After my doctor told me I would never grow taller than 5 feet 3 inches, I thought the growing pains would stop. Unfortunately, those feelings persist, especially if you resist or suppress them. This is a phantom limb that is discovered when siblings have their first child or when parents enter a new age group.
When did life decide to become that giant hole in the road that we keep looking down at and forgetting to recognize? The cuts and bruises and the fact that we keep stumbling around, trying to figure out if we’ll get back up. Why do we rejoice?
This view is the easiest to believe. Even more difficult to come to terms with is that life wants you to feel these emotions. Resistance and oppression slow growth, but a stumbling block can be the best group of friends you’ve ever had, the career you’ve been fighting for all your life, or being slow enough to realize all the love and support that surrounds you. there is. .
These three songs explore themes such as being married to one’s own misery, feeling unprepared for change, and clinging to childhood.
“Sisyphus” – Andrew Bird (2019)
Misery comes in many forms. Andrew Bird uses the Greek myth of Sisyphus to provide an unusual way to understand how to let go. King Sisyphus of Corinth cheated death twice through his arrogance and trickery. This angered the gods, and he was sentenced to eternity in the underworld by being forced up a rock into a hill. The moral of this story is how Sisyphus grew and found purpose through punishment by continually repeating the tasks at hand.
But Bird takes a completely different perspective. In his folk-indie version of the story of Sisyphus, the rock represents his misery and lack of control over his life. Byrd challenges listeners to loosen their comfortable, familiar grip on grief and accept that they can overcome it. That’s why the bard, through the voice of Sisyphus, says, “Let the rock roll away.” Simply put, we have a choice: we can do everything in our power to maintain control over our lives, or we can take back control by relying on a lack of control.
Spotify code for “Sisyphus” by Andrew Bird.gabriella marsh
“Heavy” – Lovers in the Back Seat (2021)
The song starts slowly and gradually becomes more aggressive. This formula reflects the song’s message, representing that there’s only so much change you can accept with open arms before you start to shut down from the shock of it all. Lead singer Joshua Harmon sings, “I feel like the days will come when I’ll run out of all the right things to say,” expressing the exhaustion of maintaining a positive facade for so long.
By the end, Harmon’s voice sounds like a cry for help, reflecting his loss of direction in the midst of change. Like Harmon, we are all not ready to face change. It’s hard to find a positive solution to that. The best thing we can do is weather the storm by surrounding ourselves with the people we love most.
Spotify code for “Heavy” by The Backseat Lovers.gabriella marsh
“Before the world grows” – Girlpool
The last song is a short and quirky track that revisits an old song from our childhood. Initially, the song expresses playfulness and simplicity, with repeated guitar chords and sharp vocals complementing the minimalism. But throughout the track, it becomes clear that lead singers Avery Tucker and Harmony Tividad are almost playing their adolescent selves.
Tucker and Tividad struggle with realizing how much their thinking has matured, wondering when they last talked to their parents, and even wondering why they still hang out on the sidewalk outside their childhood home. It references topics from my youth, such as the rifts that exist. Recalling the fleeting feelings of adolescence, they sing, “I miss what it felt like to be standing next to you in matching dresses, before the world got bigger.”
They repeat that line over and over again in the song, conveying that they can’t find a way to overcome their childhood sadness. Many of us have a hard time letting go of our grasp on the past. I’m having a hard time coming to terms with this issue myself, but it’s important to remember how many dreams we had as children, and how we now as adults have the means to make those dreams come true. It’s important to remember what you have.
Spotify code for “Before the World was Big” by Girlpool.gabriella marsh
When getting through your 20s, this playlist Please join us in enjoying the journey.
