♫The struggles I'm facing, The chances I'm taking, Sometimes might knock me down, But no, I'm not breaking... 'Cause there's always gonna be another mountain, I'm always gonna wanna make it move, Always gonna be a uphill battle, Sometimes I'm gonna have to lose...♫What about this song?
♫And who do you think you are? Running 'round leaving scars, Collecting your jars of hearts, And tearing love apart. You're gonna catch a cold, From the ice inside your soul, So don't come back for me... I've grown too strong, To ever fall back in your arms...♫And how about this one?
♫I ain't gonna do you wrong while you're gone, I ain't gonna do you wrong because I don't wanna....Now, I get tired, but I keep on tryin', Runnin' out of foolin', I ain't lyin...♫
You may not like the people who sang these songs, but when was the last time you really listened to the lyrics. Miley, Christina, or Aretha but they aren't the ones who wrote the song. The true artists here are Jessi Alexander, Drew Lawrence, Barrett Yeresian (and yes a little of Ms. Perri herself) and Otis Redding.
Jessi's song is about facing the challenges life throws at you, according to Wikipedia it was originally written in the third person and was far more spiritual. It was rejected by many country artists before the creator of Hannah Montana took it on -- only if Jessi changed a few things. The message is the same though. Its about you fighting yourself: thinking you can't do it but having faith in yourself to accomplish life. It talks about the mountains you need conquer and knowing that you can't win it all. Its about self esteem and believing in yourself, even when others can't fathom how you'll accomplish your goals. The point is to have the goal and to spend your life striving to meet them, meeting them and then setting new ones. Its about pride in yourself when you reach them, despite the length of time it may take to get there.
Drew's, Barrett's, and Christina's song is about an old love interested in rekindling a broken relationship and knowing that there is nothing to rekindle. It teaches you to recognize that the relationship ended for a reason, in this particular case the old love interest was ungrateful while the pair was together. Its about realizing there's no point in trying to rekindle a one-sided relationship. Its important to know that you are worth the best. Its vital that you know you are worth it, and the right person will prove that to you. They will show you the stars, and keeping you wondering for years how you got so lucky. If the person you're with isn't just as grateful for you as you are for them, leave. In art, when you drew someone you always had to make sure you kept a highlight in their eyes. Artists call them life lights, as though if you remembered it that person was alive no matter their true current existence. This song is about keeping your LIFE light in your own eyes. Keeping yourself alive.
Otis' song is an amazing ballad about self-love. Its about believing in yourself, and demanding the respect you deserve. Its about knowing you are worth the world, and everything you've worked for is yours. Whether its money or love you've worked for, if you want to share it then you deserve something in return. I'm not talking about prostitution. Silly kids. Think about the song title. Everyone deserves that.
So here's the moral, you may hate singers. And feel like they misrepresent who you feel should be idolized. But the next time you hate a song, listen to the lyrics. Ignore who it is singing, listen to the words. The message that the songwriter is trying to convey. What other songs have great hidden meanings?
Songwriting is their blog, unfortunately (for me) it has a much larger price tag. If only someone felt my experiences and estranged quips were worth millions. Anyone can write, writing is just about your feelings. Some times you don't mean for them to come out, but they do. Art therapists have been using this technique for years. They have children draw pictures of whatever they want and more often than not their feelings surface in the picture. What about you? If you were to write a song about what's going on in your life (physically or mentally) what would be the lyrics? Think about it.
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