God's Will by Martina McBride

I met God's Will on a Halloween night
He was dressed as a bag of leaves
It hid the braces on his legs at first

His smile was as bright as the August sun
When he looked at me
As he struggled down the driveway, it almost
Made me hurt

Will don't walk too good
Will don't talk too good
He won't do the things that the other kids do,
In our neighborhood

[Chorus:]
I've been searchin', wonderin', thinkin'
Lost and lookin' all my life
I've been wounded, jaded, loved and hated
I've wrestled wrong and right
He was a boy without a father
And his mother's miracle
I've been readin', writin', prayin', fightin'
I guess I would be still
Yeah, that was until
I knew God's Will

Will's mom had to work two jobs
We'd watch him when she had to work late
And we'd all laugh like I hadn't laughed
Since I don't know when

Hey Jude was his favorite song
At dinner he'd ask to pray
And then he'd pray for everybody in the world but him

[Chorus]

Before they moved to California
His mother said, they didn't think he'd live
And she said each day that I have him, well it's just
another gift
And I never got to tell her, that the boy
Showed me the truth
In crayon red, on notebook paper, he'd written
Me and God love you

I've been searchin', prayin', wounded, jaded
I guess I would be still
Yeah that was until...
I met God's Will on a Halloween night
He was dressed as a bag of leaves



Faith, simply defined in the dictionary as the belief in God, trust in God, or loyalty to God, remains one of the hardest concepts to truly comprehend throughout life. Some people grow up without a faith or belief in any religion. Some people, born into religious families, naturally believe in the importance of maintaining a strong faith in God. Still others undergo a revelation or conversion before they start to build a relationship with God. Some depend on God to keep them together in hard times. Faith keeps people going because it inspires hope. Faith means different things to each individual as it plays a different role in everyone’s life and holds a different value. People spend their lives trying to strengthen their faith so that they may find a purpose or meaning to their life. Martina McBride acknowledges this journey of faith in her song, “God’s Will.” The speaker of the song narrates her encounter with a young boy that changed her life forever, taught her things about life that she had not yet discovered or understood, and showed her the true meaning of life.

Martina McBride varies her diction throughout the song, using parallelism and double meanings, to add meaning and depth to her song. Many different parallelisms appear throughout the song “God’s Will.” The speaker describes how she has been “searchin’, wonderin’, thinkin’, lost and lookin’” for the purpose of faith and meaning in her life. The four disyllabic words roll off the tongue easily with the melody of the song, but the monosyllabic word “lost” interferes with the pattern. The four words describe the actions of the speaker throughout the past and present, but the word lost refers to where those actions have led her—no where. As the monosyllabic word breaks the parallelism between the words, it emphasizes her confusion and disappointment. The speaker continues to describe her past saying that she has been “wounded, jaded, loved, and hated.” Three of the words carry a very negative connotation, while the fourth word, “loved,” holds a positive connotation. The placement of this upbeat and encouraging word in the midst of the other depressing words inspires hope within listeners. The speaker shows that even in the hardest times, love prevails and will sustain you through the all the obstacles of life. McBride also plays on the word “Will” to refer to two different things. Will is the name of the boy described in the song, but it is also used to refer to God’s will or plan for those on Earth. When the speaker says “I met God’s Will on a Halloween night,” she means she understood God’s plan for her and the meaning of her life, as well as meeting the boy for the first time. This intentional play on words highlights the fact that she learns God’s will through Will. The double meaning of the word “Will” also underlines the fact that this little boy taught the speaker something about her faith in God that she herself had much difficulty understanding.

Martina McBride uses three allusions in her song to help listeners create an image, both physical and emotional. In the first and last lines, the speaker references “Halloween night.” This holiday, in today’s society, has developed into an exciting day for children as they anticipate dressing up in fancy costumes and go out on the search for candy and other treats. Will’s Halloween night differs greatly from the nights of many other typical children. He wears a plain and insipid costume, “a bag of leaves,” which reflects his mother’s financial incapacity to spoil him and buy him a fancy costume. An ordinary Halloween night would include kids greedily running door to door, hunting for more sweets. Will, however, cannot run like the other children. The speaker describes his limited mobility saying, “As he struggled down the driveway, it almost made me hurt.” McBride using the imagery of a Halloween night to present Will’s physical situation and allows the reader to image all the struggles he and his mother may face every day. Through a metaphor, the speaker alludes to the August sun saying “His smile was as bright as the August sun when he looked at me.” In the midst of summer, the August sun shines brightly and the heat from the sun is felt everywhere. The speaker tries to describe the feeling she experiences when she looks into the face of the smiling young boy. The hope and positive attitude radiates from him like the rays of the sun. Despite all the hardships he bears, he continues to look at life with an upbeat attitude. This attitude is described through the word “bright.” Lastly, McBride makes an allusion to the song “Hey Jude” by The Beatles. The message of the song “Hey Jude” directly correlates with the beliefs and attitudes of Will. This song encourages people to “take a sad song and make it better” and tells listeners that “the movement you need is on your shoulder.” Will and his mother live a life that could be described as a sad song, but they do not let the difficulties of their life bring them down. They take the responsibility upon themselves to keep a positive attitude and make things around them better. The reference to the song only highlights the lessons taught to the speaker through this young boy.

In today’s society, people look with pity to those with mental handicaps, physical ailments, or other impairments. People often consider these hardships with a negative attitude viewing them as obstacles and burdens. Instead of falling into this stereotype, Will and his mother negate all of those preconceptions and ideas. Listeners learn that reality may not always match up with appearance. In fact, the two of them teach the speaker as well as listeners how to appreciate life, something that people without these burdens don’t understand. Will teaches the speaker the feeling of true happiness. The speaker describes this moment saying, “We’d all laugh like I hadn’t laughed.” The speaker learns that no matter how much one may suffer, happiness allows for survival. Will’s mother describes her time with her son saying, “Each day that I have with him, well it’s just another gift.” Instead of living a bitter life and dwelling in her pain, she shows readers the importance and value of life. She stands as an example of ultimate gratitude for all listeners and to her neighbor, the speaker. At dinner, Will would “pray for everybody in the world but him.” Through this example, Will shows the speaker and listeners what it means to be totally unselfish. Most people in today’s world would not expect people who suffer so much to live their lives so fully with an unending positive attitude. McBride uses this juxtaposition to highlight the lessons Will and his mother taught not only the speaker, but listeners as well.

Martina McBride uses her song, “God’s Will,” to show people what true love can accomplish even in the hardest of times. The slow melody of the song and sad tone of her voice brings out a catharsis in listeners, encouraging them to look at their own lives. By using the heartbreaking story of Will and his mother, McBride proves to her listeners that it is important to be thankful for what one has and to always love those around because one will never know when they will exit this world. McBride also uses this song in attempt to explain God’s will to her listeners. She believes God calls everyone to love one another and lend a helping hand to all those in need. She challenges listeners to live out this call every day.