I think it’s fair to say that life can get complicated very fast if we let it. There’s so much we aren’t in control of and yet so much that we think we are. We can fool ourselves left, right and center into thinking we are progressing in our lives only to find pain in the reality that we aren’t. This can then push the circle around making life more miserable each time as we attempt to run from a reality we don’t like. Of course facing that reality can make things better immediately if we feel empowered enough to act, but this is not normally thought of as a skill that comes automatically.
Our mind and heart are always fighting through our ambitions and dreams, throughout romantic partnerships, friendships, sibling, paternal, and maternal relations, and of course the cornerstone relationship of them all - the relationship we have with ourselves. Though we know this, how aware are we of our daily struggle? How constructive is our personal dialogue with ourselves? How honest are we with ourselves? Are we in a ‘growth’ mentality - and what does that even look like?
This is where artists like ‘GoldFord’ come into play. He’s thinking of the same things as you and has done some of the hard lifting for us in his intense and vintage-sounding song 'Ride The Storm'. He starts off the song right away reflecting on some unhelpful things he tells himself very often to make himself feel better about things he’s scared of.
“Tell me that I'm right, even if you're lying, tell me what I wanna hear, mmh
Same four walls closing in, same old voice inside my head
What have we become? Even when we run, can't escape our fears, no
All alone with our alibis, lost at home as these days go by”
Who hasn’t tried to outrun their fears at one point? Who doesn’t want to be right? GoldFord calls it out. And it hurts. This first part is a painful truth, but one that needs to be heard if we are going to achieve what we dream of in our lives. But as courageous as this part is in the song, condemnation is just inches away - we can hear it in our heads already - but GoldFord comes in immediately with grace, kindness and encouragement to himself with the mantra of these two lines that quite possibly save his life;
"I can't keep you safe, but I can keep you warm, mmh
I can't stop the rain but we can ride the storm"
In these two lines, GoldFord gives you a mantra for life. Just before you hear these lines you also hear a beautiful change in tone of the song as well. A comforting humming. A pause in thoughts for a bit, followed by a calm answer. You can’t always keep yourself safe when you’re pushing boundaries of comfort for growth. But you can forgive yourself when things don’t go as expected. You can’t control the outcome, but you can make it through no matter what.
The second verse is a beautiful continuation of the first, as dreams can become heavier with success eventually spilling truths we are afraid of, until we realize in the chorus again, that it’s all part of the process.
"Living in a dream, ripping at the seams, only so much we can bear
Till the truth comes spilling out, all the kings are humbled now
So we look for the good as we try and make sense
Of the lessons we learned in the wake of our sins
But the closer we get, the harder it gets to hang on, hang on"
"I can't keep you safe but I can keep you warm, mmh
I can't stop the rain but we can ride the storm
We can ride the storm"
He continues with more helpful self-talk in the bridge which is so very special since this is technically the ‘bridge’ and it’s being ‘supportive’! haha:
"We can make it through it all
Go on, show us what you really are
We can make it through it all
Go and show us what we really are"
So can a song save your life? One could definitely argue that point with a little help from GoldFord’s beautiful example in ‘Ride The Storm’. Maybe years from now on your journey you might just come back to this point and claim how this song did just that!
Recommended places this song will fit perfectly to your life routine will be on a rainy day on your commute to work, a night drive, or an evening walk/run. Enjoy this gem and remember to practice what you already know; be honest with what you can and can't control, and be kind to yourself.
LYRICS
Tell me that I'm right, even if you're lying, tell me what I wanna hear, mmh
Same four walls closing in, same old voice inside my head
What have we become? Even when we run, can't escape our fears, no
All alone with our alibis, lost at home as these days go by
I can't keep you safe but I can keep you warm, mmh
I can't stop the rain but we can ride the storm
Living in a dream, ripping at the seams, only so much we can bear
Till the truth comes spilling out, all the kings are humbled now
So we look for the good as we try and make sense
Of the lessons we learned in the wake of our sins
But the closer we get, the harder it gets to hang on, hang on
I can't keep you safe but I can keep you warm, mmh
I can't stop the rain but we can ride the storm
We can ride the storm
We can make it through it all
Go on, show us what you really are
We can make it through it all
Go and show us what we really are
I can't keep you safe but I can keep you warm, mmh
Keep you warm
I can't stop the rain but we can ride the storm
We can ride the storm
We can ride the storm
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