’t put me on the backburner. Don’t forget about you son, because it feels as if you have.

And when there’s nowhere else to run
Is there room for one more son
These changes ain’t changing me
The gold-hearted boy I used to be

Again asking God to save room for him, because he has no where else to run. He is saying the world has had an affect on him but it still has not changed him from the gold hearted boy he once was, there still is some good inside him.

Yeah, you know you got to help me out
Yeah, oh don’t you put me on the backburner
You know you got to help me out, yeah
You’re gonna bring yourself down
Yeah, you’re gonna bring yourself down
Yeah, you’re gonna bring yourself down

I got soul, but I’m not a soldier (x10)

This line is on my page because of what it means to me. I think the line “i got soul” means he has faith but he is not a “solider in the army of God”, basically saying i believe in a higher power but i’m not a religious person. meaning why can’t it just be enough to have a good heart.  It makes me think of how religion has been used as a means for war all throughout history and the many people who have died for their beliefs.

Time, truth and hearts
(Chorus)

Over and out, last call for sin
While everyone’s lost, the battle is won
With all these things that I’ve done
All these things that I’ve done

Here he is feeling a bit of relief, feeling the battle is won because though at times his faith may have been slipping he still stayed true to himself and keep faith. He stayed a good person and stayed kind hearted. Those are all the things he has done.

Time, truth and hearts
If you can hold on
If you can hold on