Steve Taylor and the Perfect Foil – A Life Preserved

Relatively recent alternative rock band Steve Taylor and the Perfect Foil formed after Taylor’s frustration with his Kickstarter fundraised film Blue Like Jazz.  He collaborated with drummer Peter Furler (Newsboys, Peter Furler Band), guitarist Jimmy Abegg (Vector, A Ragamuffin Band), and bassist John Mark Painter (Fleming and John).  They recorded A Life Preserved as part of the film’s soundtrack.  The film had a budget of $1.2 Million and earned only $595,018 at the box office since its release in 2012.

Taylor went on to make his fifth studio recording in 2014 entitled Goliath.   It was his first under the name “Steve Taylor and the Perfect Foil” and included A Life Preserved from the aforementioned film.  The album received critical acclaim with Popdose.com calling it “one of the best albums of the year.”

Lyrics can be found at https://www.musixmatch.com/lyrics/Steve-Taylor-The-Perfect-Foil/A-Life-Preserved.

Note to new users: This is a different kind of review site!  Read About the Berean Test and Evaluation Criteria prior to reading this review.

1. What message does the song communicate?

In summary, Steve Taylor and the Perfect Foil, from a first-person singular perspective, describe a “narrator” who presumedly is a performer, struggling with the ebb and flow of daily life.  With a broken spirit, they are rescued by an unidentified “You”, transformed to a better, more graceful person.  They have found their footing on a solid foundation by which to grow.

Unfortunately, Steve Taylor and the Perfect Foil gives us little clarity as to the identity of “You” throughout these lyrics.  It might be safe to assume God given their own personal convictions; However, that does not excuse their ambiguity.

I appreciate the poetic nature of these lyrics, much like that of House of Heroes’ In the Valley of the Dying Sun.  It brings life to a message of deliverance from temporal struggles, a practical benefit for all who listen.

Score: 7/10

2. How much of the lyrics line up with Scripture?

Although the lyrics are not clear about the identity of “You”, we will assume that it refers to God and evaluate accordingly; However, I will deduct credit for the lack of clarity.

Since I could not find a verse/chorus/bridge layout, I assigned numbers to each stanza to distinguish them.

[Stanza 1]

I get the sense that the narrator is struggling with something, though they do not specify what.

[Stanza 2]

Their profession is some sort of performer, perhaps a daredevil or circus performer.  They are looking for their next gig, experiencing life’s up’s and downs, though currently in a “down” state.  It is there that “You” finds this person, much like a Good Shepherd finds a lost sheep, or a lost coin, or a prodigal son (see Luke 15:3-32).

[Stanza 3]

Lines 1 and 2: God calls us from darkness to a relationship with Himself and to perform good works (see Matthew 22:1-14, Luke 14:15-24, John 5:25, John 10:3, Romans 8:30, 1 Corinthians 7:18-22, Ephesians 4:1, 2 Thessalonians 2:14, 1 Timothy 6:12, Hebrews 3:1, Hebrews 9:15, 1 Peter 2:9, 1 Peter 5:10, 2 Peter 1:1-10, Jude 1:1, and Revelation 17:14).  He has been called to the Truth (see 2 Samuel 7:25-28, Psalm 119:142, Psalm 119:151, Psalm 119:160, and John 17:17-19).  Also, see Psalm 107:10-16, Luke 1:79 (read in context; “child” refers to Jesus), John 1:1-13, John 12:46, Ephesians 5:8, Colossians 1:13, and 1 Peter 2:9 for passages regarding light driving out darkness.

Line 3: I sense humility in stating the cheapness of such a word; However, thankfulness ought to be our attitude in response to salvation (see Psalm 95:1-3, Psalm 100:4, Psalm 106:1, Psalm 107:1, Psalm 118:1, 1 Chronicles 16:34, 2 Corinthians 4:15, 2 Corinthians 9:11-12, Philippians 4:6, Colossians 3:15-17, Colossians 4:2, 1 Thessalonians 5:18, 1 Timothy 4:4-5, and Hebrews 12:28-29).

Lines 4-6: Repeats themes expressed in lines 1 and 2 and adds a new facet: the preservation of life, that is, salvation (see Genesis 15:6, Exodus 33:19, Psalm 32:1-2, Romans 3:21-24, Romans 4:3-8, Romans 5:1-2, Romans 5:6-8, Romans 5:15-21, Romans 6:14, Romans 8:1-4, Romans 9:14-16, Romans 11:5-6, Galatians 2:21, Galatians 3:6, Galatians 5:4, Ephesians 1:7, Ephesians 2:4-9, 2 Thessalonians 2:16, Titus 2:11, 1 Timothy 1:15-16, and James 2:23).

[Stanza 4]

Line 1: Repeats theme of Stanza 3, lines 5 and 6.

Line 2-3: What the narrator is stating is that creation itself painfully and reluctantly placed them from a state of despair to a solid rock, probably the foundation of solid rock as described in Matthew 7:24-25 and Luke 6:46-48.  Unfortunately, there are no Bible verses that state creation does this.  Rather, creation groans in expectation of the redemption of our body, according to Romans 8:19-23.

Line 4: The first part makes sense insofar as God is the solid rock as described earlier; However, it is not clear who is issuing commands or which ones they are.

[Stanza 5]

Repeats Stanza 3, lines 1-5.

[Stanza 6]

Line 1: This is precisely the goal of Jesus, as described in Matthew 20:28, Mark 10:45, and John 13:1-17.  Jesus is showing us through His actions a life of servitude, one to which we are expected to follow (John 13:15).

Line 2: Repeated theme as Stanza 3, lines 1 and 5.

Lines 3 and 4: Repeated theme as Stanza 3, line 2.

[Stanza 7]

A single line that repeats the opening of Stanzas 1, 2, 4, and 6.

[Stanza 8]

Repeats Stanza 3, lines 1-5.

[Stanza 9]

Repeats Stanza 3, lines 1-5.

Score: 7/10

3. How would an outsider interpret the song?

Earlier, I stated that it would be a safe assumption that the identity of “You” is God; However, I say that from my perspective as a born-again Christian.  For an unbeliever, that assumption likely goes out the window, in favor of a friend or spouse who helped the narrator through their struggle, reconstructing their identity and bettering their life.  There is some practical benefit in lending a helping hand to our friends; However, this does nothing for their salvation without the Gospel.

Score: 2/10

4. What does this song glorify?

It is hard to justify that A Life Preserved glorifies God.  I was nice when I assumed that “You” refers to God and gave it the benefit of the doubt to bring Scriptural inclusion into this review.  But, that was just an assumption.  Without clarity, it might as well glorify (as I mentioned in section 3) a friend or a spouse.  If it’s supposed to be God, Steve Taylor and the Perfect Foil did a poor job telling us.

There is Scriptural application to helping those in need.  Jesus gave us this example, as I mentioned in section 2.  By adhering to obedience and helping those who hurt, we “heap burning coals” over the heads of the helped, meaning that we return good for evil.  God is glorified through this; however, even under this interpretation, we aren’t sure if the “You” refers to a saved person.

Score: 3/10

Closing Comments

Steve Taylor and the Perfect Foil’s song A Life Preserved is a beautiful train wreck.  On the one hand, it is pure craftsmanship in its art and articulates well the narrator’s transformation from self-loathing to gratitude.  On the other hand, the person who helped the narrator is unknown, clouding certainty and brings little glory to God.

Final Score: 5/10

Artist Info

Track: A Life Preserved (listen to the song)

Artist: Steve Taylor and the Perfect Foil

Album: Goliath

Genre: Alternative Rock

Release Year: 2014

Duration: 4:05

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