Last week I had an exam in English and I chose to write about some of the songs that are important to me. And I gave it the headline: “Moving further… in life”
The songs I have chosen lie close to my heart and they have played an important part in my life and have made me the person I am today. So, songs can actually change people and make them see the world with other eyes. And I know that the song, “Running Away” by Midnight Hour, also have touched a lot of people. The other song I have chosen, “Courage is…“ by The Strange Familiar, express the same message as “Running Away” and it have a strong vibe to it. “Running Away” is about wanting to run away from an awful place in it’s life and the wish for a new start. And “Courage is…” is about having a really hard time, but wanting to improve the situation by having the courage to make a change. So basically, the similarities are clear.
“Running Away” by Midnight Hour
It is a slow, but dramatic melody, which captures the sense of the song. It’s about running away from a horrible place in life and the decision of leaving it all behind. And the thought of making a new start and of never wanting back again stands clear. “I’m leaving you behind with the past. No, I won’t look back.” To me, personally, the song represented that the only thing I could do, was to look forward and make a change in my life so I could live the life I always wanted. The dream of being free and independent made me realize that I had to change to be happy again. I was leaving it all behind and managed to get a new start and a new life.
It continually repeats “running away” and it symbolizes a run for life. But at the same time she wants the past to understand that it can’t stay, because of the things that lies ahead. There’s a future that is there to be lived and a life to create. A happy life, in contrast of the life that had been lived, was lying there in the right before her.
“Courage is…” by The Strange Familiar
The song symbolizes something bad, wanting to turn out great. The “she-person” wants to get rid of her doubts and excuses for living in her fears. It’s hard for her to leave it all behind, but she says to herself that if she only has courage she can overcome the obstacles. It doesn’t matter if you have been knocked down, the only thing that counts is that she gets back up (quote lyrics). People who haven’t lived through difficulties don’t have the same strength and courage as the ones who have really suffered. The ones who have suffered know how to have the courage to do so much in life. Like in the saying: “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger”.
The song underline that it’s not always the survival of the fittest that counts. “It’s not how high he flies, but the song he sings.” It’s not how strong and beautiful you can be on the outside, but what counts is the inside. The strength and the courage you gain, becomes the beauty and the knowledge inside of you.
“Running Away” and “Courage is…”
The pair of them has the same deeper meaning and they both have slow music to set the mood. The music changes tempo, and marks a change in the song. The dramatic part makes us realize the lost situation the she is situated in. Yes, it hurts, but yes it’s a way out. But only if there is a desire to improve and make a leap out hope, there will be something better lying before her.
Both songs symbolize change and the strength to make a change. They both see the reality around them and they want to have the courage and strength to stive after something better. For me they symbolize wanting a new start and knowing that nothing is perfection. And perfection isn’t the way to live your life, because it’s your family and friends around you that truly counts. I’d rather live an imperfect life living, than a perfect life almost dead.
Being in the situation that the two texts are about makes me today realize how bad the situation was for me back then. The two songs inspired me to continue on the path towards recovery and made me realize that it actually was possible to be healthy again. The shame of feeling the way I did disappear and opened my eyes that I wasn’t the only one struggling. The message of leaving this place, this horrible place, hit me and said to me that it was time to let go of the past. It wasn’t the time for me to stay in the past, but for me to run towards the future. So I gained hope, and said to myself; “It’s not how many times you’ve been knocked down. It’s how many times you get back on.” The courage slowly raised and the strength grew stronger and stronger gradually. There was a way out, and the future sparkled brighter than ever. It’s strange how much impact a few songs can have on people and how songs can save lives. It only takes courage and the drive to change to improve every situation.
