My Songs Forever

My Songs Forever

By: Camron Washington

The songs that helped me through my angst times when I was a teen were more than just songs for me. Many of them saved me from committing suicide. My life was never the easiest during my teens. I missed out so much and if it were not for these songs, I would not be here on earth right now. A song that speaks for itself is Turning Out by AJR. Growing up, I thought everything would be just like what you had seen on tv. This was not the case. In this song, some of the lyrics that hit hard say, “Maybe I’m stuck on what I see on TV, I grew up on Disney, but this don’t feel like Disney." This truly related to me. I felt like he knew exactly what I felt and was going through. Reality sucks and any adult will tell you this. Do not grow up so fast. Stay young for as long as you can. In another line, it says, “You say I turned out fine, I think I’m still turning out.” This is still me to this day because I am not done turning out. I do not think I will ever be. There is so much to learn in this world and not a single person can say that they have it all together. If they say they do, they are most certainly lying.

Another song that truly inspired me to keep going was I Don’t Care by Ariana Grande. In the opening of the song, she says, “Used to cry ‘bout some crazy s*** before. I used to feel so obligated to be so much more. I used to let some people tell me how to live and what to be, but if I can’t be me then what’s the point, no. I don’t care about it anymore.” These words right here explained me a lot and they hit me tremendously the hardest. I always thought I had to follow what others told me or live by how they wanted me to be. All through high school, I pretended to be someone I was not. I hid behind closed doors, afraid to be who I wanted to be. I knew during my junior year that either I was going to have to be myself or continue to live this depressing, upsetting life. Listening to this song turned my thought process around. It spoke to me and told me to stop listening to those people and the voices in my head, telling me not to be who I was meant to be.

Another song I would say got me through high school and life in general was I Can Only Imagine by MercyMe. I feel everyone should know this song. I grew up with God and God is another reason why I keep pushing on. In the song, it says, “I can only imagine, when that day it comes, And I find myself standing in the sun. I can only imagine when all I will do, is forever, forever worship you.” This right here told me, that no matter what I go through in life, it's temporary. What is coming in the afterlife is far better than what I’m dealing with on this planet. I need not worry or stress but keep my eyes on the prize. Everything on the Earth is temporary and cannot be taken with you when you pass. Of course, being successful is in everyone's interest, but remembering what God speaks in the bible is the most important thing. As I am on the topic of Christianity, another song that has gotten me through the worst time in my life was Redeemed by Big Daddy Weave. In the song, some lyrics read, “Seems like all I could see was the struggle. Haunted by ghosts that lived in my past. Bound up in shackles of all my failures. Wondering how long this is going to last. Then you look at this prisoner and say to me son. Stop fighting a fight, it’s already been won.” I have always dwelled on my past and I still do. Things that I should not have gone through I went through. I try to see it as a blessing over everything. If I did not go through what I went through as a teen, would I even be the person I am today? In another part of the song it says, “I am redeemed. You set me free. So ill shake off these heavy chains, wipe away every stain, now I’m not who I used to be.” This spoke to me. God spoke to me personally through this song. Knowing that what I was going through and when I got through it all, I was never going to be the same person again. I was going to be stronger, wiser, and smarter than I was before. To this day, I am a different person, and I would not change a single thing about myself.

Even as these songs are still my most played songs, there have been many more that have come into my life that has opened my eyes up even more. Music is my life. It is a part of who I am. If I did not have it, I would be lost. Every day I listen to these and new songs that always speak to me and have made me who I am today. I would not change any of the songs I have listened to, as they have molded me to become the person I am today. These will be my songs forever.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gy9HOaDU318 (Turning Out: AJR)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ao87MtSwxsQ (I Don’t Care: Ariana Grande)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_lrrq_opng (I Can Only Imagine: MercyMe)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSyLqbP8Z4I (Redeemed: Big Daddy Weave)