Music That Inspires – Volume 1
Hi all!
Welcome to a new section of my blog. I’ve been going through a lot of changes in my life and of course, as an extension of my life, this blog is going to become an outlet for those changes which will follow me and grow as I grow. I’m hoping that as I develop and progress in my own life that what I discover I can pass along to you.
The changes that I’ve been going through are very personal and I’m not ready just yet to open myself up to the online community about all of my life but what I can share, that which I think is beneficial to everyone, I shall share.
One of the things I’d like to share with you is my appreciation for music and also my personal experiences and understandings with the songs and bands that I find are helping me in my daily life.
I’ve spent a good deal of my life searching for bands that push themselves beyond the limits of their abilities in an effort to elevate themselves and their listeners to a level beyond the purely physical. This has led me down the path of progressive rock and to a few dark holes where free thinkers have buried themselves deep. It is my hope that the songs and bands that I’ve found, the bands that help me through their lyrics, their messages and music will also be able to help you too.
First I’d like to introduce a song by Yes. For those of you who don’t know, Yes is a progressive rock band that has been around since the late 60’s. They have been instrumental (pardon the pun) in showing the world that there is an expansive musical panorama beyond the usual media driven pop fluff we hear on the radio. As a leader on the front of the progressive rock movement, Yes has cemented themselves in the annals of music history.
While my life has been heavily influenced by the music of Yes, I’m going to pull out a specific song from the album Union to tell you about. I don’t actually own this album but I’ve heard this song many times and think it has a fantastic message. The song is called ‘The More We Live (Let Go)’. You can hear the song and check out a fan-made video of the song below.
The lyrics for the song are as follows. Click the play button on the video above and then follow along!
Yes: The More We Live (Let Go)
You and I can change the world;
The more we live, the more we learn, the more we know.
From this moment on we share the world;
The more we give, the more we love, the more we grow.
The spirit of imagination can lead us through the dark;
The more we see, the more we try, the more we show.
The evidence of our confusion, life has left it’s mark;
The more we fear, the more we lie, the more we hide.
As we walk into tomorrow
(Turning away from the path we know)
Holding the future with our hands
(We carry the weight of the world we go)
It’s up to you and I — We hold the key; we hold the answers
All our thoughts of doubt and fear are leaving one by one
The more we live, the more we learn, the more we know.
For each of us the road is clear and life has just begun;
The more we give, the more we love, the more we grow.
It’s time to reach the goals we’ve set for ourselves;
The more we fear, the more we lie, the more we hide.
All we need is just to believe in ourselves;
We face the truth, we see it clear, with no disguise.
Cast away our doubt and sorrow
(Turning away from the past we know)
The Universe at our command
(Conserving the fate of the world we grow)
Together you and I, we hold the key to all the answers
Let go
Let go
Let go
Let go
Let go
This is a song that has influenced me greatly since I stumbled upon it on YouTube. As I said earlier, I don’t actually have this Yes album so I’ve never heard it in its original context. That being said, I still think that its message is clear and true.
First of all, the music of the song is epic. It is a wall of sound that embodies so many of the Yes attributes from yesteryear. Harmonically monolithic and audibly homogenous the music of “The More We Live (Let Go)” holds us rapt while imparting its lyrical message.
The lyrics of the song are where the real messages lie and where we should focus our energies.
Cath and I are both into finding ways of elevating ourselves beyond that which might be considered pedestrian. The thinking that leads us both to the conclusion that we have more to contribute actually proves that we have more to contribute. Now we just simply have to find the way to do it. For me, one of those ways is through music like the song I’ve introduced you to here:
“The more we live, the more we learn, the more we know.
The more we give, the more we love, the more we grow.”
I think this is the central understanding of the entire song and it’s the idea that I personally grab onto. There are a lot of bare truths that are made apparent in these two lines, ones that should be obvious to us. Unfortunately much of our openness to understanding becomes shrouded by our experiences in life.
The more we live, the more we learn, the more we know; how true. Knowledge easily comes from experience and most of us learn mainly from doing rather than other forms of education.
The more we give, the more we love, the more we grow; again, another truth that we should understand through our experiences of life but that we have a tendency to miss. To give of yourself is to give a portion of your love. To take is easy; to give is very difficult and it is through giving that we find out just what kind of people we really are. Through giving we divert a part of our energy that is destined to support ourselves to buoy up a person, concept or activity that is outside ourselves. That is truly commendable and a source of great inspiration.
The song also gives the flipside, a negative position to the positive one initially set up:
“The more we see, the more we try, the more we show.
The more we fear, the more we lie, the more we hide.”
Again, an amazing insight is put forth by this experienced band of prog-rockers. Of course, the more we get into things and experience the more we want to expand those experiences and, through those activities, the more we show of ourselves. This is unavoidable.
As part of that jouney and opening we see the darkside. The discovery of joy and happiness opens us up and makes us vulnerable to external attacks. As a result we encounter fear and pain. Self-defense mechanisms will lead us to close oursleves up again, shield ourselves with lies and hide that which defines us. Who of us hasn’t told a fib or two to stop another perosn from learning a truth about us that we would prefer to keep hidden for fear of retribution, exclusion, derision or retaliation?
Regardless of the negative and positive sides that every path seems to have, “The More We Live (Let Go)” proffers a message that everyone is on a separate journey–a life of discovery that is as unique as every individual who chooses to take it and that everyone’s path is valid, worth taking and should be free of fear, pain or regret. Doubts and misgivings should be shed in order to shine as the individuals we truly are. If we want to be who we really are then we have to have no fear in that pursuit regardless of the consequences.
In the end, the boys from Yes suggest that “all we need is just to believe in ourselves” and I can’t think of a more positive message to give to artists and those with aspirations to be.
Believe in yourself and you can acheive what you set out to acheive. Sounds like sound advice to me (again, sorry for the pun).
For now, that is all.
Goodnight.
