Burn the Ships
By Tori Harris
In 2018, for KING & COUNTRY released a song called “Burn the Ships.” It rapidly began increasing in popularity, and today has been streamed over 43 million times on Spotify alone. The band revealed that part of their inspiration for this song came from Hernán Cortés. He was a Spanish explorer sent to investigate Spain’s new land in North America in 1519. When they arrived, his men refused to go any farther. In response, he gave the order to burn the ships. This prevented retreat, and their only option was to go forward.
How does this apply to us? The song sends a powerful and inspiring message of burning metaphorical ships and moving on from struggles and heartache, but there is also a deeper lesson to be learned here by Christians. Cortés and his men left the Old World and sailed to the New World. Think about this in terms of becoming a Christian. When one is saved, she leaves her old life of sin behind and becomes a new creation in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). A transformation has taken place. Before, she was surrounded by and consumed by sin. Now, her life is completely different, because she is committed to following God.
Unfortunately, there are many Christians who become like Cortés’ men. They wish to turn back and return to their old lifestyle of sin. But just like the men’s captain, our Captain, Jesus, has given us the order to burn the ships. The only way for them to return to the Old World was the ships. For us today, the only way for us to return to our old lives is metaphorical ships. Ships of sin. If we give into temptation and climb onboard a ship of sin, it will sail us right back to our old, wicked lives. This is why we must burn the ships.
The pre-chorus of the song says, “burn the ships, cut the ties… dry your tears and wave goodbye.” We must cut our ties to the world. Even as Christians, we still live in a world filled with ungodliness and temptations to join it. At times, the pull of the world can seem very strong, and it leaves us fighting hard to stay faithful.
The last line of the chorus is, “don’t you look back.” Jesus says in Luke 9:62, “no one, having put his hand to plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” God expects absolute commitment. Once we get to the New World, we must stay there. In connection to this, one line in the bridge of the song says, “flush the pills,” which was written in reference to the wife of one of the band members, who was struggling to get over a drug addiction. For us, this can mean to get rid of temptations in our lives when possible. Some situations we simply cannot avoid, but we do have some choices. We don’t have to go to a certain place, watch a certain movie or show, participate in a certain activity, etc. If there is an environment that could lead us to sin, we need to stay away from it.
In verse two, it says, “if you need a refuge, I will right here until the end.” God is our refuge (Psalm 46:1). We can rely on Him and know that He is with us. We can pray for strength and aid in burning our ships.
While technically not a religious song, many valuable lessons can be taken from “Burn the Ships.” The biblical interpretation adds an entire new and deep level of meaning to the song. When we listen to it, may it serve as a reminder to stay committed to God and burn our ships.