Drive - Incubus

Sometimes I feel the fear of uncertainty stinging clear 
And I can't help but ask myself how much I'll let the fear take the wheel and steer 
It's driven me before, it seems to have a vague 
Haunting mass appeal 
Lately I'm beginning to find that I should be the one behind the wheel 

Whatever tomorrow brings, I'll be there 
With open arms and open eyes yeah 
Whatever tomorrow brings, I'll be there, I'll be there 

So if I decide to waiver my chance to be one of the hive 
Will I choose water over wine and hold my own and drive, oh oh 
It's driven me before, it seems to be the way 
That everyone else get around 
Lately, I'm beginning to find that when I drive myself, my light is found 

Whatever tomorrow brings, I'll be there 
With open arms and open eyes yeah 
Whatever tomorrow brings, I'll be there, I'll be there 

Would you choose water over wine 
Hold the wheel and drive 

Whatever tomorrow brings, I'll be there 
With open arms and open eyes yeah 
Whatever tomorrow brings, I'll be there, I'll be there 

Often, people are scared by the unknown future, and chose to take the easy way out by letting fear decide their lives for them. In their song “Drive,” the band Incubus employs symbolism and diction to encourage listeners to live their own lives instead of letting fear control their decisions and actions.

Throughout the song the speaker uses symbols to make an extended metaphor, comparing his life to a car. The title, “Drive,” refers to the main conflict present in the song, which is the decision as to what the speaker will let run his life. In the first stanza, the speaker realizes how much he has let fear control his life by letting it “take the wheel and steer.” His “fear of uncertainty” about the future has held him back from choosing his actions, instead allowing fear to dictate what he does. He understands that this is a rather popular choice for many as allowing fear to make decisions has a “haunting mass appeal.” People are seduced by the idea of fear decide their path in life, rather than choosing for themselves, which would be the scariest idea of all. However, the singer realizes that he must in fact do that, and “be the one behind the wheel,” controlling both his fear and his life. 

In the phrase “with open arms and open eyes,” the speaker expresses his willingness to confront head on the challenges that come with tomorrow. The most common response to a frightening image is closing your eyes, trying to block it out, and this is the first way in which fear controls your actions. But instead of closing his eyes and blindly letting fear drive, the singer will deal with the decisions and choices in the future. By repeating “whatever tomorrow brings,” he acknowledges that he does not know what his ambiguous fate might be, however, he refuses to let that frighten him and promises to “be there” instead of running away out of fear.

The speaker’s use of the word “waiver” in the second stanza shows his total rejection of fear, as he refuses to be one of the mindless drones in “the hive.” With this line, he is saying how those who let fear run their lives are not actually living, but just going through motions. Again, the speaker notes that letting fear control you is the most common way of life for everyone else. Although the singer confesses that, in the past, he lived in such a way, “it’s driven me before,” he speaks of his life now that he controls it, and not fear, “when I drive myself, my light is found.” “Light” traditionally refers to enlightenment and knowledge, and operates this way in the lyrics as well. By running his life and making his own decisions, the speaker gradually discovers his future and path in the world, instead of operating in the dark with his eyes shut due to fear. 

“Water” and “wine” in the bridge of the song refer to the two different choices presented in the song. We can select wine, and opt for the life governed by external forces. Wine dulls the body system, just like letting fear drive our life dulls our mind and our control. Or, we can chose water, and live a pure, clear life with a pure, clear mind in which we make the decisions and actions.

At the end, the singer urges us to “hold the wheel and drive,” bringing back the symbolic metaphor of the car in the hopes that listeners will get out of the passenger side of the car, and grip the wheel and head into their unknown future fully in control.