Sounds Familiar
Evolving Youth: A Reflection on Growth
Lyrics
We emerged from youth all wide-eyed like the rest
We entered adulthood with the same curiosity as everyone else.
Shedding skin faster than skin can grow
We are rapidly changing and evolving, shedding old layers of ourselves.
And armed with hammers, feathers, blunt knives
Equipped with various tools, both destructive and gentle, and words to connect and define, though understanding is necessary.
Words to meet and to define and to but you must know
Communication is crucial, but there are limitations and conditions.
The same games that we played in dirt, in dusty school yards
Childhood games have evolved into more complex and challenging adult experiences.
Have found a higher pitch and broader scale
Life's challenges now exceed what we anticipated.
Than we feared possible, someone must be picked last
In the adult world, someone is always left behind or chosen last, causing pain and failure.
And one must bruise and one must fail
Failure and bruising are inevitable in life.
And that still twitching bird was so deceived by a window
A bird, deceived by a window, symbolizes misunderstanding or misjudgment.
So we eulogized fondly, we dug deep, and threw
We mourned the bird's death, buried it, and quickly sought something new to kill.
Its elegant plumage and frantic black eyes in a hole
The bird's beauty and fear were discarded without much thought.
And then rushed out to kill something new
We repeat destructive patterns without reflection.
So we could bury that too
Continuing a cycle of burying past mistakes without learning.
The first chapters of life almost made us give up altogether
Early life experiences almost led to giving up entirely.
Pushed towards tired forms of self immolation
Temptations of self-destruction seemed original but were tired forms.
That seemed so original
Originality is challenged, and there is a determination to persist.
I must, we must never stop
A commitment to never stop observing the world and its possibilities.
Watching the sky with our hands in our pockets
Observing the world passively, hands in pockets, rather than actively participating.
Stop peering in windows when we know doors are shut
Avoiding futile efforts and focusing on achievable goals.
Stop yelling small stories and bad jokes and sorrows
Choosing meaningful communication over trivial stories and jokes.
And my voice will scratch to yell many more, but
The speaker acknowledges the need to share more stories despite difficulties.
Before I spill the things I mean to hide away
Avoiding superficial expressions and clichés that lack sincerity.
Or gouge my eyes with platitudes of sentiment
Resisting the urge to be overly sentimental and clichéd.
I'll drown the urge for permanence and certainty
Choosing to embrace impermanence and uncertainty rather than seeking permanence.
Crouch down and scrawl my name with yours in wet cement
Committing to a shared, albeit temporary, experience by leaving a mark together.
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