TobyMac – Til the Day I Die (Featuring NF)

My bludgeoning of TobyMac’s I Just Need U. and my first review, NF’s Let You Down left me with a sour taste in my mouth for Hip Hop music;  However, I said the same thing about Zach Williams’ Old Church Choir before I reviewed Fear is a Liar.  Every artist has their fair share of sour grapes, which is why I do my best to evaluate songs individually rather than allowing my biases to color particular artists in a negative light.

This is especially true with someone like TobyMac, who has performed since 1987, owns his own record company, Gotee Records, and has twelve studio albums to his name: five under DC Talk and seven under TobyMac.  There is bound to be a few whoopie cushions in the mix.  Is Till the day I die one of them?  Let’s find out together!

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1. What message does the song communicate?

In more variations than my wife’s shoe collection, TobyMac and NF’s main message is about their devotion to God.  They want everyone to know about it, without any qualms about hardships, adversity, and persecution.  Their aim is to continue to tell people about God until He takes them.

While Verse 1, Pre-Chorus, and Chorus focuses on not giving up, and Verse 2 is an expression of devotion to God, Verse 3 juxtaposes these concepts with the sluggard couch potatoes who are too lazy to work and only ask God for help when they are in trouble.

I appreciate that the name of God received at least one mention.  This helps to clarify the One in whom they are expressing their adoration, as opposed to some random unspecified king’s name.

Score: 10/10

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

Although much of it is cultural lingo in nature (that is, insofar as I know, hip-hop style), all of it lines up with the Bible.

Lyrics posted with permission.*

[Verse 1]

I’ll keep swingin’ for the fences

Originally a baseball term used to describe the desire to hit a home run, it is used figuratively here to characterize maximum effort.

It’s like this heart is defenseless
Against the passion that’s pumpin’ through my veins

A passion for what?  This is not clear until Verse 3.  It is a passion for devotion to God.

Blood, sweat, tears, it’s a callin’
And if I can’t walk, then I’m crawlin’

Paul uses a race analogy in 1 Corinthians 9:24-25 for our walk with Christ in the same manner that TobyMac does.

It might flicker, but they can’t kill the flame

That is, TobyMac’s passion might waver, but the core of his their drive cannot be removed.  What is this core he speaks of?  Once again, it is not clear until Verse 3.  God is the force behind their passion, as described also in Psalm 37:4.

[Pre-Chorus]

I can’t stop
I can’t quit
It’s in my heart
It’s on my lips
I can’t stop, no
I can’t quit
It’s in my heart, yeah
I’m all in

Similar to how an athlete might self-talk their way to keep going, TobyMac and NF express their desire to be “all in”, as described in Verse 1, line 1.

[Chorus]

Til the wheels fall off
Til the spotlight fades

That is, until the day they die.

I will lift Your banner high
I will lift Your banner high

This describes allegiance.  At this point, we are not told yet to whom Toby and NF will place it; however, based on Verse 3, we can know that it is God.

And til the walls crash in
For the rest of my days

Another euphemism for the day they die.

I’ll lay it all on the line

That is, personal sacrifice for God, as Jesus commanded in Matthew 10:38, Matthew 16:24-26, Mark 8:34, Luke 9:23, and Luke 14:27.  Also, see John 15:13.

Til the day I
Til the day I die

After two euphemisms, they are explicit regarding “till the day I die”…

Til the end of the line

…and then add yet another derivative, much like the style of Proverbs and some of Paul’s letters.

Til the day
Til the day I die

Then, they repeat it yet again, this time, for emphasis!

It’s Your name I’ll glorify

As we will see in Verse 3, it is the name of God that they glorify, as commanded in Matthew 5:14-16, 1 Corinthians 10:31, and Colossians 3:17.

[Verse 2]

It’s runnin’ deeper than the ocean
This ain’t religion, it’s devotion

I understand where TobyMac is going with this.  Religion, as used here, is man’s effort to appease their own faults through good works so that their god can accept them.  Devotion is what God expects of us.  We can demonstrate this by following Jesus, immersing ourselves in Him, and obeying His commandments (John 15:1-10, 1 Corinthians 11:1-2, 1 Peter 2:21, and 1 John 2:3-6).  The kind of “religion” that God expects of us can be found in James 1:26-27.

365, every minute, every day

And February 29th also, which occurs every four years!  Kidding aside, the point here is that our devotion to God should be unceasing, unwavering (Psalm 35:28, Psalm 71:6, and Psalm 71:14).  We are also commanded in 1 Thessalonians 5:17 to pray without ceasing.

So in the middle of the madness

That is, when trouble comes.

They can stretch me out like canvas
But I ain’t ever gonna fit in their frame

The limitations of what man can do to TobyMac will not shatter his faith (see Psalm 56:11, Psalm 118:6, and Hebrews 13:6).  Persecution is something we all should expect when we live out our faith (Matthew 10:16-23, 1 John 3:13, and 1 Peter 4:12).  It because they hate Jesus that we are despised (Mark 13:13 and John 15:18).

[Verse 3]

Til I die and they put me in the coffin
Don’t matter if I’m on the road or if I’m recordin’
Tell me what you think about me, that really ain’t important

That is, no matter what.

You know I’ma represent ’em, I ain’t playin’, can’t afford to

That is, to be a good example of a Christ follower to other people.  This is accomplished through obedience (see Matthew 25:34-40, John 14:15, John 14:21-24, John 15:10-14, 1 Peter 1:14-15, 1 John 2:3-5, 1 John 4:19-20, 1 John 5:2-3, and 2 John 1:6).

I only got one life, and I get it though

We are appointed once to die, then judgment (Hebrews 9:27-28).

And this is not an act, not a movie, not a TV show

Rather, it is genuine devotion, evidenced by obedience.

I don’t know what “quittin'” means, I don’t ever take it slow

Neither did Paul (see 1 Corinthians 9:24-25).

You know I’m on the grind, me and Toby in the studio

That is, working hard.  At least they are willing to work, lest they starve (2 Thessalonians 3:10).

Do it for the King, what you know about that?

Honestly, not as much as I should.  Oh wait, this was meant to be rhetorical?  Sorry, my bad.

Yes, we should be working as if we work for God.  After all, that is what we were meant to do since Adam and Eve were created (Genesis 2:5 and Genesis 2:15).  God also saved us so that we could perform good works (Ephesians 2:8-10).

Say you goin’ harder, mmm, I doubt that
You say you doin’ work, but you’re asking where the couch at
How you doin’ work when you asking where the couch at, huh?

This is an accusation of laziness, which is true for some people.  Proverbs has much to say about this topic, including Proverbs 6:6-11, Proverbs 10:4, Proverbs 18:9, Proverbs 19:15, Proverbs 19:24, Proverbs 20:4, Proverbs 21:25, Proverbs 24:30-34, and Proverbs 26:13-16.  Also, see Matthew 25:3-10, Matthew 25:24-28, 2 Thessalonians 3:10, 1 Timothy 5:8, and 2 Peter 1:5-11.

God is not a crutch, you can’t use Him when you wanna
You only look to heaven when you goin’ through some drama

Well God is a crutch in the sense that we depend on Him, but that is not the point here.  God is not a cosmic slot machine, where we win the jackpot each spin.  He is not a genie who will grant every wish.  It should not surprise us when God does not give us these things when we ask with the wrong motives (James 4:3).

And when they goin’ through some problems and that’s the only time they call Him
I guess I don’t understand that life, wonder why?

Indeed, it is a lifestyle, one that is sinful and rightfully called out as such by NF.  It demonstrates their priorities and how much they care about God (or lack thereof).  I like how 13th to 14th-century Christian theologian Meister Eckhart puts it:

Some people want to see God with their eyes as they see a cow, and to love Him as they love a cow – for the milk and cheese and profit it brings them. This is how it is with people who love God for the sake of outward wealth or inward comfort. They do not rightly love God, when they love Him for their own advantage.

Cause’ I’m all in
Til the day I die

Repeats Chorus, lines 8 and 9.

Score: 10/10

3. How would an outsider interpret the song?

I cannot contrive a more reasonable interpretation from an unbeliever’s perspective than my own thoughts.  Verse 3 will (hopefully) convict those who left Christianity because of unanswered prayer.

Some will likely see this as religious fanaticism; however, that is not an issue with the lyrics.  TobyMac and NF have done a great job communicating this message to unbelievers.

Score: 10/10

4. What does this song glorify?

TobyMac and NF express their devotion to God and calls for others to get off their rocker and start living for God.  Nothing but God is glorified throughout these lyrics.

Score: 10/10

Closing Comments

I could not find a single issue with TobyMac’s Til the Day I Die.  It has a solid message about devotion to God, calling for the lethargic to dust off their couches and live for Jesus.  It has something to offer for both believers and unbelievers while simultaneously glorifying God.

This song is inspirational, but not appropriate for corporate worship.

Final Score: 10/10

Artist Info

Track: Til the Day I Die (listen to the song)

Artist: TobyMac (feat. NF)

Album: This is Not a Test

Genre: Hip Hop/Rap, Pop

Release Year: 2015

Duration: 3:47

Agree?  Disagree?  Don’t be shy or have a cow!  Calmly and politely state your case in a comment, below.

*Copyright © 2015 Achtober Songs (BMI) Capitol CMG Paragon (BMI) Universal Music – Brentwood Benson Publ. (ASCAP) D Soul Music (ASCAP) (adm. at CapitolCMGPublishing.com) All rights reserved. Used by permission.

Updates:

03/25/2021 – Updated per repetition announcement.  I increased section 1’s score and updated Conclusion to include a recommendation rather than congratulating TobyMac on having “one song” that passed muster.  This raised the overall rating from 9.5/10 to 10/10.