Lyrics Page
Diary
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Sep 15, 2026 updated
Verified editorial review
Song Meaning
MercyMe frames this one as a literal countdown of stuck days — "day one, drifting out at sea, no sign of land, no sign of hope for me... day two or day six, day twenty, day fifty, they're all the same." That flat repetition does the emotional work; the song isn't describing a single bad moment, it's describing exhaustion from one that won't end.
The rescue, when it comes, is described almost cinematically — "a man walking above all of this that surrounds me... rips me free" — an image close to Matthew 14:29-31's account of Jesus walking on the water Peter was sinking in, arriving from above the situation rather than from inside it.
The chorus's odd, almost casual address — "how can I ever repay You, mister?" — undercuts how dramatic the rescue actually was, which fits the song's plainspoken tone throughout. "Setting my desperate soul on dry land" pulls close to Psalm 40:1-2's image of being lifted "out of the slimy pit" onto solid ground, the same relief stretched out here across fifty stuck days finally ending.
Lyrics Verified by Editorial Team
Day one, drifting out at sea
No sign of land, no sign of hope for me
Drifting to and fro by the waves of complacency
I'm just so tired of fighting to breathe
Day two or day six, day twenty, day fifty
They're all the same, nothing changes for me
When will I ever be rescued?
When will I ever be free?
Oh, God, someone hear me someone, please, yeah
But wait, oh, but wait, there's a man
Walking above all of this that surrounds me
He takes my hand, takes my heart, rips me free
Rips me free, rips me free, rips me free
How can I ever repay You, mister?
For setting my desperate soul on dry land
For sending those storms away with a whisper
For taking all of my burdens in Your hands
In Your hands, in Your hands
Today things have most certainly changed
All of my pain for all God's hope exchanged
When will I ever be rescued?
That was my desperate plea
And God, You heard me and set me free
How can I ever repay You, mister?
For setting my desperate soul on dry land
For sending those storms away with a whisper
For taking all of my burdens in Your hands
In Your hands, in Your hands
How can I ever repay You, mister?
For setting my desperate soul on dry land
For sending those storms away with a whisper
For taking all of my burdens
All of my burdens in Your hands