Lyrics
Verse 1
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
Pre-Chorus
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
Chorus
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
Verse 2
Sometimes memory tricks or trades
Sometimes the photograph, it fades
So I counterfeit
A creation myth
To understand me
Verse 3
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
Chorus
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
Bridge
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
Chorus
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
Outro
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
Meaning & Inspiration
What Is is a reflective song about receiving the present moment instead of wishing it away. The first verse looks at what could have been and what should have been, and sees that these questions are asked in vain, while the next section says that the present can be opened every day even if some losses are mourned. The chorus states the aim: "I wanna wake up in the moment, receiving what is."
Later verses speak of memory that tricks or fades, of returning to a hometown and finding that the Healer would not let go, and of a view of the end where the past and future gather and the line "What was and is and is to come" echoes Revelation 1:8. The theme of receiving each day fits Psalm 118:24, Matthew 6:34 and Lamentations 3:22-23. The tone is quiet, poetic and contemplative, and the song suits reflective worship more than a group sing-along.
Related Scripture
- Psalm 118:24 This is the day the Lord has made; rejoice and be glad in it.
- Matthew 6:34 Jesus teaches not to worry about tomorrow.
- Revelation 1:8 The Lord is the one who is, who was and who is to come.