02-22-19
Stay Positive by The Hold Steady is an interesting end to one of their most praised albums. The entire song is one reference followed by another—many of which are inside jokes for only the most devout fans. Others tie up loose ends from songs earlier in the record. On its own, though its message still carries significant weight.
Things change, we know this, and we also know that we have to adapt to the change or succumb to its pressures. One of the only ways to make it through is to maintain a positive outlook. We have to trust that the faith in ourselves, and the faith in the systems we’re a part of will evolve into something that we can genuinely work with. Unified in force and unified in cause creating the foundation for monumental change.
I have been told that as we continue to age one of the hardest things to do is maintain a positive disposition; the constant accumulation of life’s twists and turns carry a cost that after prolonged periods bring inevitable breakdowns. It’s easy for us in these moments to give in, but that action rarely leads to a beneficial outcome, so why not fight for something positive.
Lyrics:
[Verse 1]
I got a lot of old friends
That are getting back in touch
And it’s a pretty good feeling
Yeah it feels pretty good
[Verse 2]
I get a lot of double takes
When I’m coming around the corners
And it’s mostly pretty nice
Yeah it’s mostly pretty alright
[Verse 3]
Because most kids give me credit
For being down with it
When it was back in the day
Back when things were way different
[Verse 4]
When the Youth of Today
And the early 7 Seconds
Taught me some of life’s most valuable lessons
[Verse 5]
There’s gonna come a time
When the scene will seem less sunny
It will probably get druggy
And the kids will seem too skinny
[Verse 6]
There’s gonna come a time
When she’s gonna have to go
With whoever’s gonna get her the highest
[Verse 7]
There’s gonna come a time
When the true scene leaders
Will forget where they differ
And get big picture
[Verse 8]
Because the kids at the shows
They’ll have kids of their own
And the sing along songs will be our scriptures
[Chorus]
We gotta stay positive
We gotta stay positive
We gotta stay positive
We gotta stay positive
[Bridge]
When the chaperone crowned us the king and the queen
I knew that we’d arrived at a Unified Scene
And all those little lambs from my dreams
Well, they were there, too
‘Cause it’s one thing to start it with a Positive Jam
And it’s another thing to see on through
And we couldn’t’ve even done this if it wasn’t for you
[Chorus]
We gotta stay positive
We gotta stay positive
We gotta stay positive
We gotta stay positive