Lyrical Philosophies

Your identity is unique to you.  The way you view life, love, people, the world--all of that make up your personal philosophy and that's what contributes to your personal identity.

Philosophies about life and love and happiness and adventures are as vast and varied as we are as individuals.  Figuring them out, deciding how you want to look at the world, and how you want the world to look at you, is an integral part of the search for identity. 


 Googling quotes about those things may provide a glimpse into something worth exploring, so start there if you wish, but remember--
we are, for better or worse, a gang of intellectuals.  And to that end, we shall explore to depths a quick glance at quotes would never allow.

Many of you use music as a gateway. To sanity, to serenity, to solace and/or to solitude. Music, to many of you, is an escape from the harsh realities of teenage life. 
So, now it is also going to be a tool in which you come to a greater understanding of how you see the world, and how you see yourself. I'm trying to ruin music for you--quite the opposite, actually.  I am kind of hoping you'll get a clearer understanding of why you like music that you do.

Think about all the music you love to listen to. Specifically, think about the lyrics to songs you love. Now, I want you to pick one or two songs that adequately encapsulate how you feel about life, your life. Of course, like a quote, nothing can COMPLETELY "sum up" your entire life--I understand that. But many songs, either through explicit or implied messages in lyrics, can at least provide a concrete example of either what you want out of life, what you want out love and how you want to be perceived, taken, understood etc.


So, your task this week is to tell us about a song, copy a few of the refrains/chorus/passages, and explicate their meaning(s) to you.  

First, try to look at the song objectively--from a purely lang-intellectual standpoint.  That is, identify metaphors or imagery, hone in on concrete and abstract language, and try to analyze how the songwriter put together the lines to tell a story.  
Why does one lyric come first? Why is that the chorus? Etc.

Then talk about what the song means to you, specifically. Try to pick ones that have some depth and that will provide a deeper understanding of your innate beliefs.

Comments

  1. Most of the music I listen to isn't for the lyrics it's so I can just escape, zone out, turn up, basically anything but think. Two songs I always get stuck in my head are Bright by Kehlani, which is more a representation of like everyday songs I listen to, and Blackbird by the Beatles.
    Little girl, watching her reflection
    As she parts her curls into four sections
    She says, "I don't look like them, I don't look like her
    and I don't want what's on my head"
    But baby girl don't be mislead
    Yeah, yeah
    Young woman reading magazines
    Thinking to herself, nobody looks like me
    Oh I've got all these curves, all this nerve
    Why can't I keep a man?
    But baby girl if you love yourself you can
    Can nobody love somebody that do not love themselves
    You are what you choose to be
    It's not up to no one else
    So be great, be kind
    Don't let them dim your light
    A woman like a sun should always stay bright
    Little boy sitting in the bleachers
    Staring at, at his dirty sneakers
    Thinking my shoes don't shine
    Money is tight, I would never get a date
    But baby boy that's not what it takes
    Young man, always at the center
    Finding ways to make his arms look bigger
    Saying, "You see those guys? They get all the girls, I just want to be like them"
    But baby boy, you're spreading yourself thin
    Can nobody love somebody that do not love themselves
    You are what you choose to be
    It's not up to no one else
    So be great, be kind
    Don't let them dim your light
    Cause a man like a sun should always stay bright
    Yes you are like the sun so always stay bright
    I know this song by heart and whenever I'm upset or have like low self esteem or I'm just lonely I put it on and I soak it in. It really just makes me love and come out of my shell; smile a little more, talk a little more. I feel it encapsulates my belief of like "you live with yourself, your whole life, it would really suck if you didn't love you". Like love man, it's the most complex and confusing thing ever, but it's also so simple. I feel like bright just as a word has a really good vibe with it and I enjoy hearing it. It makes me happy and that's honestly all I want is to feel happy and love myself so that I can love and provide happiness for others. Knowledge isn't the greatest gift you can give a person; happiness is.

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    1. Blackbird singing in the dead of night
      Take these broken wings and learn to fly
      All your life
      You were only waiting for this moment to arise

      Blackbird singing in the dead of night
      Take these sunken eyes and learn to see
      All your life,
      You were only waiting for this moment to be free

      Black bird fly, black bird fly
      Into the light of the dark black night

      Black bird fly, black bird fly
      Into the light of the dark black night

      Blackbird singing in the dead of night
      Take these broken wings and learn to fly
      All your life
      You were only waiting for this moment to arise
      You were only waiting for this moment to arise
      You were only waiting for this moment to arise
      Blackbird is uplifting too because it's saying to find the good in anything. My life hasn't been the most cheery or smooth, but I have hope that despite the fact that I'm a little f-ed up to be honest, I can still be good and happy and function. It's just saying "yeah you went through that and it sucked, but look a new opportunity came from it, a different door opened, take it." Honestly it happened the other day and now I'm about to purchase my first car, all by myself, in 2 months. That's just satisfactory to me because a moment of abandonment and loneliness was turned into the drive to make it so I don't need anyone, but I can go to those who make me happy and feel loved. I have finally enabled myself to leave and become the person I want to be. I'm not there but now I'm leaving myself no excuse. No longer "emotionally wrecked' or "exhausted" from fighting or listening to fighting all night and dealing with quite frankly BS, but whatever, I can grow now. Growth has a lot to do with environment and I was enabled to do that by thinking "hey I don't like this. how can I make it better?". That's what Blackbird is saying; "How can you make it better?" whether it's for you or someone else, doesn't matter, just how.

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  2. First i’m going to start with how much music means to me in life. Music is a key component of my soul, everything from the sounds of guitars intertwining with the sounds of a piano, voices of people who can sing so well (Adele, Sam Smith), to how people can match the way music is performed to match their voice and lyrics, and how certain beats and vocals are repeated at different times to create certain effects, it’s all an art. The way the music sounds and its actual lyrics are equally important to me. I enjoy a large spectrum of music, im more of an r&b guy, who likes to hear people who can actual sing..sing! Thats when im in my usual mood, but i like rap music a lot, because it gets me pumped, and takes me out of the melancholy world I put myself in with r&b music. One of my favorite songs is “All I ask” by Adele. This songs is only played by the piano, with gives it a very deeper-sentimental feel.
    “It matters how this ends
    'Cause what if I never love again?”
    These lyrics represent how serious I am when it comes to my happiness and love life. I was actually a very funny person, who was always happy. My sense of humor has became weakened, and i’m more gloomy most of the time to be honest, I’m a lot more serious now, and my love for people has waned after constant instances that have caused me to mistrust them. Music really is one thing that can endlessly makes me happy.

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  3. Most of the time I listen to music at home because of my parents, so it's usually things that I feel like I can relate to in an upsetting way. One of the common songs I listen to is from an old show I watched in middle school called, "Eine Kleine (English Cover by Rachie)."
    "All I ever wanted was for you to hear my thoughts, all my dreams and fears, just say them out
    Yet I go and lie to you and say I'd rather not, even though you never found me out
    I'm just so much weaker than you thought I ever was, than you ever would’ve wanted to believe
    So why? Tell me. Tell me!
    With this endless pain in my heart, tearing me apart, but also you beside me
    Can't you see how happy I'd be? I'd smile and I'd say, "It was all for the best you see"
    As the world in front of me melts and fades away, I only have one thing to say:
    These miracles flooding me won't make it go away
    Because I can still hear your voice calling out my name
    If you’re just going to get lost and never find a place where you belong
    Deep in my heart I wished you’d let someone else do that, but I knew all along
    Pretending not to understand, we turned the other cheek
    I’m sure one day we’ll laugh again as the cycle then repeats
    All that I can do is beg as hard as I can, but the nightmares keep on haunting me
    Even though I’ve seen you leave a hundred thousand times, I can only watch you disappear
    I'm just so much weaker than you thought I ever was, than you ever would’ve wanted to believe
    So why? Tell me. Tell me!
    For the nights I won’t make it through, I spend beside you, while holding onto your hand
    Telling me I will and I can, I pray every night that days like this will never end
    Painting colours vivid and bright I see every time I go ahead and close my eyes
    Just what should I do so everything remains the same?
    Hey, is it alright if I keep calling out your name?
    In the moment I was born, I wouldn’t stop screaming
    Saying that I wanted to fade away and disappear
    Ever since the day I stopped, I had always been searching,
    For the one I'd someday meet,
    For the you that has to leave."

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    1. I also listened to this cover of a song by a girl Rachie as well, called, "My R." It's about a girl who goes to the roof of her school to jump off but keeps finding other girls up there (and it turns out the other girls are really just her excuses for not jumping off). It ends happy, in the video when she jumps, someone grabs her in time and she lives.
      "For the very first time there I see,
      Someone with the same pains as me.
      Having done this time and time again.
      She wore a yellow cardigan.
      "I just wanna stop the scars that grow,
      Every time that I go home...
      That's why I came up here instead."
      That's what the girl in the cardigan said.
      Whoa, wait a minute what did I just say?
      I couldn't care less either way!
      But in the moment I just screamed,
      Something that I did not believe.
      "Hey. Don't do it please..."
      Ahh! What to do?!
      I can't stop this girl oh this is new!
      For once I think I've bitten off more than I can chew...
      But even so, please just go away so I can't see,
      Your pitiful expression is just too much for me!
      "I guess today is just not my day."
      She looked away from me and then she disappeared.
      There's no one here today
      I guess it's time.
      It's just me, myself, and I.
      There's no one who can interfere.
      No one to get in my way here.
      Taking off my yellow cardigan.
      Watching my braids all come undone.
      This petite girl, short as can be.
      Is gonna jump now and be free."

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  4. I am always listening to music. I listen to so man songs and think wow whats literally a representation of my life but if i had to pick just one song, it would probably be "Deuces" by Chris Brown. For some reason that song just speaks volumes to me. "I'm moving onto something better"; that verse helps remind me all the time to keep it pushing even when things aren't going m way. I know this song isn't really deep song to other people but with it being still an upbeat song makes it more enjoyable and relatable for me. "I hate liars" yet another example of why this song relates so well to me. I hate being lied to and I feel as though once I'm lied to it hard for me to ever come back from that. "My heart big but it beat quite" I always say (and others say as well) that i have a big heart which is more so a curse than a blessing. I see the best in everyone and I always try to give the benefit of the doubt which typically bites me in the butt. "Probably didn't register, don't trip, later on it will"; these specific lyrics make me tell myself that if it won't matter tomorrow it shouldn't matter at al. Don't trip over little things, don't trip over stupid things, and most of all don't trip over anyone. "Always hoping for the worst waiting for me to fuck up"; this set of lyrics speak to me in the form of how the people act towards me. People are always wishing the worst on others and don't want them to succeed so I make it a point that when I succeed they see that and I know it makes them feel some type of way. "No more trine make it work", "You made me wanna say bye bye" ; recently I have made it a thing in my life to cut out the negativity so in doing so that mens cutting certain people out and that is where this part of the song comes into play on a larger scale in the grand scheme of doing whats best for me.

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  5. Music is an escape, therefore I rarely listen to things I relate to (in terms of struggles or “worldly views”), but these songs have had their own nights on constant repeat.
    8teen- Khalid
    Woke up a little too late this morning
    But I think I'll be okay
    I'll be okay
    Damn my car still smells like marijuana
    My mom is gonna kill me
    Gonna kill me
    Traffic's backed up from corner to corner
    So I guess I'll hit the highway
    The highway
    Shake away all the stress off my shoulders
    Going to have a good day
    A good day
    Because I'm 18
    And I still live with my parents
    Yeah they're not like yours
    Well yours are more understanding
    I've never fell in love
    I've saved those feelings for you
    So let's do all the stupid shit that young kids do
    ...
    Yeah I've made my mistakes, my mistakes
    You were there when times were at their darkest
    Always showing me the way
    Lead the way
    Your love seems to cut me deep the sharpest
    You'll always have a part of me
    A part of me
    Losing you has always been the hardest
    I wish it were the old days

    This song is really carefree. It talks about being young and reckless while adding humor in the verses. He makes the song relatable to his targeted audience (17-20 year olds) by saying how he’s having a good life living at home at eighteen even though his parents are much more strict than others. That is something I can definitely relate to. My parents have always been the over protective ones. The flow of the song gives off the carefree vibe which is how I try to tackle everyday life.

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    1. Anziety- Logic (yes, spelled with a “z” not an “x”)
      People in the street going ape shit
      Battling depression but nobody wanna say shit…
      Why nobody wanna say:
      I been living with this everyday
      Why nobody wanna say:
      Everything will be OK
      Everything will be okay...
      It was December of 2015 in sunny Los Angeles California in the heart of Hollywood
      I stood next to my wife in a line surrounded by hundreds of other people on our way to watch Star Wars
      When suddenly I was engulfed with fear and panic
      As my body began to fade
      In this moment my mind was full of clarity
      But my body insisted it was in danger
      I looked around and I told myself I was safe, I was fine
      But I was convinced that something was wrong…
      And soon enough I found myself in a hospital bed being told what I went through was anxiety…
      I felt as though I was seeing the world through a glass… How could anxiety make me physically feel off balance?
      How could anxiety make me feel as though I was fading from this world and on the brink of death?...
      I’m not real
      Nothing is
      Nothing but this feeling of panic
      Nobody understands
      Nobody knows the sufferings…
      I am scared, I am human, I am a man…
      But one thing is I do know this feeling, this horrible feeling is going to kill me…
      This anxiety is nothing
      I have anxiety
      Just like you, the person I wrote this for
      And together we will overcome this feeling…
      We will accept our anxiety and strive for the betterment of ourselves
      Starting with mental health…
      We will accept ourselves
      And live with anxiety

      The song begins with the talk of everything being ok then Logic begins to rap about mental health and how no one wants to talk about it. “Imma get up in your mind right now” is an attention grabber. It makes the listener want to continue the song. He adds an anecdote at the end full of imagery and pathos to get into the minds and feelings of his audience. They can either relate or have a better understanding of what anxiety true is. His purpose was to inform his listeners. He wants to make mental health a topic in everyday conversation and wants those who live with anxiety to know they aren’t alone and they will overcome it.
      So this is a long quote from the song (sorry) but this song came out when I was still trying to stabilize my anxiety and I remember crying the first time I heard it because I had never had someone ~get it~ so much. The anecdote Logic adds at the end of the song pretty much sums up every emotion I felt during my first panic attack. I felt like I was dying and couldn’t explain it, it was terrifying. And to know that someone has been able to describe it in the perfect words for everyone to hear made me emotional.

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  6. This is funny because I’ve been really thinking about the music I’ve been listening to lately and really hearing the lyrics out. To me music is my escape. There are so many different types of beats or voices in music that it fits every mood. Right now I’ve been obsessed with 3 songs; Sunday morning by Maroon 5, Georgia by Vance Joy, and Happier by Ed Sheeran, but the one I can relate to is happier. Besides the fact that every time it comes on in my car I yell “THIS IS SO F-ING RELATABLE” , but the lyrics just fit into my life at the moment. It’s about a couple that splits and the girl finds a new man, but the guy still loves her even though he broke her heart. I don’t know how much more accurate this could even get. It’s like he knows my life or something! At first Sheeran gives you a story in the lyrics that lead into the chorus. He sings about how happy his ex is with her new man then goes into singing what’s on his mind and what he thinks about it. First he says “Ain’t nobody hurt you like I hurt you, but ain’t nobody love you like I do”. This relates to me personally and what I’ve went through this past year. When people say they get in their “feels” after listening to this song I know what they mean. This song just talks to me like the person singing is dealing with the same problem and it feels good to know that...even though they most likely aren’t. Then in another verse he says “I could try to smile and hide the truth, but I know I was happier with you” This is an event in my life that I can’t really talk to anyone about. I build it up inside of me and this song lets me get it out. I read this tweet and it said “Psychology says, its not the song that makes you emotional it’s that people and things that come to your mind when you hear it”. I agree on this statement because and “emotional’ song is a personal experience you had in your life and sometimes people make songs that say all your thoughts and feelings better than you can.

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  7. To me music hasn’t been a giant part of my life, I always listen to music but it's never been something I needed. My music taste is so diverse, I’ve listened to everything from The Beatles, to Eminem, and to PNB. Personally, I believe all songs are relatable but to me The Beatles means so much more. I was going to say Blackbird by The Beatles would be my number one song to relate too but Lucy did it already, then I thought Hey Jude.
    ~Hey Jude, don’t make it bad
    Take a sad song and make it better
    Remember to let her into your heart
    Then you can start to make it better
    Hey Jude, don't be afraid
    You were made to go out and get her
    The minute you let her under your skin
    Then you begin to make it better
    And any time you feel the pain
    Hey Jude, refrain
    Don't carry the world upon your shoulder
    As life hasn’t always been easy but I’ve always managed to over power that and be strong. This song means so much to the people in my life too; my grandmom would sing it to me when I would stress or simply when I’m vibing with Hunter and Shauna and we get to this song and harmonize to all the lyrics and it's amazing. My boyfriend made me a playlist of all songs that remind him of me and this is the seventh song on there, when I asked him why it reminded him of me he told me because “i'm usually the one to give this advice to people or because I need to refrain from stress”.

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  8. There are many songs that I can relate to and have been bumping too from time to time and on a daily basis to a few songs from DEXTER (a wuh) being one of his new ones Japan:You know what I’m sayin’
    I just- that’s just how I like to do it, know what I’m sayin’ (Dexter)
    My real name is Dexter, haha
    I got a lot of more diamonds too
    I just got new diamonds by the way
    Uh, woah
    Dexter, huh
    Uh, yeah, uh what
    Baby girl, what you doing, where your mans? (where your man)
    I just popped a xan, fifty thousand in Japan (fifty thousand in Japan)
    You know what I’m sayin’
    I ain’t doin’ no playin’, you dig (Dexter)
    Dexter (Dexter)
    Ooh, huh, wait, what
    Uh, yeah, what

    [Chorus]
    Baby girl, what you doing, where your mans? (where your)
    I just popped a xan, fifty thousand in Japan (fifty thousand in Japan)
    I ain't doin' no playin', these red bottoms, not no Vans
    And she tellin' all her friends, I might put 'em on the Gram, aye (yeah, Dexter)
    Baby girl, what you doing, where your mans? (where your mans, baby)
    I just popped a xan, fifty thousand in Japan (fifty thousand in Japan)
    I ain't doin' no playin', these red bottoms, not no Vans
    And she tellin' all her friends, I might put 'em on the Gram (uh, yeah, Dexter)

    I also mess with his other song Rari with Lil Yachty, and Ugly God because of the beat which goes hard and I really mess with that. The other few songs are two others by Travis Scott goosebumps: 7:30, you lying
    Ooh
    I get those goosebumps every time, yeah, you come around, yeah
    You ease my mind, you make everything feel fine
    Worry about those condoms, and way too numb, yeah
    It's way too drum, yeah
    I get those goosebumps every time, I need the heimlich
    Throw that to the side, yeah
    I get those goosebumps every time, yeah, when you're not around
    When you throw that to the side, yeah
    I get those goosebumps every time
    7-1-3 to the 281, yeah I'm riding
    Why they on me?
    Why they on me, I'm flying, sippin lowkey
    I'm sipping lowkey and Onix, rider, rider
    When I'm pullin up right beside ya
    Popstar, love Mariah when I text a cute game
    Wildness, throw a stack on the Bible
    Never snapchat or took molly
    She fall through plenty, her and all her ginnies

    And the butterfly effect. Just the flow of the songs and especially the lyrics in goosebumps, but all of them above I just vibe with.

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  9. I like to listen to music that makes me feel good; about myself, about the world, about everything. When I’m in a rough place mentally or emotionally, listening to feel-good songs helps me pick myself back up. We all have the bad habit of listening to sad songs when we’re sad, which only makes us more sad. I feel as though we find a sort of comfort in listening to music we can relate to, so I guess that’s why we tend to turn to sad music when sad. It used to be a bad habit of mine, but after realizing it was unhealthy, I created a playlist full of feel-good songs and that is what I turn to now when I’m down. Some of the feel-good songs in my playlist are more like pick-me-back-up songs, if that makes sense. Some good yet very overplayed pick-me-back-up songs include Skyscraper by Demi Lovato, Human by Christina Perri, and Titanium by David Guetta. I’ve always liked listening to Titanium because it makes me feel indestructible, and sometimes it helps to feel like I actually am. A Little Too Much by Shawn Mendes is a good pick-me-up-song, too. This one’s not as overplayed as the previous three. The chorus goes:

    Sometimes it all gets a little too much
    But you’ve got to realize that soon the fog will clear up
    And you don’t have to be afraid, because we’re all the same
    And we know that sometimes it all gets a little too much

    At times, life can be a little overwhelming for all of us. This song gives me hope when I need it, and that’s why I like listening to it.
    Another song I just recently came across is called Doubt by Mary J. Blige. It’s one of those songs where you know you’ve heard it before, but you never really paid any mind to it until you could actually relate and get something out of the lyrics. The bridge goes:

    You think you know
    But you don’t know the half
    You think you beat me down
    But I’ll have the last laugh
    I’ll keep getting up
    Cause that’s what I want to do
    I’m gonna be the best me
    I’m sorry if it kills you

    This song makes me feel good about myself and reminds me of how far I’ve come.
    Each one of these songs make me feel good about myself in a different way and not only describe my life, but life in general. Other than the feel-good playlist, I also have a love song playlist, a feels playlist (we all have one), an acoustic covers playlist (MY FAVORITE), an IDFWU playlist (listening to it before each volleyball game/practice REALLY pumps me up), and then a playlist full of songs I couldn’t categorize. I play the guitar and the piano a lot and I’ve taught myself how to play each of the songs I mentioned on both instruments, and I catch myself singing random songs anywhere and everywhere I go, too. I feel like I teach myself how to play songs I relate to the most; actually singing the song and creating the music yourself allows you to really feel it, even if that sounds dumb. Might wanna stay tuned for the Langers Talent Show? :)

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  10. The song I picked is not really one song. It’s from Glee and it’s a mash up of two songs, called “Happy Days Are Here Again/Get Happy” by the Glee Cast (not sure if that’s really their like artist name but that’s what Spotify calls them). The song starts off with “Forget your troubles (Happy days)/ Come on get happy (are here again)” it is very calming in the beginning using seemingly classical instruments that would usually be found in an orchestra. This helps the listener relax and forces them to focus on the words instead of being distracted by the instrumental portion of the song. The writer uses the metaphor “We're heading across the river” to symbolize the change in direction their life is going in and how it’s changing for the better. Most songs in my library I skip every so often because I’m not necessarily in the mood for it but with this song, that’s not the case. Not only is this song sung by two people I absolutely adore, it’s from a show that has honestly changed my beliefs, awareness, and my life as a whole. It’s weird because I love these people like I actually know them (sorry getting kinda off topic). This song gets me out of my head which can be extremely hard to do. It makes me live in the moment and stop worrying about things so much but at the same time it makes me understand that better times are coming. It pushes me to think about the long run and how I will be genuinely happy with my life eventually.

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  11. One song that describes my life and my feelings about life really well is Stop this train by john mayer

    No, I'm not color blind
    I know the world is black and white
    Try to keep an open mind
    but I just can't sleep on this tonight

    Stop this train
    I wanna get off and go home again
    I can't take the speed it's moving in
    I know I can't
    But, honestly, won't someone stop this train?

    Don't know how else to say it,
    Don't want to see my parents go
    One generation's length away
    From fighting life out on my own


    To me this song is about how life is moving too fast. One second your entering middle school and the next your a jr in highschool with not a single same friend as before. Just being afraid of getting of older and having to leave everything you know. I feel like the first verse of the song is basically saying that he can’t just pretend that he isn’t scared and keep it in anymore. It introduces the whole idea of the song. The song is kind of set up like a conversation because the ending is almost like a conclusion. My fear ever since I was a kid is that Im going to grow older and lose everyone I love. The looming fear that one day I am going to lose my mom and my sister. Of course there are positives of getting older. Marriage, a real dream job and other stuff. One part of the song really hits me hard is this

    Once in a while when it's good
    It'll feel like it should
    And they're all still around
    And you're still safe and sound
    And you don't miss a thing
    'Til you cry when you're driving away in the dark.

    I fought myself for so long about how I felt about some really amazing people leaving my life. The seniors in select choir and my older sister. I never thought I was going to miss them this much. The day of the choir banquet Tinsley made a speech, we watched our choir video of fun amazing moments. From Disney and Dorney. And finally it hit us, this was the last time we were ever going to be in a real choir event together. And we lost it and just started crying hard and then it hit me not only will I not see them but my own sister. The girl I spent 15 years of my life with was leaving me. I couldn’t contain myself. Fast forward to the day I dropped my sister off in Virgina. We dropped her off, ate dinner and on the way back from the hotel it was night and I balled my eyes out. For hours for literal hours. It hit me so hard I was depressed for weeks after. It took me alot of time to recover waking up in the morning and not seeing the person I’ve shared a room with my whole life. Life is hard and people leave you.

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  12. I use the power of music in any situation I’m in. I could be happy, sad, anxious, hype, literally anything, and I have a playlist for it. Music is that one thing that people use as their ‘escape’, which I always thought was unlikely that music can do such a thing, but once I experienced that, I knew it was something true. I’m open to almost any genre of music but I love hip-hop and r&b; or just artists who are genuinely talented with their lyrics and can actually sing. In the song “Garden (Say It Like Dat)” by SZA (my girl), there are several verses where the artist uses metaphors to convey a message. First, the artist talks about the good aspects of her lover and how he keeps her grounded “when I'm tumblin', spiralin', plummetin' down to Earth”. Another verse talks about how her lover “Calls me on my bullshit” when she lies about something. You can tell from the lyrics that she has some insecurities so she puts up emotional barriers so that her lover doesn't see the real person.
    She feels that her lover will never love her if he knew about her past as she states in the verse, “Hoping they'll never find out that you're anyone else. ‘Cause I love you just how you are. Hope you never find out who I really am
    'Cause you'll never love me”.
    There is an inner struggle because she feels her lover will only love the good parts of her but the dark secrets that are hidden inside from her past may haunt their relationship. Her struggle is like a garden, the good parts of her life represent the beautiful flowers in the garden, and the dark secrets of her life represent the weeds we sometimes have in the garden. Just like we need to nurture and tend the garden to help the flowers bloom and keep the weeds away we have to ensure that we nurture and take care of ourselves so that we are the best we can be, inside and out.
    We all have insecurities that we don't want the public to see. In many cases, we feel that if our friends find out certain things about us, they may look at us differently or treat us differently. You can't hide who you really are and if someone is truly your friend, they will accept all of you, both good and bad. The emotional rollercoaster we go through trying to hide certain aspects of our lives can be very harmful and if is not worth the struggle. If you are true to yourself, others will accept you for who you are.

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  13. Honestly I don’t really listen to music for the lyrics. I listen for the flow and the rhythm of the artist and the music together. I like it when it all flows and when done right it sounds amazing. Usually those lyrics aren’t very deep or anything but that’s not what I look for in music. Some songs do remind me of specific moments in the past very clearly and that’s really the deepest I go with music. Just reminiscing past memories. But since this blog has to be about ones inner beliefs I will try my best. I like this song Portland by Drake. “Yeah, my side girl got a 5S with the screen cracked
    Still hit me back right away, better not never hesitate
    Don't come around thinkin' you gettin' saved
    Tryna show the dogs brighter days
    Got a torch, tryna light the way
    Bitin' everybody, which is ironic 'cause your next album probably won't ever see the light of day
    Had fans, but you let 'em down
    But I guess that's how you niggas gettin' down
    I'm so high up I'm like, "How is niggas really gettin' down?"
    I could never have a kid, then be out here still kiddin' round
    Boys playin' around, where you really wanna take it now?
    I got a 150, 000 dollars for an afterparty
    And I gave it to the killas just to break it down
    Bring us up, I never take us down
    But if you bring me up, then they might take you down
    Fake fucked with me back then
    But it's gettin' hard for you to fake it now
    Fuck bein' rich when I'm forty, man, I'm tryna make it now”
    I can relate to the part about not being able to have kids while stilling kissing around. Though I don’t want to try to do immature things forever I do want to have fun for as long as possible and I feel kids can get in the way of overall enjoyment. Especially marital enjoyment. It also talks about “fuck being rich when I’m forty I’m tryna make it now” thought I would like to be rich all of my life I take this in a different manner. I don’t understand the need for everyone to suffer while they are young so they are better off when they are older. When you are old life sucks anyway you are stuck paying bills and filing taxes and having arthritis. I want to have fun while I’m young and I don’t make as many sacrifices anymore that will “benefit me in the future”. I honestly don’t think it’s worth it. I don’t want to look back on my adolescence and remember all the shitty times I decided to stay home and do homework or study or work or anything that I dread doing instead of going out and making memories. You only get one life and it goes by faster the older you get so I don’t think wasting all of your time doing things you hate is worth it.

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  14. I’m not a person who would categorize myself as a music gal though I do enjoy listening to music when In the car or walking through Oakcrest. One song that has always been a constant in my life is “the Climb” by Miley Cyrus I know it sounds cheesy but it’s very inspiring to me. A lot of times I get in my head telling myself I won’t be able to do something or will be angry at myself when I’m not a pro the first time but hearing the lyrics “but there’s a voice inside my head say, you’ll never reach it, every step I’m takin, every move I’m make feels lost with no direction, my faith is shaking, but I, I got to keep trying, Got to keep my head held high”(Miley Cyrus). This song and many others like it from artists such as Sam Smith, John Mayer and Post Malone have been staples in my everyday life. Looking at the artists and songs I listened to most they have something all in common which is their slow sad songs. Just because their sad songs doesn’t mean I’m sad I like listening to them because they can be calming, make you cry, and make you think about life. So my song choice such as Miley Cyrus “the Climb” might not be riddled with catchy phrases and mic drop moments but it is what it needs to be at different points in my life especially when I need motivation to keep moving on. Music may not be my escape from everything in life though it does come in handy when I’m feeling down.

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  15. To me, music is an art. There are so many different types of it and different forms of it. I feel like there is always a certain song or Artist that describes your life perfectly at the moment. For me, it's easier said than done. My mood is always changing and I mean that in the best way possible. I don't stay mad easily, I can stay happy for a while, but something could piss me off for 10 minutes and then boom; a continuous loop. In my opinion, Drake constructs his music so purely that anyone can feel some way about it; even if you can't necessarily relate. I don't have a set, favorite song. In fact, the idea stresses me out honestly. So a couple lyrics from the G.O.A.T himself that I can relate to are,
    "You know life is what we make it, and a chance is like a picture, it’d be nice if you just take it.” To me, this lyric is saying not to miss out on the things that present themselves; just take the chance.
    Another lyric that makes me stop and think every time I hear it is "Nowdays if they don't have a story, they gon' make one" by Future in his song Comin Out Strong. This quote is significant to my life because as expected, high school drama is alive and well. Childish people with nothing better to do sit around and spread false things about people they dislike. This lyric hits spot on. I say this because even if some people have no story to tell about you, they'll make one up.

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  16. You can take everything I have
You can break everything I am
    Like I'm made of glass
    Like I'm made of paper
    Go on and try to tear me down
    I will be rising from the ground
    Like a skyscraper
    Like a skyscraper

    This is the song I will be using for my solo in the spring dance concert this year, “Skyscraper” by Demi Lovato. Since I’ve had to choreograph to it, I listen to this song frequently. Being a dancer, I can dance to any music, however when I choreograph I prefer to use songs that have a deeper meaning and truly speak to me. I feel like so many songs that I’ve danced to have been about love or breakups such as “Say Something” and “Say You Won’t Let Go”. I wanted this solo to be about me and my life, and not an ex, or sappy feelings toward a boy. So I chose “Skyscraper”.

    Demi Lovato disappeared from Hollywood for a bit, bringing her Disney show “Sonny with a Chance” to an abrupt ending. She made a dramatic return to the spotlight with the release of this very song, indicating that she is a “skyscraper”; a force to be reckoned with. She will deteriorate anything or anyone standing in her way because being weak is no longer an option.

    As of late, I’ve been feeling a lot like Demi Lovato in that way. I used to cry every night, but now I don’t. Now I get through it and I strive to be better. I let go of the negativity in my life and anything holding me down and I have risen above it like a (get ready for the corny part) “skyscraper”.

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  17. I speak of promised lands
    Soil as soft as momma's hands
    Running water, standing still
    Endless fields of daffodils and chamomile
    Rice under black beans
    Walked into Apple with cracked screens
    And told prophetic stories of freedom
    Found warmth in a Black queen for when I get cold
    Like Nat King, I'm doing the dad thing
    I speak of wondrous unfamiliar lessons from childhood
    Make you remember how to smile good
    I'm pre-currency, post-language, anti-label
    Pro-famous, I'm Broadway Joe Namath
    Kanye's best prodigy
    He ain't signed me but he proud of me
    I got some ideas that you gotta see
    Make a vid with shawty and they ship it like the Odyssey
    They never seen a rapper practice modesty
    I never practice, I only perform
    I don't even warn, I don't eat it warm, I won't be reborn
    I speak to God in public, I speak to God in public
    He keep my rhymes in couplets
    He think the new shit jam, I think we mutual fans
    I used to dance to Michael, I used to dance in high school
    I used to pass out music, I still pass out music
    The people's champ must be everything the people can't be
    I'm getting artsy-fartsy, house full of some Hebru Brantleys
    You must’ve missed the come up, I must be all I can be
    Call me Mister Mufasa, I had to master stampedes

    [Chorus: Chance The Rapper]
    I made it through, made it through, made it through
    And everything I gave to you, I gave to you, I gave to you
    You got it, you got it, you got it, it's coming (Coming, coming, coming)
    So are you ready?
    Are you ready?

    Are you ready for your blessings?
    Are you ready for your miracle?



    I really love this song. When i had my phone i used to listen to this it calmed me down a lot. It reminded me that we all start from a small spot, but we can grow to be more. When he speaks of the promised land i imagine that he's talking about the spot in life where your happy. the spot where you can go yes this is where i want to be, this is what I've been waiting for. Sometimes i want to give up and just stop everything. but this song reminds me that there's more in life then these few adolescent years if i can just push it a little longer ill be okay

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    1. But not only does the words move me but the melody does too , I feel peace with every hum and every keyboard key. this songs just speaks to me, because i really want to get to the point of my life where i'm happy. I'm ready for a blessing in my life. This song reminds me that i can have it all, if i just wait. But, sometimes waiting is hard--VERY HARD. so, when it gets to intense i listen to this song

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