Review – “Vice Verses”

No Skips

Growing up as the son (and grandson) of a pastor in Baptist churches, I was always curious about the decision to skip certain verses in hymns. I can remember many times various song leaders would direct the congregation to sing the first, second, and last (fourth) verse of hymns. Why did the third verse get passed over so often? A time constraint? Worry of the song losing it’s momentum by the fourth verse? Why?

An example that sticks out to me is “Joy To The World.” The third verse is amazing: 

“No more let sins and sorrows grow

Nor thorns infest the ground

He comes to make His blessings flow

Far as the curse is found

Far as the curse is found

Far as, far as the curse is found.”

While verses one and two give wonderful celebrations of nature and God’s glory and while verse four focuses our view on God’s dominion and power….somehow….verse three was constantly skipped. 

And yet, it gave a rich and true picture of fallen humanity and sin. There are sins and sorrows that are now growing. There are thorns infesting all the ground we try to cultivate. The curse is found everywhere and in everyone. The verse tells it like it is as it also promises the redemptive work of Christ in all of it.

Switchfoot released their album Vice Verses in 2011 and it is a parallel to that third verse above. It describes our struggles and darkness and it deals with our hopes and salvation. In my opinion, it also one of their finest albums.

This is a Verse you simply cannot skip.

Track Highlights

A slick bit of guitar work and lyrics like “I’ve tasted fire, I’m ready to come alive, I can’t just shut it up and fake that I’m alright, I’m ready now” kick off the record on aggressive terms with “Afterlife.” Switchfoot wastes no time in setting the table thematically and musically. There are questions to be asked, like “And I wonder, why would I wait till I die to come alive?” The stakes are raised in the second verse as lead singer Jon Foreman writes, “I still believe in us together, You and I we’re here together now, Forever now, Forever now, or never now.” In the midst of the personal vices, either hope comes together or it all falls apart.

The early aggression continues with “The War Inside,” a song that makes clear where our struggles begin. “Every fight comes from the fight within,” is the truth made plain. This isn’t about pointing the finger at others – it is a truth about sinful humanity. There is hope present when Foreman writes “I get the feeling that our weapons are lo-fi.” If we can sing verses about our vices, maybe there’s a song/‘weapon’ for redemption as well.

The tempo changes with “Restless,” which directly follows “The War Inside.” Thematically, this track echoes what has come before with a nod to Augustine’s famous quote about our souls “restless” search/need for God. “Running hard for the infinite, with the tears of saints and hypocrites…I am restless, I’m looking for You.” Arriving at the bridge there is a wonderful brightness emerging as Foreman writes, “I can hear You leading, more than just a feeling, more than just a feeling.” If there is a “war inside” of us, then the good news is there is a God and a Hope above us.

In an album loaded with some of Switchfoot’s best songs, “Dark Horses” deserves discussion. Building on the vice theme, the first verse takes ownership, “I’ve made my mistakes, I’ve seen my heart cave in, I got my scars, I’ve been to hell and back again.” Foreman and Switchfoot have consistently excelled at writing honest songs about the sinfulness inside of us and this song (and this record) do it well once more. The chorus explodes with demands that hit with urgency, “Hey, you can’t count us out, We’ve been been running up against the crowd, Yeah we’re the dark horses…Wait! It’s not over now, We’ve been down but we’ve never been out, Yeah we’re the dark horses.” Infectious, inspiring, and courageous, this song matters. The pre-chorus summarizes it all, “Born for the blue skies, We’ll survive the rain, Born for the sunrise, We’ll survive the pain.”

“Souvenirs” warrants a mention as well. A moment to reflect and look back. “We were so young, We had no fear, We were so young, We had no idea, That life was just happening, life was just happening.” Remembering with “mental pictures of everything,” as opposed to photos captured on a phone. The weapons are “lo-fi” indeed, but they work. 

“Rise Above It” follows next with a forward push present from the first notes. This is a call to press on. Don’t settle or sell out. “I get so sick of it, It feels so counterfeit, I rise above it, Rise above it.” When the world offers vast opportunities to comfortably compromise, this song calls for the better response.

Best Of The Best

“Thrive” – While Switchfoot gained notoriety with soaring anthems (“Dare You To Move”) and rock-infused calls to action (“Meant To Live”), I would argue that an underrated third category in their catalog is the introspective mirror. Songs that force the listener to hold up a mirror and honestly examine themselves. Vice Verses has two of their very best efforts in this category and “Thrive” is one of them.

The first verse haunts: “Been fighting things that I can’t see in, Like voices coming from the inside of me and, Doing things I find hard to believe in, Am I myself or am I dreaming?” The pre-chorus even hints at the mirror imagery: “Am I man when I feel like a ghost? The stranger in the mirror is wearing my clothes.” 

Foreman’s delivery of these confessions develop the heartbeat of the albums themes: the darkness we find in this world (and in our own hearts), the search for answers, and a seeking of a way out. “I know that I’m not right, It feels like I travel but I never arrive, I want to thrive, not just survive.”

Foreman lets the song finish without the hopeful resolution or redemptive element. With this song coming at the middle of the album, it is the right choice. All the longing and “war” inside that has come before, and the “restless” search has led to this. “Thrive” functions as a beautiful and sorrowful midpoint.

“Vice Verses” – As detailed above, there is a second standout introspective mirror to be found on the album and it is the title track. What catches the attention right away is the acoustic guitar leading the way where the whole album until this point it has barely been heard. This is a profound gear-change but it still packs a punch to be sure.

“Wonder what it means to live forever? Wonder what it means to die? I know that there’s a meaning to it all, A little resurrection every time I fall, You got your babies I got my hearses, Every blessing comes with a set of curses, I got my vices, got my vice verses, I got my vice verses.”

This is Foreman and Switchfoot operating at peak powers. Deeply reflective and honest. Clever but not pretentious writing. Something real and true.

As verse three arrives, Foreman asks five questions:

“Where is God in the city life? Where is God in the city light? Where is God in the earthquake? Where is God in the genocide? Where are You in my broken heart?” Though the questions are heavy notice the progression from local (“city”), to regional (“earthquake”), to national (“genocide”), and then…dramatically pivoting back to personal (“my broken heart”). 

After the questions, a request: “Everything seems to fall apart, everything feels rusted over, Tell me that You’re there.” Beyond the questions and the pain of introspection…there is the deep need to know God’s presence. 

“Where I Belong” – The album finishes with a “verse” of hope and promise. “Where I Belong” is a fitting closer for a record like this. If “Vice Verses” was the acoustic questioning, “Where I Belong” marches forward with a constant beat and a hopeful swelling of guitars. 

The second verse builds on the themes that have come before “We were born into the fight, But I’m not sentimental, This skin and bones is a rental, And no one makes it out alive.” For better or worse, this is where we are. This is where we live. This is where our “war” plays out every day.

Then the chorus “…Still looking for a home, In a world where I belong, Where the weak are finally strong, Where the righteous right the wrongs, Still looking for a home, In a world where I belong.” 

As it nears conclusion the chorus is changed “On that final I day I die, I want to hold my head up high, I want to tell You that I tried, To live it like a song, And when I reach the other side, I want to look You in the eye, And know that I’ve arrived, In a world where I belong.” No longer looking outward, or inward, or backward…Foreman looks to the future. There WILL be a final day. There WILL be a time when this is all over and we stand before God. The “restless” search will be over and the time for questions is over. You will stand before Him.

What matters is to know His Son and live like Him. To have lived your life never giving up to the “war inside.” To “rise above it” and live for more.  To “right the wrongs.” To know that this earthly life and this sin-filled world was never a place to call home.

Vice Verses is a beautiful, haunting, hopeful, and realistic collection of songs that capture what it is to be human. To live out your days in this broken world. To know that nothing here can ever satisfy. To accept being a dark horse as you run your race for Him.

It is a record that accurately describes the “rain” we face now but holds onto the certainty of the “blue skies” we were born for. 

We can honestly sing these vice verses, but wait till you get the chorus. There is redemption, hope, salvation, and belonging – we can sing those words as well. Loudly!

On this side of eternity, I’m glad a record like this exists. This is a Verse that is needed. Joy to the world, far as the (vice) verse is found!

Thanks for reading.  Your comments and insights are always welcomed.  If you enjoyed this, please share it.  Want more content?  Check the archives, my youtube channel, or listen to me on the Cross-Cutting Culture Podcast.