Where nothin' seemed the way it should be
And every time you'd set your sight and take an aim
Things would change, move out of range
 
Have you stood in the sunshine and seen darkness everywhere
Have you looked for a seashell on a street
Has it made much difference that you've never had to share
You've just given,
Given it all to the wind
You've just given,
Given it all to the wind
 
When you finally find yourself in the middle of a dream
And the vision slowly slips away
It's hard to hold yourself in the middle of a stream
You just give in,
Giving it all to the wind
You just give in,
Giving it all to the wind



Lyrics submitted by Buddha of Suburbia, edited by david10180

Giving It All to the Wind Lyrics as written by Larry M. Lee

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group

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Giving It All to the Wind song meanings
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  • +1
    Song Meaning

    Overall, this song seems to be about depression.

    I'll break it down (semi-)line to line.

    First line isn't on here, but the start of the song reads as follows:

    "Have you ever felt yourself in a place a little strange, where nothing seemed the way it should be, and every time you'd set your sight and take an aim things would change, move out of range"

    Here, Larry is pretty on-the-nose with it. You try in life, you have goals and plans, and they fall through. You think you're on the right path to achieving your goal, and something changes.

    "Have you stood in the sunshine and seen darkness everywhere"

    One of the best representations of depression I've ever seen expressed. To stand in the light but only see darkness around you. Sort of a way of saying no matter what positives you find, you can only focus on the negatives.

    "Have you looked for a seashell on a street"

    Looking for something impossible. Being so lost that you're trying to grab hold of something that shouldn't be there.

    "Has it made much difference that you've never had to share, you've just given, given it all to the wind"

    This represents the feeling of hopelessness that can come with being depressed. You give everything you have, but you get nothing from it. "Never had to share." And despite a reward, you continue to give it all you got.

    "When you finally find yourself in the middle of a dream and the vision slowly slips away"

    You've achieved a goal. You feel good about it, but the depression creeps back in. Now you're back to seeing darkness everywhere. That positive feeling is conquered by your thoughts, and...

    "It's hard to hold yourself in the middle of a stream"

    ...you're still swept away by the drama and strife of day to day life."

    "You just give in, giving it all to the wind"

    This is so as to say you stop trying to hold yourself in that stream and let it take you. You give up. You give in to your depression.

    Possibly the best song about this I've ever seen. I've dealt with clinical depression and this really understands that. I hope Larry wrote this about someone else. Such a great musician and person, would hate to know he was depressed.

    david10180on December 12, 2019   Link

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