12-30-18
This particular song has always been a major tool for introspection and self-reflection. It’s almost soft-punk anthem speaks to me on an intimate level. A cross between submission, and frustration meeting at a point of self-reflection; I found this song when the confluence of those emotions would accurately summarize my daily disposition.
The opening lines build an interesting scene, and one that I may have always misinterpreted but I always found a cry against traditional patriarchal structures. For example: “Oh in the morning | I stumble |my way towards | the mirror and my makeup |it’s light out |and I now face just what I’m made of,” I always envisioned a struggle with the duality of the feminine and masculine spirit inherent within an individual. I suppose as it’s a male singing it, I always illustrated this struggle as a man negotiating his desire to express his femininity perhaps through Drag, and then proceeding through the world emboldened by their expression.
Throughout the song, the struggles of everyday life and obligations weigh down on the protagonist until they reach a point of extreme exasperation. From the beginning to the end, there’s a focus on understanding what it takes to make it through their daily fight.
“There’s so much more| left to do |well I’m not young | but I’m not through…” every day we seem to find ourselves at a new series of crossroads, the world feels as if its one stumble from completely falling. Our country, one which is adamantly for freedom, freedom of choice, of expression, chooses to hyper-focus on smaller collections of the population so to make it easier to separate one from another. We refuse people the right to serve their country due to our collective ignorance and short-sightedness. We refuse people entry into our country for wanting to do the same thing every other person’s family in this country did at one point. It’s hard to know which daily fight we must undertake in order to satisfy our own personal obligations.
Lyrics:
Oh in the morning
I stumble
my way towards
the mirror and my makeup
it’s light out
and I now
face just what I’m made of
There’s so much more
left to do
Well I’m not young
But I’m not through
Oh in the evening
I stumble
my way towards another day
we struggle
it’s dark out
it’s time now
that I pick up my hustle
Make a call
make some cash
make your mark
make it last
tiny scores
tiny rooms
lofty goals
met too soon
too soon
Well here I stand
a broken man
If I could I would raise my hands
I come before you humbly
If I could I’d be on my knees
Come lay down your head upon my chest
feel my heart beat feel my unrest
If Jesus could only wash my feet
Then I’d get up strong and muscle on
Oh in the morning
I stumble
my way towards
the mirror and my makeup
it’s light out
and I now
face just what I’m made of
There’s so much more
left to do
Well I’m not young
But I’m not through
tiny scores
tiny rooms
lofty goals
met too soon