Sandra McCracken - What Is Lyrics
Lyrics
What could have been
Missed the only train
"What should have been"
We only ask in vain
What we we aim for, we exchange for
Where we've landed
You can open up the present every day
You can cry for the one that got away
Like the rain at dawn,
And the clouds roll on
Empty handed
We could miss all of this,
If we wish it all away
I wanna wake up
In the moment,
Receiving what is
What is, what is
Oooh,
What is, what is
What is
Oooh
Sometimes memory tricks or trades
Sometimes the photograph, it fades
So I counterfeit
A creation myth
To understand me
I went back to my old hometown
The whole scene almost knocked me down
I thought I'd left for good
But the Healer would
Not unhand me
We could miss all of this,
If we wish it all away
I wanna wake up
In the moment,
Receiving what is
What is, what is
Oooh,
What is, what is
What is
Oooh
I can see the end of it
Every vector pointing
To the wondrous why and when of it
And all the lines rejoining
At the still point of the turning world
Where the past and future gather
What was and is and is to come
What is ever after
We could miss all of this,
If we wish it all away
I wanna wake up
In the moment,
Receiving what is
What is, what is
Oooh,
What is, what is
What is
Oooh
What we aim for, we exchange for where we've landed
Like the rain at dawn and the clouds roll on empty handed
I wanna wake up in this moment
I wanna wake up in this moment,
Receiving what is
Video
What Is
Meaning & Inspiration
Sandra McCracken’s "What Is," released on March 26, 2024, is a profound invitation to embrace the present moment, a theme deeply resonant with the teachings of Scripture. The song begins by acknowledging the human tendency to dwell on what "could have been" or "should have been," the trains missed and the opportunities lost. This lament is a familiar human experience, echoing the Psalmist's often melancholic reflections on past troubles, yet McCracken guides us away from this cycle of regret. She posits that these inquiries into the past are often asked in vain, a sentiment that aligns with the wisdom found in passages like Ecclesiastes 7:10, which cautions against saying, "Why were the former days better than these?" The central struggle presented is the exchange of our present reality, "where we've landed," for aspirations or regrets, leaving us "empty handed."
The song’s core message unfolds as an antidote to this dissatisfaction: the power of "opening up the present every day." McCracken urges us to move beyond crying for "the one that got away," recognizing that such lamenting, like the transient "rain at dawn" and "clouds roll on," does not change our current state. The yearning to "wake up in the moment, receiving what is" is a spiritual discipline, a conscious choice to inhabit our current reality with openness and acceptance. This resonates powerfully with the biblical emphasis on living in faith and trusting God's providence, particularly the call to cast our anxieties on Him, as Peter writes in 1 Peter 5:7: "Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." The desire to receive "what is" is an act of surrender, akin to Jesus' prayer in Gethsemane, "Yet not what I will, but what you will" (Mark 14:36).
McCracken then explores the deceptive nature of memory and self-perception. She notes how "memory tricks or trades" and photographs "fade," leading to the creation of a "creation myth" to understand oneself. This speaks to our internal narratives and the stories we tell ourselves, which can often be flawed or incomplete. The journey back to an old hometown, where the past "almost knocked me down," illustrates the enduring grip of past experiences. Yet, the acknowledgment that "the Healer would not unhand me" is a pivotal spiritual insight. It suggests an unwavering divine presence, a persistent grace that holds us even when we feel overwhelmed by our history. This echoes the promise in Isaiah 41:13: "For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, ‘Do not fear; I will help you.’"
The song culminates in a breathtaking vision of unity and divine purpose. McCracken speaks of seeing "the end of it," where every "vector pointing" leads to the "wondrous why and when of it." This is the recognition of God's sovereign plan, that all things, past, present, and future, converge at a "still point." The imagery of "where the past and future gather," and "what was and is and is to come," is a profound reflection of God's eternal nature and His overarching narrative of redemption. Revelation 1:8 declares, "I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.” The ultimate realization is that to truly "wake up in this moment" is to be found in receiving "what is," not out of resignation, but out of a deep trust in the One who orchestrates all things, recognizing that "what is ever after" is in His loving hands. The repeated call to "wake up in this moment, receiving what is" is a powerful call to presence, an encouragement to live fully within the grace and plan that God has for each day.