Anberlin: The Unwinding Cable Car Meaning

Song Released: 2007

The Unwinding Cable Car Lyrics

Emotive unstable you're like an unwinding cable car
Listening for voices, but it's the choices that make us who we are
Go your own way, even seasons have changed just burn those new leaves over
So self-absorbed you've seemed to ignore the...

1. anonymous

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   Nov 17th 2012 !⃝

   The Christian life is characterized by FREEDOM from having to tow the line of society's, or even our own self-crafted or family-learned laws and expected performance. Even the performance of Christ's moral life and good works he has planned for each believer is done by HIS power and virtue and the Holy Spirit he said he'd send to comfort and help us after his ascension, until he returns or we join Him.
   To be self-absorbed is to move backwards into trying to map out our own course to heaven again as the other world religions and atheism have us do, asking ourselves always "how am I doing? How do I look to others? What is my next step? Who will care for me? (Or for the self directed, how can I pull my own hopelessly tangled strings?" The Lord's system on the other hand says that our (scary at first) total freedom from humanly impossible standards depends on listening for a still, small voice of the Holy Spirit, who with quiet words will teach us and lead us in (to heaven and before that to relationship with the living Christ). We are promised that at that point we will "know, even as we are [perfectly I add] KNOWN" it takes faith to believe God not only MADE us but knows what is good for each individual while also being able to use even our missteps for good and give growth from season to season, whereas we as humans look at change and error with excessive fear both of waste and punishment. The Bible however says that perfect love casts out fear and that for believers -no,t sadly for willful unbelievers - fear has to do with punishment, which has all been taken for believers by Jesus willingly on the cross and during his life here. So we are free to burn those leaves both of our steps and seasons of life and move on, ever learning WHICH of those steps which are all LEGAL for a forgiven believer, are actually, as Paul says, PROFITABLE for him or her during each stage of life, not pining away to be young again or relive some golden era, or regret mistakes and outright sins but to be taught by those quiet words all we need to be convinced of God's perfect love for us AND control of each situation even in spite of our best attempts to mess situations up. Easily said, but a lifetime to master--witness the disciples who so quickly forgot "the prayers that had already come" --both Christ's and their own--and would immediately question Jesus ability to save them from a storm, feed a crowd (even after doing it previously!) or heal a brother or friend...
2. anonymous

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   Nov 6th 2011 !⃝

   The lead singer claims the song talks about someone who looks into the future and realizes they were never satisfied with the present.
3. Jon Matzke

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   Dec 11th 2010 !⃝

   "listening for voices, but its the choices that make us who we are"
   
   this song is about someone that the singer truly cares about and is watching them come unraveled. he sees it all happening right before his eyes and knows that he can help. "so self absorbed you seem to ignore the prayers that have already come about" the subject of the song doesn't see the good in life and is wallowing in their own self pity.
   the chorus states "Don't drop your arms, I'll guard your heart
   With quiet words I'll lead you in" Don't give up, just let me help you is what he is saying.
   "the hair in your eyes, it never disguised what you're really thinking of" he can read the person like a book because he has known them for so long and cares for them so much.
   You're so brilliant, dont soon forget
   
   It's all really a song about trying to get through to someone that you really love and care about and trying to convince them you understand and you are there for them even if they don't see it yet.

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