It’s myself, Ross, back again to bring some serious tuneage to your ear spaces. Massive thanks go out to David for stepping up to the plate while I was otherwise occupied yesterday, and I gotta admit the track he chose was pretty awesome. Today’s pick comes from political punks Rise Against, with one of their most heartwrenching yet life-affirming songs.
I got some really bad news yesterday, and listening to this song always helps me when things go south. It’s a frank, emotional exploration of depression and how it affects people, but with an altogether more hopeful, optimistic take on it by the end. It’s a song that doesn’t drown in its own misery, with lyrics like “There will be the time to crack another smile/Maybe not today or for a while/But we’re holding on to laugh again someday”. By the end of the song, the chorus is changed to a message of positivity, twisting its lyrics beautifully to tell the listener that things will get better.
Not every day is a good one. I’m sure there are many of you out there who can sympathise with that, who have been or may even be in that situation where every day is a struggle and waking up seems like a punishment. I know I certainly have, many times. This song is for people like me, reminding us that yeah, there will be bad days, dark days. But they’re nothing compared to the overwhelming joy you experience when you see the light in the world again. No matter who you are and what battles you’re fighting, there are others out there down in the trenches with you, and you’ll win your war eventually. And that’s the feeling and the hope that ‘Tragedy + Time’ gives me. If you’ve ever been that low, give this song a listen, and I hope it helps you in the way it’s helped me. And even if you haven’t, it’s a tune anyway, so you really have no excuse not to listen to it.
…This got a bit dark, didn’t it? I’ll be back to being a daft idiot tomorrow, I promise!
