Shake Me Down

You know, there's a lot of insight in what some of you said. Deep stuff. But to me it's more of a mash up of ideas. Overall it's about looking back at your life and seeing the things you've gone through. All the pain and hardship, and the disappointment in what your life turned out to be. Everyone grows up thinking they will achieve so much with their lives and they rarely do. The loss of beauty and innocence, and having to live with knowing just how many valuable hours were wasted. Hours they would give anything to get back. It's the tragedy of hindsight that is being pointed out. The sadness of age.

Then it switches gears and talks about the people who have looked back and the only ray of light they can remember is the innocent joy they had as a child. The ignorant happiness that we all long to re-obtain. They want so badly to be young again and to be able to forget all of the bad things that have happened to them and not have to live with the guilt that living longer than your friends and family brings. But they can't; so they stay miserable and alone.

But what i like most about this song, is that when he talks about himself and his own past he says he'll stay optimistic about the future. His past wasn't perfect. he didn't always feel loved; he didn't always make the right choices. He doesn't want to grow old or think about the future. But he knows that time is jealous of his youth and will continue to sap away his life no matter what. He knows one day he will be that person trying to reclaim some of their youthful happiness. But even when he feels bleak about his future (even on a cloudy day) he still has hope and enjoys the present (i keep my eyes fixed on the sun).

Nobody probably cares, but a while ago i wrote something silly that is along the same lines. "It's easier to notice the happy moments in life when you're surrounded by difficulty and darkness...Just don't forget to smile :)" But why i decided to post it i'll never know. I'm eighteen and i think about things like this all the time...