You Don't Get to Go
Embracing Life's Currents: Amanda Shires' 'You Don't Get to Go' Revels in Resilience
Lyrics
You don't recognize yourself, or the bottles on the bathroom shelf you search for words,
You are unfamiliar with who you've become, and the presence of bottles on the bathroom shelf prompts a search for words.
and curse the hand you got dealt
Expressing frustration at the unfavorable circumstances dealt by life, cursing the hand one has been given.
It was a poetic attempt, I wouldn't call it a try
Describing a failed but artistic effort, suggesting it wasn't a genuine attempt.
when you went down to the pond, no note, to cold slip through thin ice
Recalling a risky incident by a pond, implying a potential desire to escape without leaving a note, facing the danger of thin ice.
You don't get to go out your own way You don't get to choose
Asserting that one doesn't have the privilege to dictate the circumstances of their departure and lacks the choice to determine what is spared.
What you spare me
Reiterating the lack of control in choosing what is spared in one's life.
Between you and the kids, I've been lifting, cleaning, Feeding and bending for over
Highlighting years of dedicated and unappreciated effort in taking care of family, including lifting, cleaning, feeding, and bending for over two decades.
twenty years now
Continuation of the challenges faced in caregiving for both the partner and the children.
We
A brief pause, indicating a shift in focus or perspective.
might be standing here at the end of our world
Suggesting a potentially bleak situation, standing at the possible end of a significant period.
but there's beauty in knowing, closure you owe to your girls
Recognizing the beauty in accepting closure, particularly for the well-being of daughters.
You don't get to go out your own way You don't get to choose
Reiteration of the lack of control in determining the course of one's departure and what is spared.
What you spare me
Re-emphasizing the absence of choice in deciding what is spared in life.
So let go of how it'll get worse, remember I signed up for the work
Encouraging to let go of anticipating worsening situations and remembering the commitment to the shared work.
We'll find drops of
Expressing the belief that positive moments, represented as drops of goodness, can make the journey worthwhile.
goodness, so many to make it worth it
Anticipating finding numerous moments of goodness to make life meaningful.
Holding each other in the quiet light
Imagining the solace found in each other's company during quiet and contemplative moments.
bird watching, skywatching, sunsets and moon rise
Listing activities such as bird watching, skywatching, and appreciating natural beauty like sunsets and moon rises as sources of connection.
You don't get to go out your own way You don't get to choose
Reiterating the lack of control in dictating the circumstances of one's departure and what is spared.
What you spare me
Re-emphasizing the absence of choice in deciding what is spared in life.
I know you're afraid of be
Acknowledging the fear of becoming a ghost, perhaps a metaphor for losing one's identity or presence.
coming your own ghost Afraid I know, but you don't get to go
Reinforcing the fear of becoming a ghost, followed by a reminder that one doesn't have the privilege to choose their exit.
Afraid I know, but you don't get to go
Repeated expression of the acknowledgment of fear and the lack of control in determining one's departure.
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