Toto – Hold The Line (Official Video)
Inspiration Behind Hold the Line:
Keyboardist David Paich’s personal experience with multiple phone calls at once spawned the idea for Hold the Line. This phrase “hold the line” came from a high school story in which Paich was “juggling girlfriends” and three girls called at the same time. When David combined with a simple piano riff he developed while living on his own with the lyrics to Hold the Line, a classic song was about to be born. David wanted to create a song defining love as what it is not.
Biblical Application:
There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: 2 a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, 3 a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, 4 a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, 5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing, 6 a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away,7 a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, 8 a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace, Ecclesiastes 3:1-8.
Exegesis of Hold the Line:
It’s not in the way that you hold me
It’s not in the way you say you care
It’s not in the way you’ve been treating my friends
It’s not in the way that you’ll stay ’til the end
It’s not in the way you look or the things that you say that you do
When David put himself in a situation of dating 3 girls at the same time, he likely learned valuable life lessons. He begins Hold the Line by describing what love is not in his mind.
Hold the line
Love isn’t always on time, whoa-whoa-whoa
Hold the line
Love isn’t always on time, whoa-whoa-whoa
David is asking for patience. Love and timing don’t always coincide.
It’s not in the words that you told me, girl
It’s not in the way you say you’re mine
It’s not in the way that you came back to me
It’s not in the way that your love set me free
It’s not in the way you look or the things that you say that you do
Love involves more than specific action. Love requires a will and a presence to hold on.
Hold the line
Love isn’t always on time, whoa-whoa-whoa
Hold the line
Love isn’t always on time, whoa-whoa-whoa
Another way of saying don’t let your love fade away or die.
It’s not in the words that you told me
It’s not in the way you say you’re mine, ooh-ooh
It’s not in the way that you came back to me
It’s not in the way that your love set me free
It’s not in the way you look or the things that you say that you do
Love is more than just daily actions and words. Love is a lifestyle.
Hold the line
Love isn’t always on time, whoa-whoa-whoa
Hold the line
Love isn’t always on time (love isn’t always on time)
From his girlfriend’s perspective, David is telling each to hold the line but isn’t sure what one he loves the most.
Hold the line
Love isn’t always on time (love isn’t always, love isn’t always on time)
Hold the line
Love isn’t always on time
Ending with a series of choruses. As a teenager, David wasn’t mature enough to know what love was.
Love isn’t always on time
Love isn’t always on time
Love isn’t always on time, whoa-whoa-whoa
David needed time to figure out which girl he wanted to be with.
Final Thoughts:
In my senior year of high school, I had asked my girlfriend to the prom, rented the tux and made all the arrangements. However, in the weeks leading up to this special event, we were growing apart. While on a retreat with church, I met a girl that I connected with. Subsequently, after prom I knew that I would have time to grow closer to this other girl. Unfortunately, when she called my house on prom night, my mother told her that I was at my senior prom with my girlfriend. I went out to prom with 2 girlfriends and came home without any. This painful experience led me to give up dating over the summer. I turned my attention to focusing on friends, especially since this ended up being my last summer before moving to Ohio the following spring. Love takes time to figure out, especially for teenagers.
by Jay Mankus
