Neither Could Dylan

Awake finds us towards the aftermath of our struggle clinging to our hope for a better future and the strength we need to make it through. 

We all find our strength and faith in different avenues, some find it from people, others in their chosen spiritual or religious deity, and others in music or art, and of course some find it within themselves. 

I mentioned before that despite the many religious themes throughout this album, I don’t consider this a religious record. I grew up Catholic, but like most people I didn’t really have a say in it and my family were not exactly serious church-goers. We did enough to make sure everyone got baptized and confirmed to cross those checkboxes for whoever’s manning the gates of Heaven these days, but that’s about it. Once we were through, we all stopped attending. 

I attended again a few years after my confirmation because it was a requirement for school when I randomly spent 1 semester part of the Catholic school board in high school, but that service was in Italian and I had no idea what was being said on the best of days. 

And I just never really got it. Religion, I mean. I was a bit of a shit disturber when we went through the mandatory Sunday-school style lessons preparing us for communion and confirmation and mostly just considered that a fun time to joke around with my friends. Few of us understood the point and almost none of us took it seriously unless we were forced into it by more religious parents, like my best friend who was an altar boy. During the actual church service while he stood dutifully by the Priest for his dramatic starring role as “boy who holds a candle and walks down the aisle,” I found myself counting the holes in the ceiling tiles until we were freed from the clutches of Christ to enjoy the remainder of our Sunday.

Over the years as I’ve tried to define where I fall on the spectrum of religion, I settled on a more spiritual approach. I don’t pretend to have all the answers, to say whether or not any religion is any better or worse than another (I think they’re fundamentally all the same), or believe that you need to be part of one to belong somewhere or to be a good moral person. I probably most closely align with agnosticism, but mostly I just don’t think it matters as long as you’re not abusing your religious figures and their alleged words in ancient texts to allow yourself the freedom to be cruel or assert any kind of dominance over another. 

When I seek guidance, I seek it from three places. 

Nature, because it is where I feel most at peace.

Music, because there are so many beautiful ideas presented through it.

And myself, because I believe we must trust in ourselves above all else and know that when we give ourselves time with our thoughts and feelings we can find the solutions and strength for our challenges.

That’s not to say there aren’t other areas and avenues that I’ve been able to learn or find comfort in, but those have been the most dependable and effective for me personally. 

As I said, I’m not so bold though to assume there is not something or something(s) beyond ourselves that guide us through our lives when we’re ready to accept them into it. For some people this is their version of God or Jesus or whatever religious figure resonates with them. I think mine is not wholly defined and takes many different shapes and voices depending on what’s needed and when I need it and oftentimes this is just everyday people. As they say, the universe works in mysterious ways and if you’re open to what it has to offer, I do believe it can work miracles. 

The bridge of this song is one I believe wholly, that we do ourselves a disservice by trying to meet milestones at what we & society has designed for us to be targets. These targets often don’t serve our own best interests and there is no one size fits all for living on this planet. We are often led astray because of someone else’s ideal for our future and this causes a lot of anxiety and struggle that would be avoided if we simply chose to begin from a place of understanding that we are all on our own journeys. 

Time doesn’t really exist; we created it. Go at your own pace and try to take it all in stride, like the moon to the tide. 

Official Lyrics:
If you are the light at the end of the tunnel 
I am the train approaching at max speed 
Without any knowledge of the track I follow 
And how it ends in some odd number of feet 

And when the inevitable comes to fruition 
And we are under the rubble gasping to breathe 
Then you are all the strength I can muster 
Pushing the blocks to free everyone beneath 

Sure, we know, we won’t all find our way 
But in case there’s some hope, I need you to stay
Blinding the shadows before they enchain
The last of our souls fighting to stay awake
Fighting to stay awake

If you are the hand holding the lever
I am the splinter from the wood that it’s made
Vying for your well-sought attention
Insistent on the urgency of my pain

And while you’re guiding the conductor
Towards a more appropriate bridge to take
It is the tools of my brothers 
Strategically ahead removing their planks

Sure, we know, we won’t all find our way 
But in case there’s some hope, I need you to stay
Rushing the water from river once straight
To rapids unsure of their way to the drain
Sure, we know, we won’t all find our way 
But in case there’s some hope, I need you to stay
Blinding the shadows before they enchain
The last of our souls fighting to stay awake

Our days our numbered
By our own design
It’s in nobodies interest
To be led by the time
If I must follow a path
I will follow the tide
If there must be a reason
To be sure it will rhyme

Sure, we know, that we won’t all find our way 
But in case there’s some hope, I need you to stay
In case there’s some hope, I need you to stay
I need you to stay, I need you to stay
Sure, we know, that we won’t all find our way 
But in case there’s some hope, I need you to stay
I need you to stay, I need you to stay
I need you to stay, I need you to stay
Sure, we know, that we won’t all find our way 
But in case there’s some hope, I need you to stay
Blinding the shadows before they enchain
The last of our souls fighting to stay awake
Fighting to stay awake
Fighting to stay awake

---

Keep listening and jump ahead to track 12: Moonlight (coming soon)