[Verse 1]
Sunday mornin'
Preacher said
Life's a mist it's just a breath
We're only here for a little while
He talked about
His daddy's grave
It read 1910 to '98
But the years between were just a little line
[Pre-Chorus]
Got me wondering what I'm chasing
Don't want another minute wasted
[Chorus]
There's a day we're born
Day we pass
In between there's just a dash
What on earth am I doing
What on earth am I doing
Yeah I got time
But time goes fast
Yeah that line is all I have
What on earth am I doing
What on earth am I doing
[Verse 2]
I could take this life
And live it well
Or I could keep on living it for myself
What's He gonna say when He calls me up?
Was I just words
Or was I love
Did I love great or just good enough
I just hope He says well done
[Pre-Chorus]
I keep on wondering what I'm chasing
Don't want another minute wasted
[Chorus]
There's a day we're born
Day we pass
In between there's just a dash
What on earth am I doing
What on earth am I doing
Yeah I got time
But time goes fast
Yeah that line is all I have
What on earth am I doing
What on earth am I doing
[Bridge]
Cause real life's in the trenches, not from the stands
In our lofty benches with manicured hands
I want a dash that's dirty, a life fully spent
Weathered and scarred from all the life that I lived
The times that we go out of our way
To paint beautiful blue over somebody's grey
When we stopped and defended injustice
Or sanded the heart of a friend that got rusted
I don't know my number or year that I'll pass
From this cold world to the kingdom that lasts
But carpe diem it's worth it ...to live it not blur it
Or years could fly by and you still ain't met purpose
[Chorus]
There's a day we're born
Day we pass
In between there's just a dash
What on earth am I doing
What on earth am I doing
Yeah I got time
But time goes fast
Yeah that line is all I have
What on earth am I doing
What on earth am I doing
[Outro]
Life's short, but a vapor
What you gonna do, what you gonna do with yours
What on earth am I doing
What on earth am I doing
What on earth am I doing
What on earth am I doing
— [DASH]
Song Meaning
Crowder sets "— [DASH]" inside an ordinary Sunday sermon rather than a personal crisis — "Sunday mornin', preacher said, life's a mist it's just a breath, we're only here for a little while" — and "he talked about his daddy's grave, it read 1910 to '98" turns an entire lifetime into two numbers separated by a punctuation mark.
"But the years between were just a little line" names the title image directly, and "got me wondering what I'm chasing, don't want another minute wasted" turns the graveside observation into a personal question. The chorus repeats that question without answering it — "what on earth am I doing?" — insisting on urgency rather than resolution.
"What's He gonna say when He calls me up? Was I just words, or was I love?" names the actual standard the song is measuring against, and "I just hope He says well done" borrows the parable's own verdict directly. "I want a dash that's dirty, a life fully spent, weathered and scarred from all the life that I lived" rejects a safe, undamaged life as the goal, and the bridge's closing plea — "carpe diem, it's worth it to live it not blur it, or years could fly by and you still ain't met purpose" — restates the whole song's urgency one final time before the repeated question closes it, still unanswered on purpose.