Hope
Motivation Monday – Andy Black: “Put The Gun Down”
I mentioned this song two weeks ago. I am not a huge Andy Black fan. I used to love Black Veil Brides, but Andy’s solo stuff has just never tickled my fancy. However, “Put The Gun Down” hit me with roughly the force of a tank. It remains one of my go-to tracks whenever I’m feeling low.
You can listen here and read the lyrics below. I think this is a message we’ve all needed at some point in our lives.
“Put The Gun Down”
Here’s where it starts
Another night alone in the dark
Hate is running through my veins
Steady now I’m takin’ aim
The darkness of day
All the skies are turning to gray
I can’t tune the voices out
How’d they get so Goddamn loud?
‘Cause there’s a side
Another side of me that can’t get out
A darker side that no one knows about
Can anybody hear me?
Can anybody see me?
‘Cause I think I lost my way
Put the gun down, just put the gun down
Will anybody watch me?
Is someone gonna stop me?
This could be my last mistake
Put the gun down, just put the gun down
Here’s where it ends
I’m never going back there again
‘Cause every time I’m standin’ by
The shadow’s in my line of sight
When does it stop?
‘Cause I’m livin cold and shut off
Even when I clench my fists
It’s slipping through my fingertips
‘Cause there’s a piece
There’s a piece of me that’s missing now
Yeah there’s a piece of me that’s breakin down
Can anybody hear me?
Can anybody see me?
‘Cause I think I lost my way
Put the gun down, just put the gun down
Will anybody watch me?
Is someone gonna stop me?
This could be my last mistake
Put the gun down, just put the gun down
That’s when I look myself in the mirror
Now I’m seeing things a little clearer
Honest I can’t hide what’s inside me
I said I’m tired of pointing the finger
Tired of this hand holding the trigger
Now I’m done with that
I gotta take one step back
Can anybody
Can anybody hear me?
Can anybody see me?
‘Cause i think i lost my way
Put the gun down, just put the gun down
Will anybody watch me?
Is someone gonna stop me?
This could be my last mistake
Put the gun down, just put the gun down
Here’s where it starts
Another night alone in the dark
Hate is running through my veins
Steady now I’m takin’ aim
Motivation Monday – Alter Bridge: “My Champion”
If there is one thing Myles Kennedy can do (besides everything), it’s pen an encouraging song that hits you right in the feelings. The first time I ever listened to Alter Bridge’s “My Champion,” I cried. The lyrics are so beautiful, and I often listen to this song to remind myself that I’m where I’m supposed to be.
My favorite line? Well, it’s a full phrase within a longer lyric. “…your destiny is not defined by what you’ve failed to see…” I think that is such an important thing to remember.
So for anyone out there who is currently struggling or doubting choices you’ve made or where you’re headed, crank this one loud. And commit these words to heart.
“My Champion”
May this be your victory song
A song for you when I am gone
Reminding you of what you’re meant to be
A gift to bring you clarity
To show you that your destiny
Is not defined by what you’ve failed to see, no
May this lift you up
When you feel you’ll fall again
You cannot win, oh
Hope these words are enough
For you to be strong, my friend
Sometimes you fall before you rise
Sometimes you lose it all to find
You’ve gotta keep fighting, and get back up again
My champion
Oh, my champion
You’ve lost so many times it hurts
But failures made are lessons learned
‘Cause in the end what you are will be much more
Than you were
May this lift you up
When you feel you’ll fall again
You cannot win, oh
Hope these words are enough
For you to be strong, my friend
Sometimes you fall before you rise
Sometimes you lose it all to find
You’ve gotta keep fighting, and get back up again
My champion
Don’t ever run away
For every fear you face
You will survive and be much more
Than you were, oh
Sometimes you fall before you rise
Sometimes you lose it all to find
You’ve gotta keep fighting, and get back up again
The world’s gonna try and knock you out
Just pick yourself up when you go down
You’ve gotta keep fighting, and get back up again
My champion
Oh, my champion
My champion
My champion
Motivation Monday – Alter Bridge: “I Know It Hurts”
A few years ago, I went through a very serious depression. This is not me saying I am clinically depressed, but for several months I was miserable and there was nothing I could pinpoint and say “This is the cause, now I can work through it.” I basically woke up one day and couldn’t shake the feeling.
I tried a lot of things to cheer myself up, hoping to snap out of it and return to my normal, but nothing worked. My brother flew out to visit during this time and I felt okay only once while he was here: when he and I were riding around listening to music and not talking.
I found that certain songs granted temporary relief, and one of those was “I Know It Hurts” from Alter Bridge’s ABIII. I would play it on repeat, a single line jumping out at me every time –
“Now is not forever.”
The lyric stuck with me through my remaining dark days and after. In fact, it resonated so much that it was my first tattoo. (And yes, I have since had the chance to tell Mark Tremonti about it, though I couldn’t show him because it was too cold to take off my hoodie.)
So, much like last week, I wanted to share this song with anyone who might need it. You can check it out here, and I am posting the lyrics below.
“I Know It Hurts”
And you say this ain’t living
You say you can’t go on
You only take as you’re given
And now your hope is all but gone
Though you lost your way: now is not forever
But I know your pain
We all fall sometimes, you’re not the first
But I know it hurts, yeah I know it hurts
In the end you’ll find what you deserve
Still I know it hurts, yeah I know it hurts
There are tides slowly rising, the storm is on its way, yeah
But you can’t keep on fighting, so battered, worn, and so afraid
Though it’s sad and wrong, I hope you will remember: you must carry on
We all fall sometimes, you’re not the first
But I know it hurts, yeah I know it hurts
In the end you’ll find what you deserve
Still I know it hurts, yeah I know it hurts
There’s still tomorrow, hold on, hold on
There’s still tomorrow, just wait, just wait
There’s still tomorrow, hold on, hold on
We all fall sometimes, you’re not the first
But I know it hurts, yeah I know it hurts
In the end you’ll find what you deserve
Still I know it hurts, yeah I know it hurts
Motivation Monday – Shinedown: “Unity”
I have played this song a thousand times in the last two weeks. It’s amazing to me how a song you’ve known for a long time can suddenly speak to you on an entirely different level. After a conversation about what I want out of life with a musician – and his question “What’s stopping you?” – I guess the line And your moment of truth is the day that you say “I’m not scared” just hit harder.
Y’all can watch the video here. I’m just going to share the lyrics for anyone who might need to read them today.
“Unity”
I found a note with your name
And a picture of us
Even though it was framed
And covered in dust
It’s the map in my mind that sends me on my way
They say it’s never too late
To stop being afraid
And there is no one else here
So why should I wait?
And in the blink of an eye, the past begins to fade
So have you ever been caught in a sea of despair?
And your moment of truth is the day that you say “I’m not scared”
Put your hands in the air
If you hear me out there
I’ve been looking for you day and night
Shine a light in the dark
Let me see where you are
‘Cause I’m not gonna leave you behind
If I told you that you’re not alone
And I show you this is where you belong
Put your hands in the air
One more time
I’ve seen a million miles
Met a million faces
Took all I knew
To reach all these places
And I’d do it again
If it brings me back to you
So have you ever been caught in a sea of despair?
And your moment of truth is the day that you say “I’m not scared”
Put your hands in the air
If you hear me out there
I’ve been looking for you day and night
Shine a light in the dark
Let me see where you are
‘Cause I’m not gonna leave you behind
If I told you that you’re not alone
And I show you this is where you belong
Put your hands in the air
One more time
Put your hands in the air
Put your hands in the air
If you hear me out there
I’ve been looking for you day and night
Shine a light in the dark
Let me see where you are
‘Cause I’m not gonna leave you behind
If I told you that you’re not alone
And I show you this is where you belong
Put your hands in the air
One more time
Put your hands in the air
One more time
New Music (6/4 — 6/10)
Halcyon Way: “Blame”
Threefold Maze: “Hope”
Real Friends: “From the Outside”
WSTR: “Bad to the Bone”
Bullet For My Valentine: “Letting You Go”
Unborn Generation: “Ritual”
Cane Hill: “It Follows”
Thrice: “The Grey”
Vein: “Doomtech”
PIG: “The Chosen Few”
Framing Hanley: “Puzzle Pieces”
Daughtry: “Deep End”
Auditory Armory ft. Eric Mann: “The Light That Was Lost”
Dance Gavin Dance: “Count Bassy”
Against the Waves: “As Above So Below”
Seether: “Against the Wall” (Acoustic Version)
The Bridge City Sinners: “Ashes”
Christina Aguilera ft. GoldLink: “Like I Do”
Sleeping Giant: “Preachcore Lives!”
Crossfaith: “The Perfect Nightmare”
Cast the Stone: “As the Dead Lie”
Kataklysm: “The Resurrected” (Live Video)
Badflower: “Ghost”
Sleep Token: “Jaws”
Letters From the Fire: “Naked in the Rain”
Mike Shinoda: “Ghosts”
Johnathan East: “Too Much ‘Bama in Me”
The Veer Union: “City of the Sun”
Threefold Maze: “Lost My Way”
Chino Moreno: “Brief Exchange”
Monster Truck ft. Dee Snider: “True Rocker”
The Smashing Pumpkins: “Solara”
The Night Flight Orchestra: “Lovers in the Rain”
Evanescence ft. Lindsey Stirling: “Hi-Lo”
Madball: “Rev Up”
Aversions Crown: “The Breeding Process”
Beyond the Fade: “Welcome to the Pain”
Trope: “Lambs”
Betrayer: “Embodiment”
Mostly Music 