A few weeks ago, I started a series called “Musical Morals”, where I break down and analyse lyrics and quotes from your favourite artists to find the life lessons in their music. Today, I’m continuing the series with another one of my personal favourite artists, Jackson Browne.
Browne has had a long, illustrious career, with some amazing songs like “Running on Empty” and “Somebody’s Baby”. At first, he specialised in really personal lyrics and songs, talking about romance and life in general, before moving to more political topics in songs like “Lives in the Balance” and “Looking East”. I’m going to be looking at some of my favourite lyrics from his more personal songs, to see the lessons that Browne wanted to share with his listeners. Let’s get started!
“Lighten up while you still can, don’t even try to understand, just find a place to make your stand and take it easy” (from “Take It Easy”)
Pull yourself together, think positive and start working on becoming who you want to be. Browne here is saying don’t wait for things to change or for people to find you; actively work to change your life and become happy. In the current climate where the world is in crisis, I think it’s important that we follow this message in our lives. Try to make positive things happen, and use this time to work on who you truly want to be in life. And, relax.
“We may lose and we may win, but we will never be here again” (from “Take It Easy”)
This quote is saying, to me, that you must take the chances that are given to you, no matter what. Maybe things turn out bad, but maybe taking this opportunity will change your life for the better. If you don’t take these chances, you might regret it for the rest of your life. I recently had to make a decision like this, and I had to believe in my heart that the decision I made was the correct one. I decided to take the more risky choice, and I honestly still don’t know whether it will turn out good. But I knew that it was the only chance I had to make this decision. So, think about the chances and decisions you face, and consider whether they will ever come up again. It might just be worth the consequences to take that chance.
“Do the steps that you’ve been shown, by everyone you’ve ever known, until the dance becomes your very own” (from “For a Dancer”)
I really like this quote a lot. Basically, learn from everyone you know in order to develop your own self. I think this is so important to learn. Don’t be just a copy of someone else. You need to find who you truly are, from all your experiences, the people you have known, everything. I also think this quote leads into another important lesson: that everything happens in your life for a reason. All the people who have come and gone in your life to “show you the steps”, have taught you things about your life, that you can use to grow as a person. Whether the memories with these people are good or bad, they still serve to teach us something. From what you have learnt, create your own “dance”. And enjoy dancing through life as your own person.
“You better hold out, go on and hold out, go ahead and hold out” (from “Hold Out”)
Stick with what you are doing and don’t give up. Even if it seems too hard to bear and you can’t go on, you can. You can hold out, be strong, and get through these challenges stronger and more powerful than before. Definitely a message I needed earlier in the year! Push through, you can do this!
“And while the future’s there for anyone to change, still you know it’s seems It would be easier sometimes to change the past” (from “Fountain of Sorrow”)
This quote symbolises the effect of regret. No matter how beautiful the future may look, we will never forget all the regrets we have in the past. We all have regrets, things we wished we had done differently, things we wish we would have said, and sometimes these can be very painful. Sometimes it seems like there is no point in changing the future because of what happened in the past. However, it is very important to move on from our past mistakes, and to try and improve and change our futures instead. I think this can be one of life’s toughest lessons, but it is so important. You can’t change the past, so change and focus on the future instead.
So that was another Musical Morals! I really hope you have enjoyed reading this post and that you have learnt something from these quotes. Be sure to use these quotes in your everyday life, print them out and stick them on your wall, whatever works for you!
Jackson Browne is an incredible musician so you should also check out his music! Honestly, if you need to just relax and meditate, his music is perfect! And please, let me know what other artists I should cover in Musical Morals.
Have a great day gypsies,
Read the previous Musical Morals here.