Lyrics Page
This Is What It Means
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Aug 14, 2026 updated
Verified editorial review
Danny Gokey's song 'This is What it Means' reflects on the full spectrum of human experience through a Christian lens. He sings about building dreams, losing a loved one, crying, laughing, and praying in unlikely places. The lyrics acknowledge both joy and pain, fear and faith, loss and grace, suggesting that all these moments are part of what it means to be alive. The song emphasizes that even in hardship, there is a deeper purpose and God's presence. It encourages listeners to embrace life's highs and lows, trusting that God works through them all.
Lyrics Verified by Editorial Team
I've built some dreams
I've held them close
Celebrated perfect days
I lost the one I loved the most
Now she's 6 feet of earth away
I've cried til I thought I couldn't stop
and I've laughed until it hurt
and I've prayed in an empty parking lot
and my friends were my church
Sometimes the joy can give you wings to fly
Sometimes the pain will cut you so just like a knife
There's fear, there's faith, there's loss, there's grace
I've seen it from both sides
This is what it means to be alive, alive
This is what it means to be alive
I've seen the face of have to have
Of a child without a home
A casualty of circumstance
Written off and all alone
I've cried for the wars that they've been through
and I've walked by their side
I've watched what the power of love can do
and how it changes lives
Sometimes the joy can give you wings to fly
Sometimes the pain will cut you so just like a knife
There's fear, there's faith, there's loss, there's grace
I've seen it from both sides
This is what it means to be alive, alive
This is what it means to be alive
This is what it means, this is what it means,
this is what it means to be alive, alive.
This is what it means, yeah
Sometimes the joy can give you wings to fly
Sometimes the pain will cut you so just like a knife
There's fear, there's faith, there's loss, there's grace
I've seen it from both sides
This is what it means to be alive