People of a Certain Disposition
Embracing Youth's Fears
Lyrics
No one ever tells you when you're older
No one warns you about missing the fears of youth as you age.
That you'll miss the fears you had when you were younger
As you grow older, you might find yourself longing for the worries you had when younger.
Instead you're scared to walk out your front door
Now, the anxiety might be about stepping outside your home.
Not sure what you were worried for
Uncertain why those fears held weight back then.
They never tell you when you're older
No one mentions this aspect of aging.
I miss counting cracks in the concrete
Missing the simplicity of childhood activities like counting cracks in the sidewalk.
My footsteps could fracture the distance between
Feeling like personal steps could bridge vast distances.
Old haunts, chain link, and bad dreams
Recalling old familiar places, barriers, and unsettling dreams.
No one ever tells you when you're older
Reiteration of missing youthful fears.
That you'll miss the fears you had when you were younger
The anxiety now might be inhibiting leaving one's home.
Instead you're scared to walk out your front door
Still uncertain about the basis of past worries.
Not sure what you were worried for
Similar to line 5, this theme isn't commonly discussed.
They never tell you when you're older
(Blank line)
Keeping pace with a broken teenage heart
Trying to match the rhythm of a broken heart from teenage years.
Forced to see the same people every day
Feeling trapped in a cycle of encountering the same people daily.
Dragging memories through beer stained basements and bars
Dragging along memories tied to places associated with alcohol.
Nostalgic in the worst way
Nostalgic but in a negative or painful way.
Now we self-medicate to fall asleep
Using coping mechanisms like self-medication to sleep.
Work 9-5, pay for the lives we lead
Working routine hours to sustain the lives we lead.
Suburban shells get stagnant while we
Suburban life becoming stagnant and unchanging.
Turn brittle with the leaves
Feeling fragile and susceptible to change like leaves.
No one ever tells you when you're older
Reiteration of the theme of missing past fears.
That you'll miss the fears you had when you were younger
The fear might now revolve around leaving one's home.
Instead you're scared to walk out your front door
Still unsure about the foundation of past worries.
Not sure what you were worried for
This aspect of aging remains unspoken.
They never tell you when you're older
(Blank line)
As a kid I wrote letters
Reflecting on writing letters to the future as a child.
To myself in the future
Communicating with a future self, perhaps hoping for a better future.
Some kind of pagan prayer for better weather
Symbolic references to seeking improvement or change in the future.
But the truth is
Admitting that childhood fears persist into adulthood.
Those fears that we grew up with
Highlighting the endurance of fears from childhood.
Never left us
Urban environment and its sprawl as an ongoing inheritance.
The asphalt and the sprawl our inheritance
Awaiting relief from ongoing difficulties.
I guess we're still waiting for the clouds to lift
Attempting to comprehend the vastness of the world.
Trying to understand how big the world can get
Encouragement and acknowledgment of personal progress.
Old friend, I'm proud of the steps we take
Recognizing and finding pride in the commitments made.
It's okay, be proud of the paper commitments we all make
Acceptance and validation of the commitments made in life.
Comment